What's the purpose of the end on a PILOT Hi-Tecpoint pen?

[G.T]

We have literally 100s of these pens stored away in a box, so I was wondering why they have these ends on them:

The pen:




The end:

As you can see, there's see-through plastic showing many blue plastic rings. After you, by accident, drop the pen on the floor, the ink starts to seep through the rings. You can see it starting already in the image. Eventually, it leaks to the outside of the pen and starts to make a mess, which I've happen to have done before (admittedly on purpose).

Why are they designed like this? Maybe the ink needs a tiny bit of air to keep it going?

 

[NoQuarter]

"Liquid ink needle point Patented needle point technology for skip-free writing New airplane-safe technology to eliminate leakage due to air pressure changes."

reference

 

[Robin]

Oh, so those ridges are there to allow ink to flow in air pressure changes and upside down, Im intrigued as to how it works..... I have a Uniball Vision Elite, looks great and really upmarket for a relatively cheap roller ball, it uses such a bit at the pens end to write in pressurized conditions but it has a lattice work layout as well as the spaced rings.

 

[3-Wheel Drive]

I've never liked uniball pans. The ink stays too wet, and always ends up smearing.

I prefer the cheap, bottom-of-the-line Papermates that cost about $0.99 a dozen. They almost always write better, and are more reliable than pens that cost 10-20 times as much. Plus, coming in packs of 12, you have a zillion of them, so losing them is not a problem.

 

[Tornado]

I've always been partial to the Zebra F-402, myself. I've been using one for 3 years now, just been buying replacement cartridges for it.
Stainless steel FTW! I admit, however, that the F-402 has nothing on the F-301.

 

[Loon]

Maybe its made like that so you'll have to go buy another one when that one screws up.

 

[Pupik]

I like the Pilot Precise Series, they're my favorites for drawing, work, etc. Even though the ink leaks thorugh the air chamber, they don't leak under normal use.

As for abnormal use...well, I mistakenly left one in my pocket, went to a nightclub for few hours, but it leaked everywhere in my pocket when I got home. Pens and drugs don't mix.