Pencils are typically constructed of a wood casing surrounding a graphite core. The wood casing is partially removed at one end to expose some of the core, such as graphite, for the purpose of writing, drawing or marking. As the pencil is being used, the exposed section of the core wears out and becomes dull. To sharpen the pencil, an additional portion of the casing needs to be removed to sharpen the pencil. Eventually, after repeated sharpenings and removal of casing, the pencil becomes too short to use and is typically thrown out. Other writing instruments suffer a similar fate. After a period of use, they will run out of ink or break, and will be thrown out. The number of writing instruments that are thrown out each year is staggering and can lead to unnecessary waste. There is thus a need for a pencil or another type of writing instruments that can be enjoyed even after they are no longer suitable for their primary purpose of writing or drawing.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds