{
  "patent_number": "US 2390636",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "How Laszlo Biro Invented the Modern Ballpoint Pen",
  "original_title": "Writing instrument",
  "summary": "This 1945 patent describes the original ballpoint pen mechanism that uses a rotating sphere to distribute thick, quick-drying ink onto paper.",
  "what_it_does": "The patent describes a writing instrument featuring a small, freely rotating ball held in a socket at the tip of a reservoir. As the pen moves across paper, the ball rolls, picking up viscous ink from the reservoir and depositing it onto the writing surface. This design solved the problem of ink leakage and smearing common in fountain pens of the era, as the ball acts as a seal when the pen is not in use.",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Does not cover pens that use felt or porous fiber tips.",
    "Does not cover fountain pens that rely on capillary action through a nib.",
    "Does not cover pressurized ink delivery systems used in specialized space pens.",
    "Does not cover gel-based ink formulations developed decades later."
  ],
  "filed": "1943-06-17",
  "granted": "1945-12-11",
  "expires": "1963-06-17",
  "status": "expired",
  "holder": "Individual",
  "holder_url": "https://patentbrief.org/company/individual",
  "inventors": [
    {
      "name": "Biro Laszlo Jozsef",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/biro-laszlo-jozsef"
    }
  ],
  "times_cited": 30,
  "tags": [
    "mechanical",
    "consumer_electronics"
  ],
  "abstract": null,
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/2390636/ballpoint-pen-biro",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/2390636/ballpoint-pen-biro/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US2390636",
  "relatedPatents": [
    {
      "patentNumber": "293545",
      "countryCode": "US",
      "title": "How Lewis Waterman's Original Fountain Pen Design Worked",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/293545/fountain-pen-waterman"
    },
    {
      "patentNumber": "2713176",
      "countryCode": "US",
      "title": "How a Simple Felt-Tip Marker Works",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/2713176/magic-marker-permanent-marker-rosenthal"
    },
    {
      "patentNumber": "775134",
      "countryCode": "US",
      "title": "How King Gillette Invented the Modern Disposable Safety Razor",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/775134/safety-razor-gillette"
    },
    {
      "patentNumber": "1721530",
      "countryCode": "US",
      "title": "How Jacob Schick Invented the Modern Magazine-Loading Safety Razor",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/1721530/schick-repeating-razor"
    },
    {
      "patentNumber": "1032557",
      "countryCode": "US",
      "title": "How the Modern Disposable Paper Cup Was Invented",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/1032557/dixie-cup-disposable-paper-cup"
    }
  ]
}