Technical Description of BIC 4-Color Ballpoint Pen

Muhtasim Mushfiq

Writing for Engineering

Professor Crystal Rodwell

City College of New York

 

                                                                Table of Contents                                              Page

Introduction:

• 1.1: History of Pens …………………………………………………………………….          3 
• 1.2: BIC 4-Color Ballpoint Pen …………………………………………………………         4

 

Outer Parts of the BIC 4-Color Ballpoint Pen

• 2.1: Barrel ……………………………………………………………………………             4 – 5
• 2.2: Cap ………………………………………………………………………………….            5

 

Inside Parts of the BIC 4-Color Ballpoint Pen

• 3.1: Collar ……………………………………………………………………………              5 – 6
• 3.2: Triggers ………………………………………………………………………….            6 – 7
• 3.3: Springs ……………………………………………………………………………              7
• 3.4: Ink Cartridges & Tip ………………………………………………………………            8
• 3.5: Ballpoint …………………………………………………………………………            8 – 9

 

Conclusion …………………………………………………………………………………        9 – 10

 

Reference ………………………………………………………………………………………     11

 

 

 

 

1.1 History of Pens

     In Ancient Egypt, we see the first-ever writing system called cuneiform. Cuneiform was making wedged-shaped marks on clay tablets through the use of reed pens. Reed pens were made by carving bamboo, plant stems, or other material into sharp points (Mertes, 2018). These Reed pens could not survive for a very long time because the pens would lose their sharp tips fairly quickly since reed pens were used on clay/stone, so that lead to the invention of another writing instrument, quills. Quills were pens made from the feathers of birds. Quills were in use from the 6th century to the 19th century. The tip of a quill, which is called the nib, is dipped into ink and is able to write on parchment paper, which is a type of paper that was made of animal skin. At that time parchment paper was quite expensive. The nib of the quills would need to be sharpened by specific knives (Bellis 2018). Quills began to lose popularity around 1827 when the very first fountain pen was created by Petrache Poenaru. This pen was a portable quill with ink, however, the ink would clot and would need constant refills. The tip of the fountain pen was fairly sharp so it would sometimes cut through the paper. As a result of those problems, ballpoint pens were created by John J. Loud. Ballpoint pens made writing easier and smoother because it did not have a sharp tip like the fountain pens and quills, it had a ball that will roll around as you write. During World War II, plastic was being used on a large basis, which made it easier for pens to be mass-produced at a faster rate. Pens are used in everyday life, whether you are a student or any other occupation, you will always find yourself using a pen. Innovations in fountain pens and ballpoint pens continue to advance. After having pens that only contain a single colored ink, we now have products that contain different types of colored ink in a single pen such as the BIC 4-Color Ballpoint Pen.

 

1.2 BIC 4-Color Ballpoint Pen

     The BIC 4-Color Ballpoint Pen was introduced in 1970 by the owners of BIC, Marcel Bich and Edouard Buffard. The BIC 4-Color Ballpoint Pen is 7.32 inches tall and 3.13 inches wide. This pen consists of a cap, barrel, the 4 different ink cartridges: black, blue, red, and green, 4 springs on each ink cartridge, 4 tips on each cartridge, a ballpoint on each tip, 4 triggers for its designated ink cartridges, and a collar to separate the 4 ink cartridges.

 

         

Figure 1: BIC 4-Color Ballpoint Pen

This picture shows the pen as a whole.

 

2.1 Barrel

     The barrel of the BIC 4-Color Ballpoint Pen is the main body of the pen and covers the 4 ink cartridges inside the pen. The barrel is made out of plastic. The durability of this plastic is heavy. It will take a while before the barrel appears to be used. Since human skin has natural oils, that oil will change the appearance of the plastic barrel such as handprints and it can also change the texture of the barrel. The barrel is located at the bottom of the pen and has a hole at the end for a single tip of an ink cartridge to get through. Inside of the top of the barrel are ridges, this allows the collar to screw onto the barrel which connects the cap to the barrel on the outside.

 

 

                                                   

2a                                                                             2b                                                               2c

Figure 2: Barrel

2a shows the ridges on the top of the barrel that screws onto the cap. 2c shows that the barrel is where the ink cartridges lie in the pen.

 

2.2 Cap

     The cap is also made of plastic. The function of the cap is to store the triggers for the ink cartridges. The cap also has a clip, which can be used to be attached to anything. The cap has a friction fit onto the collar so the cap is not easily disassembled from the rest of the pen. A friction fit is a perfect fit for two parts. This part allows the collar and cap to be held together. The only way to remove the cap from the collar is by pulling with force. Other pens that have removable caps face the issue of drying the ink due to exposure to the air for long periods. A writer may lose the cap which then will make the air get in contact with the ink and make it dry, ultimately making the pen dysfunctional. The BIC 4-Color Ballpoint Pen has a non-removable cap and in result, solves that issue.

 

                           

3a                                                                                  3b

Figure 3: Cap

3a shows the cap without any of the ink cartridges. 3b shows the cap is used to store the triggers for the ink cartridges.

 

3.1 Collar

     The collar is like the glue to the pen because the collar is able to screw onto the barrel because of its ridges and has a friction fit to the cap so it ultimately connects the top and bottom parts of the pen together. The collar is the center-piece of the pen. The collar is also made of plastic. Another function of the collar is to separate the 4 ink cartridges. The collar separates the ink cartridges by having 4 slots that allow the 4 ink cartridges to fit through. The springs also lay on top of the collar.

                                             

4a                                                                                                                  4b

Figure 4: Collar

4a show the ridges that allow the barrel to screw onto the collar. 4b shows 4 different slots for the 4 ink cartridges.     

 

3.2 Triggers

     The color of the triggers are associated with their specific ink cartridge. The triggers consist of plastic. It is located at the top of the pen inside the cap, but it is still seen through the outside. It is pushed down for the specific color cartridge to come out of the tip. These triggers have a specific shape that allows the other triggers to retract back to the top when one of the triggers is pushed down. (LucPhinney 2017). The shape of the triggers consists of 3 sharp edges. The sharp edge at the top will be referred to as Edge A and the sharp edge in the middle will be referred to as Edge B. When a trigger is in use, Edge A will be located at the bottom, which is seen through the cap. Use Figure 5b and 5c for better understanding. The user wants to choose the red ink while the black ink is already in use. To do so, Edge B of the red trigger will push down on Edge A of the black trigger which will create extra force on the spring which then will make the spring bounce back the black trigger to the top and allow the red color to be in use. There is also a ball at the bottom of the triggers that go into the ink cartridge and creates a friction fit.

 

                                                         

5a                                                                           5b                                                                           5c

Figure 5: Trigger

5a shows the 3 sharp edges on the trigger. 5b shows that when the red trigger is pushed down, Edge B will push on Edge A of the black trigger and the spring will bounce the trigger to the top.

 

3.3 Springs

     The springs are made of stainless steel. The springs are what allow the triggers to bounce back up once one of the other triggers pushes down on the trigger in use. This is the function that allows one ink cartridge to go through to the tip while the other ink cartridges stay in place. The springs are on top of the ink cartridge and stay on top of the collar. All springs on each of the ink cartridges are 1 inch long.

                           

6a                                                                                 6b

Figure 6: Springs

6a show that the springs are placed on the ink cartridges and 6b shows that the springs rest on the collar. And when the springs are pushed down into the collar, the springs bounce back up.

 

3.4 Ink Cartridges & Tip

     There are 4 ink cartridges: black, blue, red, and green. The ink cartridge is what allows the pen to write. Fountain pens use a liquid-base ink so it requires a small amount of drying time so there may be smudges left on the paper as the user is writing. Ballpoint pens use an oil-based ink, which results in a faster drying time. When oil is exposed to oxygen, it dries at a fast rate. In addition, since fountain pens rely more on refilling the cartridge, the cartridge holds less ink than a ballpoint pen (Olcott 2019). At the end of the ink cartridge is the tip. The tip is made of brass, which is a combination of copper and zinc. Copper is used for many purposes because it is cheap and tough material. The tip of the BIC 4-Color Ballpoint pen is a medium-size tip.

 

Figure 7: Ink Cartridges and Tips

This picture shows the ink cartridge being connected to the tips.

 

3.5 Ballpoint

     Finally the smallest part of the pen, the ballpoint. The ballpoint is made of tungsten carbide. Tungsten carbide is a heavy-duty material. It can be used for armor-piercing bullets (Lemon 2015). The ballpoint is located at the very end of the tip. The ink goes through the ink cartridge to the tip and then goes through the ballpoint. The size of the ballpoint determines the amount of ink that will flow out when writing (“Ergonomic Products,” 2018). The ballpoint is 1 millimeter which also makes the ink 1 millimeter. The ink flows through the ballpoint using gravity and pressure. As the ball rolls around when being used for writing, gravity forces the ink down the ink cartridge. The ballpoint pens have the ability to keep the ink from drying faster than the fountain pens because the ball serves as a continuous cap so air is not constantly being exposed to the ink to dry it up (“How Stuff Works,” 2001). 

                                 

                 8a                                                                          8b                                               

Figure 8: Ballpoint

8a shows the ballpoint at the end of the tip

8b shows the 1-millimeter line (width)

 

Conclusion

     The BIC 4-Color Ballpoint pen is an innovation for writing instruments. Using different colors when writing is a means of organization. For a student or someone taking notes or organizing a planner, using different colors can make it more pleasing in appearance and productivity. The color black is sometimes associated with boldness, strength, and seriousness. Red resembles warmth, love, and excitement. Blue is described as calm and serene. Green expresses a refreshing, restful, and soothing feeling (Cherry 2019). The BIC 4-Color Ballpoint Pen eliminates the struggle of carrying multiple pens with different colors. There are other multi-colored pens that are similar to the BIC 4-Color Ballpoint Pen. They have similar functions but either go for a much higher price or are made out of cheaper and weaker materials. For example, another multi-color pen like the LAMY 2000 Multi-pen, has the same functions of the BIC 4-Color Ballpoint Pen, however, the LAMY 2000 is expensive. The prices go up to $62.00 while the BIC 4-Color Ballpoint Pen is inexpensive and goes up to $2.99. The BIC 4-Color Ballpoint Pen is affordable and functions the same as the LAMY 2000. The BIC 4-Color Ballpoint Pen was a revolutionary product that made writing instruments at their peak. It is a ballpoint pen that solved the issues the fountain pens and quills faced and solved the struggles of carrying multiple pens. 

 

References

Bellis M. (2018, September 24). A Brief History of Writing. Retrieved from            https://www.thoughtco.com/brief-history-of-writing-4072560

Cherry K. (2019, July 25). Color Psychology: Does it Affect How You Feel. Retrieved from https://www.verywellmind.com/color-psychology-2795824

Ergonomic Products and Services. (2018). Retrieved from http://www.ergovancouver.net/ergonomics_writing.htm

How Does a Ballpoint Pen Work. (2001, July 19). Retrieved from

https://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/science-questions/question683.htm

History of Pen and Ink. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.historyofpencils.com/writing-instruments-history/history-of-ink-and-pen/

Lemon M. (2015, April 28). BIC Cristal Pens The World’s Most Popular Pen. Retrieved from https://u.osu.edu/bicpens/02-raw-materials/

LucPhinney. (2015, February 27). 4-color pen video [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lw_9K3CQvsw

Mertes A. (2018, June 14). History of Pens. Retrieved from https://www.qualitylogoproducts.com/promo-university/history-of-pens.htm

Mushfiq M. (Photographer). (2019, October 21). Parts of the Pen [photograph]. New York, NY.

Olcott T. (2019, January 25). What are the Different Types of Pen Ink. Retrieved from https://bizfluent.com/info-8328380-different-types-pen-ink.html

Stride M. (Photographer). (2018). Ballpoint Pen [digital image]. Retrieved from            http://www.ergovancouver.net/ergonomics_writing.htm