| CPC B43K 24/08 (2013.01) | 10 Claims |
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7. An operating mechanism for selectively extending and retracting a writing cartridge from and interior cavity of a body a writing implement, comprising:
a carrier having a pin at a top end, a first tab aligned with an axial centerline of the carrier, a recess defined transversely across the axial centerline of the carrier, and a base at a bottom end of the carrier, the carrier received within a proximal end of the body of the writing implement, the carrier operable between an extended position and a retracted position, wherein in the extended position a tip of the writing cartridge is urged from a distal end of the body, and in the retracted position, the writing cartridge is contained within the interior cavity;
a release button slidably carried within the recess, the release button having a second tab, the release button operable from each of a first side and a second side to selectively position the second tab between a locked condition and a release condition;
a yoke spring element coupled with the release button to bias the release button to a centered position; and
in the extended position, a base of the first tab is positioned distal to a base of the second tab and the bias of the yoke spring element positions the base of the second tab in axial alignment with the base of the first tab, wherein an abutment of the base of the first tab with the base of the second tab define the locked condition to retain the tip of the writing cartridge in the extended position.
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