William Luer
Ballpoint Pens
Introduction:
What would you say the most commonly used writing instrument in the world is? If you said the ballpoint pen you’re exactly right! Ever since June 30, 1888, when John Loud patented one of the first ballpoint pens, inventors such as László Bíró have worked on refining the model. The use of ballpoint pens is somewhat boring, normally being limited to taking notes, jotting things down, or doing work. However, many take for granted the ease at which ballpoint pens allow you to do so.
Discovery:
Pens such as the fountain pen were already in use for many years prior to the ballpoint pen. Many people found the use of fountain pens to be painstaking to say the least. This is due to the fact that it was very slow and messy to replace the ink (often needing a very precise eyedropper), the ink corroded the internal holding chamber, and allowed it to leak from almost every joint. Bíró became frustrated by the amount of time he spent cleaning up these ink smudges and also because the sharp tip of the fountain pen often tore throught his newsprint.
What would you say the most commonly used writing instrument in the world is? If you said the ballpoint pen you’re exactly right! Ever since June 30, 1888, when John Loud patented one of the first ballpoint pens, inventors such as László Bíró have worked on refining the model. The use of ballpoint pens is somewhat boring, normally being limited to taking notes, jotting things down, or doing work. However, many take for granted the ease at which ballpoint pens allow you to do so.
Discovery:
Pens such as the fountain pen were already in use for many years prior to the ballpoint pen. Many people found the use of fountain pens to be painstaking to say the least. This is due to the fact that it was very slow and messy to replace the ink (often needing a very precise eyedropper), the ink corroded the internal holding chamber, and allowed it to leak from almost every joint. Bíró became frustrated by the amount of time he spent cleaning up these ink smudges and also because the sharp tip of the fountain pen often tore throught his newsprint.
Bíró set out to create a pen that would not have those problems. With the help of his brother, he created the first modern ballpoint pen, patented on June 15, 1938. A very small ball, that is free to turn in a socket, is fitted to the inside of the pens tip. As the pen is dragged across the paper, the ball rotates and picks up ink from the inner ink chamber and applies it evenly onto the paper. Fountain pens on the other hand, work by slowly forcing ink from an internal reservoir. This was very unreliable and marks on the paper were often darker towards the start and gradually became fainter and fainter.
Biography:
The invention of the modern ballpoint pen can be credited to the Hungarian journalist, Laszlo Bíró. Bíró was born in Budapest, Hungary at the turn of the 20th century on September 29, 1899. Prior to claiming his name to fame, Bíró worked many odd jobs. He dabbled in the arts of hypnosis, worked as a clerk for an oil company, became a mildly successful painter, and even gave it a go at motor racing. After those jobs, he became a journalist, which at that time had to use irritating fountain pens.
Biography:
The invention of the modern ballpoint pen can be credited to the Hungarian journalist, Laszlo Bíró. Bíró was born in Budapest, Hungary at the turn of the 20th century on September 29, 1899. Prior to claiming his name to fame, Bíró worked many odd jobs. He dabbled in the arts of hypnosis, worked as a clerk for an oil company, became a mildly successful painter, and even gave it a go at motor racing. After those jobs, he became a journalist, which at that time had to use irritating fountain pens.
This is where his motivation came for the ballpoint pen.
Bíró based the idea of the ballpoint pen off his printing press, which ensured a uniform application of the ink across the letters. After several years of experimenting with different designs, Bíró finally came across a design that worked with only slight problems such as precision made ball bearings and an ink of suitable viscosity. The help of many experts and a considerable amount of money eventually fixed these problems.
Bíró based the idea of the ballpoint pen off his printing press, which ensured a uniform application of the ink across the letters. After several years of experimenting with different designs, Bíró finally came across a design that worked with only slight problems such as precision made ball bearings and an ink of suitable viscosity. The help of many experts and a considerable amount of money eventually fixed these problems.
Impact on world:
Ballpoint pens have changed the face of the world as we know it. Ballpoint pens are indispensable, everywhere you go you will run into somebody that has one sitting around in their purse, their shirt pocket, or even behind their ear. It has even become the first object to be teleported. Some will also say that pens are soon to be a thing of the past, due to the rate at which we are increasing our workload on computers.
The ballpoint pen has also led to the creation of large enterprises such as BIC, which in 2009 had 10,449 employees worldwide. However, BIC does not solely manufacture and market pens. It is also known for making lighters, magnets, shaving razors and water sports products. In conclusion, pens have greatly impacted the world by making writing much easier and possible to do and also have led to the creation of businesses which have given thousands of jobs to people across the globe.
Journal Article:The journal article I found was written by Bíró and was the original patent issued to him in 1938. In this article, Bíró states that the pen works from a “spherical ball rotatably mounted within an inclosure at the free end of a support having an internal longitudinal opening in communication with a reservoir for the paste located within the hollow barrel of the fountain pen or the like.” He goes on to explain the problems that occur with ballpoint pens when used with normal ink from a fountain pen. Additionally, he says that the ink he has created for his pen will remain liquid-like and oozy while in the reservoir but will quickly dry when exposed to the air.
Bibliography:
"A Ball Point Pen Is The First Teleported Object in Our World! Newsflavor." Newsflavor News In Any Flavor: Daily News, Latest News, Local News, Breaking News, US News, World News. Web. 18 Feb. 2011.
"Ballpoint Pen History - Invention of the Ballpoint Pen." The Great Idea Finder - Celebrating the Spirit of Innovation. 5 May 2006. Web. 18 Feb. 2011.
"Ballpoint Pen." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 18 Feb. 2011.
"Budapest Pocket Guide - László Bíró, Inventor of the Ballpoint Pen." Budapest Pocket Guide Budapest Business, Travel & Tourism Portal. Web. 18 Feb. 2011.
David,, Isaiah. "How Does a Fountain Pen Work? EHow.com." EHow How To Do Just About Everything! How To Videos & Articles. Web. 18 Feb. 2011.
No comments:
Post a Comment