Patent GB-196397-A (GB)
Title: Improvements relating to propelling pencils
IPC: B43K21/08
Filed: 1922-01-27
Abstract: 196,397. Shore, A. C., and Witchell & Co., Ltd. Jan. 27, 1922. Pencil-holders.-In a pencil-holder, an internal unit, comprising a tubular member, a nut, a pro- , pelling screw, an ejector rod and a lead holder, is rotatably held by resilient means at the end of the casing, and is so arranged that it is forced out of the casing when rotation of the nut is continued after ejection of the lead. A tubular member 2, Fig. 2, is formed with a partition 2d, serving as the bottom for a refill chamber, and, at its forward end, as a nut 2<a> engaging a screw 3 which is held against rotation by the engagement of a pin 4 thereon with a longitudinal slot in a lining 5 frictionally held in the casing 1. Attached to the screw is a lead ejector 6 which is arranged to slide in a lead-holding tube 7 provided with a split forward end to grip the lead. The rear end of the lead holder is formed with a flange 7a which is normally pressed into engagement with the conical end of a sleeve 8 by a spring 9, the sleeve being attached to the. screw 3. A cap 2<c> is fixed to the open end of the member 2 in such a way as to leave a groove into which the inturned spring end of the casing snap to detachably hold the parts together. The cap 2<c> is provided with an eccentric opening 2e of sufficient size to permit one lead only to pass, and to which the leads are directed by the tapered side of the shank, a rotatable disc 10, held in position by the turnedover edge of the cap, being provided with a similar hole so that the leads stored in the chamber in the member 2 may be removed one by one. Rotation of the cap 2<c> to propel the lead results in the forward movement of the screw 3. ejector 6. holder 7, and sleeve 8 until the forward end of the holder 7 engages the conical end of the casing, when further rotation of the. cap causes the movement of the parts 3, 6, 8, relatively to the holder 7, against the action of the spring 9. On reversal of the rotation, the screw, ejector, and sleeve are withdrawn until the conical end of the sleeve engages the flange 7<a>, when the holder is also withdrawn. If the forward rotation of the mechanism is continued after ejection of the lead, the screw being held against longitudinal movement by engagement of the pin 4 with the end of the slot in the lining 5, the tube 2 is forced outwardly and is disengaged from the grip of the slotted end of the casing to enable the internal unit to be disengaged. In the modification shown in Fig. 7, the lead holder 17 is mounted on or forms part of a sleeve 18 slotted at 18<a> to permit passage of the pin 14 on the screw 13 into engagement with the slot in the lining 15. The lining is formed with a tubular extension 15<b> which serves as a guide for the holder 17. The shoulder 15<c> so formed acts as an abutment to limit the forward movement of the sleeve. 18 and the holder 17 to permit the. end of the lead to be ejected. The screw 13 is provided with a stop 13<b> in order to prevent its detachment from the nut 12<a>, The. head of the tube 12 is formed integral therewith and is recessed at 12<c> to receive discs 20, 22, the latter being held in position by the turned-over rim 12<c>. A spring 21 is inserted between the discs and is held in position by an upturned lug 20<b> so that apertures 20<a>, 21a in the disc 20 and spring respectively always register. The lug 20<b> also engages an arcshaped recess in the disc 22 to limit its rotary movement and the edge of the disc 22 is knurled to provide a finger grip. In this case, rotation of the head of the tube 12 first causes the feeding forward of the screw 13, holder 17, ejector 16, and sleeve 18 until the forward end of the latter abuts against the shoulder 15<c>, when the sleeve 18 and holder 17 are held against movement to allow the lead to be ejected. On the return movement, the sleeve 18 is held against the shoulder 15<c> by the spring 19 until the pin 14 engages the end of the slot 18<a>. The internal unit may be separated from the casing as in the first modification. In order to provide a shorter pencil holder, the screw 23, Fig. 11, is enclosed in a flanged barrel 24 secured in the tube 12, spare leads being held in the annular receptacle formed between the tube 12 and barrel 24.