Retractable pen

The retractable pen was first invented and patented in 1888 by John J. Loud. However, the design was seen as imperfect and the retractable pen would not be implemented in society until sixty years later. Lazlo Biro and his brother Gyorgy Biro fixed the faulty mechanisms of the first ball point pen where they added thicker ink and an easier way to store it. This saw the use of capillary action which slowly pulled the ink out of the pen and onto the paper. The brothers were able to get their pen into the market but only in Europe. Milton Reynolds was an American entrepreneur who changed the anatomy of the retractable pen so that the ink flowed by the use of gravity and quickly put it into the American market where it became a huge success.[1] The Frawley Pen Company, founded in 1949 by Patrick J. Frawley, claims to have made the "first pen with a retractable ballpoint tip" in 1950.[2][3]

Retractable Pilot Pens

A click pen has several parts to it: the frame, a thruster, two cams, a guide pin, a spring, an ink cartridge, a ballpoint at the end of the cartridge, and other parts that may vary. The guide pin is typically molded into the frame of the pen and the spring provides the tension required to retract the ink cartridge. The cams provide a bi stable system where in one position the ink cartridge is retracted and in the other it is extended. When the button at the end of the pen is pressed, the system moves from one position to the other. This causes the ballpoint tip to be pushed forward so that the person is able to write.[4]

Pen clicking is repeated pressing of the button of a retractable pen which produces a clicking sound.[5] In its normal use, the button is only pressed when someone wants the nib of the pen to be exposed so they can write with it. This makes a noise, which varies in tone, dynamic and timbre depending on the size and make of the pen. When the noise is heard repeatedly it can have a psychological effect on the doer or anyone in the vicinity. The action can be either conscious or subconscious. It is often associated with boredom, inattentiveness[6] thinking, hiding something, or nervousness.

It has been described as a nervous habit – a form of fidgeting.[7] It can also be described as a "distracting activity that releases nervous energy".[8]

Some people find it hard to concentrate when others are pen-clicking, and so the action can often be thought of as a pet peeve. Pen clicking can also be a trigger of misophonia.

Clicking a pen can be a type of autistic stimming behavior, but it is unique in that "a person can do in public without drawing much attention to themselves," as opposed to some others which are not socially acceptable.[9]

• Boris Grishenko (portrayed by Alan Cumming), a henchman from the 1995 James Bond film GoldenEye, is notable for using pen clicking as his signature character quirk. In the film's climax, Bond exploits this habit by switching Boris' pen with a click-activated pen grenade, which in turn leads to the destruction of the villain's base of operations.
• In an ad for Kohl's clothing lines, Jennifer Lopez — who plays a fictionalised version of herself— annoys her colleagues by pen-clicking.[10]