The object of the present invention is to provide a pen-holder device that can be worn and can be adapted to hold writing instruments of different sizes.

This object is achieved according to the invention by providing a pen-holder device which includes a body with at least one cavity communicating with the exterior and a resilient member fixed to the inner wall thereof in such a way that one end of a writing instrument inserted into the cavity may be engaged in the said cavity, the said body also having means enabling it to be secured to a user, or to an item of clothing or an accessory worn by a user.

According to the invention, the end of the writing implement which is inserted into the cavity deforms the resilient member which exerts a reactive and/or frictional force, thereby retaining the writing instrument. The degree to which the resilient member is deformed depends on the shape and dimensions of the writing instrument, ensuring that it is held within the cavity.

The device of the invention may thus be described as universal with regard to its characteristic ability to adapt to writing instruments of different shapes and sizes.

Further advantages and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description which follows, with reference to the appended drawings, provided purely by way of non-limitative example, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a device according to the invention and of a writing instrument for insertion therein; Figure 2 is a plan view, with a section taken on the line II-II of Figure 1, of the device of the invention with a first writing instrument inserted therein; and Figure 3 is a similar view to that of Figure 2, with a second writing instrument inserted in the device of the invention.

A pen-holder device comprises a substantially ellipsoid body 10, made up of two half-shells 10a, lOb, of plastics material, for example, coupled through a centre plane 12 substantially parallel to the overall plane of the ellipsoid. The half-shells are coupled in a conventional manner which is substantially transparent in the context of the invention and thus not described in greater detail.

A cavity 14 is formed within the body 10 with an opening 16 communicating with the exterior and extending along the longest axis 18 of the ellipsoid. The cavity 14 is substantially frusto-conical, tapering towards the inside of the body 10. A first and a second resilient member 22 are housed in recesses 20 facing each other along the internal wall of the cavity 14, so as to protrude into the span of the said cavity.

The resilient members 22-made of a polymeric or metal material for example-are strips with a Greek-fret shape and have respective tabs 24 on the ends for insertion into seats 26 in the body 10.

The latter also has means enabling it to be secured to a user, or to an accessory of item of clothing worn by this user.

These means include a through hole 28 formed in an appendage 30 of the body 10 and a thread 32 which passes through the hole 28 and can be tied like a necklace, for example, around the user's neck.

The appendage 30 extends from the body 10 substantially at an end of the longest axis 18 of the ellipsoid, opposite the end where the cavity 14 opens into a mouth 16.

When one end 34, the point for example, of a writing instrument 36 is inserted into the cavity 14, the resilient members 22 are deformed and exert a reactive and/or frictional force retaining the point 34, provided, naturally, that the dimensions of the latter enable it to interfere with the resilient members 22 in their rest configuration thereby at least partially deforming them. As can be seen from a comparison of Figures 2 and 3, in dependence on its dimensions, the point 34 enters more or less deeply into the cavity 14, meaning that, accordingly, various portions of the members 22 are more or less deformed or pressed into the walls of the cavity 14. The resilient members 22 are able, in each case, to exert pressure, or simply friction, on the point 34, thereby preventing the writing instrument 36 from slipping out of the cavity 14, even when the latter is positioned vertically, with the opening 16 facing down.

The effects of the present invention naturally extend to other articles using the same innovative concept to achieve the same purpose. In particular, it is clear that the body may be of substantially any shape, and the resilient members may be any number and of any shape, provided they are operable to exert a sufficient retaining force on writing implements of various dimensions. The means enabling the device of the invention to be secured to a user could also be different from those described above: they could, for example, consist of a clip or clasp of a type commonly used to secure a pen to the edge of a pocket of a garment.

It is also conceivable that several cavities of the type described above could be formed in the body of the device, so that it could be used to carry several writing implements at the same time.