http://therockcolumbia.com/ballpoint-pens/
Ballpoint Pens
When did ballpoint pens come about? What sort of pens did people use in 1962, for instance?
Disposable pens? When?
The ballpoint pen was invented by Laszlo Biro in 1938.
The first patent on a ballpoint pen was issued on 30 October 1888, to John J Loud. The pen had a rotating small Steel Ball, held in place by a socket. Although the pen, which proved to be too coarse for letter writing, could be used to mark rough surfaces, especially leather, it was not commercially exploited.
In the period between 1900 and 1940, there was intense interest in improving writing instruments, particularly alternatives or improvements to the Fountain Pen. Slavoljub Eduard Penkala invented a solid-Ink Fountain pen in 1907, a German inventor named Baum took out a ballpoint patent in 1910, and yet another ballpoint pen device was patented by Van Vechten Riesburg in 1916. In these inventions, the ink was placed in a thin tube whose end was blocked by a tiny ball, held so that it could not slip into the tube or fall out of the pen. The ink clung to the ball, which spun as the pen was drawn across the paper. These proto-ballpoints did not deliver the ink evenly. If the ball socket was too tight, the ink did not reach the paper. If it was too loose, ink flowed past the tip, leaking or making smears. Many inventors tried to fix these problems, but without commercial success.
László Bíró, a newspaper editor, was frustrated by the amount of time that he wasted in filling up Fountain Pens and cleaning up smudged pages, and the sharp tip of his fountain pen often tore his pages of newsprint. Bíró had noticed that the type of ink used in newspaper printing dried quickly, leaving the paper dry and smudge free. He decided to create a pen using the same type of ink. Since, when tried, this viscous ink would not flow into a regular fountain Pen Nib, Bíró, with the help of his brother George, a chemist, began to work on designing new types of pens. Bíró fitted this pen with a tiny ball in its tip that was free to turn in a socket. As the pen moved along the paper, the ball rotated, picking up ink from the Ink Cartridge and leaving it on the paper. Bíró filed a British patent on 15 June, 1938.
Earlier pens leaked or clogged due to improper viscosity of the ink and depended on gravity to deliver the ink to the ball. Depending on gravity caused difficulties with the flow and required that the pen be held nearly vertically. The Biro pen both pressurized the ink column and used capillary action for ink delivery, solving the flow problems.
In 1940 the Bíró brothers and a friend, Juan Jorge Meyne, moved to Argentina fleeing Nazi Germany and on June 10, filed another patent, and formed Bíró Pens of Argentina. The pen was sold in Argentina under the Birome brand (portmanteau of Biro and Meyne), which is how ballpoint pens are still known in that country. Laszlo was known in Argentina as Ladislao José Bíró. This new design was licensed by the British, who produced ball Point Pens for RAF aircrew, who found they worked much better than fountain pens at high altitude.
Eversharp, a maker of Mechanical Pencils teamed up with Eberhard-Faber in May 1945 to license the design for sales in the United States. At about the same time a U.S. businessman saw a Biro pen in a store in Buenos Aires. He purchased several samples and returned to the U.S. to found the Reynolds International Pen Company, producing the Biro design without license as the Reynolds Rocket. He managed to beat Eversharp to market in late 1945; the first ballpoint pens went on sale at Gimbels department store in New York City on 29 October 1945 for US$12.50 each (about US$130 of today’s money). This pen was widely known as the rocket in the U.S. into the late 1950s.
Similar pens went on sale before the end of the year in England, and by the next year in most of Europe. Cheap disposable instruments were produced by the Bic Corporation with “Bic” as the tradename; as with ‘Hoover’ and ‘Xerox’, the tradename has subsequently passed into general use. With BIC’s expanding product range, the original Bic pen design is now termed the Bic Cristal.
I hope this was informative,Take care… 
|
|
Black Ink Replaceable Refill Carrot Shape Ballpoint Pen $3.73 |
|
|
Pentel Rsvp Red Ink Ball Point Pens-Box of 12- (Fine Line) # BK90-B $7.99 |
|
|
Black Retractable Clip Ballpoint Ball Pen Blue Ink $2.67 |
|
|
Papermate Comfortmate Medium Point, 2 BLUE + 2 Red Ballpoint PEN 1.0mm $3.99 |
|
|
Lovely Tiger Shape Spring Suction Cover Ballpoint Pen $4.45 |
|
|
Blue Ink LED Writing Ball Point Pen Orange for Students $5.49 |
|
|
Skeleton Shape Top Blue Ink Black Boxing Ball Point Pen $8.43 |
|
|
BIC Round Stic Black 1.0 mm Medium Ballpoint Pen GSM609-BK QTY 60 $12.99 |
|
|
Bic Round Stic Blue 1.0 mm Medium Ballpoint Pen GSM609-BE QTY 60 $12.99 |
|
|
School Stationery Clear Barrel Blue Clip Cap Ballpoint Pens $4.13 |
|
|
Cartoon Decor Student Gift Black Ink Ballpoint Pen New $2.80 |
|
|
Black Ink Bamboo Shot Shape Foam Shell Ballpoint Pen $3.70 |
|
|
SkilCraft Medium Point Ballpoint Pen 24 Pens Camouflage Barrel Black Ink $25.99 |
|
|
Green Sports Girl Decor Black Oil Ballpoint Writing Pen $4.14 |
|
|
Red LED Flashing Eyes Skeleton Ball Point Pen for Students $4.77 |
|
|
Pentel Rsvp Black Fine Ball-Point Pens 5 ct & EnerGel-X Roller Gel Ink Color 5pc $6.99 |
|
|
10 Cross Arcadia Blue Ball Point Pens Black Ink $79.99 |
|
|
Plastic Flexible Coil Cord Wht Clear Desk Ballpoint Pen $7.74 |
|
|
Office Gray Plastic Cap Blue Ink Ballpoint Pens 2 Pcs $3.74 |
|
|
Writing Red Carrot Design Black Ink Ballpoint Ball Pen $3.52 |
|
|
BIC Crystal Bold Ballpoint Pens – Multi Colored – 3 Brand New Unopened Packages! $1.99 |
|
|
Artificial Bean Shape Black Ink Stationery Ballpoint Pen $6.76 |
|
|
BIC Crystal Bold Ballpoint Pens – RED – 3 Brand New Unopened Packages! $1.99 |
|
|
Cute Plastic Ultra Pink Umbrella Student Ball Point Pen $3.38 |
|
|
Black Ink Sagittarius Design Toy Ball Point Pen Ballpen $3.14 |
|
|
Wedding Boy Top Blue Body Toy Ball Point Pen Black Ink $3.50 |
|
|
BIC Crystal Bold Ballpoint Pens – BLACK – 3 Brand New Unopened Packages! $1.99 |
|
|
Black Ink Phaseolus Style Ballpoint Ball Writing Pen $4.53 |
|
|
BIC Crystal Bold Ballpoint Pens – BLUE – 3 Brand New Unopened Packages! $1.99 |
|
|
BIC Crystal Bold Ballpoint Pens – Multi Colored – 3 Brand New Unopened Packages! $1.99 |
|
|
5 PIRRE PAUL’S BALLPOINT PEN Blue Black BLUE ink $7.50 |
|
|
Sensa Cloud 9 Blue Sky Metallic Ball Point Pen $5.00 |
|
|
FORAY Fine Writing Ball Point WHITE Pen w/Gift Box BLACK Ink 215425 FAST SHIP $26.99 |
|
|
Nylon Covered Handle Plastic Cap Purple Ball Point Pen $4.23 |
|
|
Love Heart Girl Black Ink Ballpoint Pen Amaranth Pink $3.89 |
|
|
Crocodile Animal Style Green Ballpoint Pen for Students $6.14 |
|
|
Foam Cabbage Shape Black Ink Ballpoint Pen for Students $3.98 |
|
|
Cartoon Leopard Design Wooden Ball Point Ballpoint Pen $4.41 |
|
|
Papermate Design Medium 1.0Mm Ball Point Pen Black 8 counts $6.99 |
|
|
Hard Plastic Pizza Design Shell Writing Ballpoint Pen $3.69 |
|
|
Coconut Tree Pot Blue Oil Ink Ballpoint Writing Pen $3.50 |
|
|
Green Red Faux Fur Decor Plastic Handle Ball Point Pen $4.01 |
|
|
Rifle Ball Point Pens 10 Pc. Lot Party Favors Gifts Gun Pen Kids Boys Prize Army $17.99 |
|
|
Pink Pentel C45 4 in 1 ball point pen (0.5 Extra Fine) $4.00 |
|
|
Blue Pentel C47 4 in 1 ball point pen (0.7 fine) $4.00 |
|
|
FORAY FITS FISHER BALLPOINT PENS BLACK Ink Medium POINT 2PK $5.69 |
|
|
ZEBRA Z-Grip Retractable BALLPOINT PENS BLACK INK 24PK L@@K! WOW $18.95 |
|
|
FORAY Retractable Ballpoint PEN Fine Black INK 0.7MM CUSIONED GRIP NON SLIP $7.59 |
|
|
RED BALLPOINT Stick Pens 1.0 36 PACK $7.59 |
|
|
Purple Tinsel Stars Accent Blue Ink Pink Ball Point Pen $4.07 |
|
|
Violet Color Santa Claus Blue Ink Slim Ballpoint Pen $3.53 |
|
|
QUILL 7-20333: Ballpoint Stick Pens 24 PENS $5.89 |
|
|
Blue Ink Writing Leopard Shaped Design Ballpoint Pen $4.06 |
|
|
30pcs Pirre Paul’s P 211 Ballpoint Pen Black/black ink $33.80 |
