IMPROVEMENTS IN METALLIC PENS AND PENHOLDERS
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Isaie Alexandre, of Bruxelles, but now residing
in Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Merchant, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN METALLIC PENS AND PENHOLDERS."
Sealed the 16th January 1854, and dated the 18th July 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Isaie Alexandre
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 18th July 1858.
1, ISAIE ALEXANDRE, of Bruxelles, but now residing in Birmingham,
in the County of Warwick, Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN METALLIC PENS AND PEN-
HOLDERS" to be as follows:--
My Invention consists in constructing the said penholders of alternate
layers of copper and zinc, or copper and zinc combined in any other
manner, whereby a voltaic current may be produced, or of the use of
any other combination of metals or materials whereby a voltaic current
may be generated. In using the said penholders the said voltaic current
affects the hand of the writer, so as to destroy or diminish tremulousness,

page_text: and otherwise to give tone to the nervous system in the hands of aged
persons and invalids; also in communicating magnetism to steel pens,
whereby the tendency to corrosion in the said pens is diminished.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Isaie Alexandre in the Great Seal Patent
Office, on the 16th January, 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, J,
JSAIE ALEXANDRE, of Bruxelles, but now residing in Birmingham, in
the County of Warwick, Merchant, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth-day of July, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the seventeenth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Isaie Alexandre, Her special licence that I,
the said Isaie Alexandre, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Isaie Alexandre, iny executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time
to time and at all times thereafter luring the term therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use,. exercise, and vend, within the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and. Ireland, the Channel Islands,
and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN METALLIC PENS
AND PENHOLDERS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I; the
said Isaie Alexandre, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months.next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, 'the said Isaie Alexandre, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and-by the following statement thereof. (that is to say):..

page_text: My Invention consists, firstly, in communicating "imagnetism to steel
pens; and, secondly, in constructing penholders of such materials, and
in such manner, as shall result in the production of a voltaic or galvanic
current directed through the hand when it takes hold of the said holder
for the purpose of writing..
In carrying the first part of iny Invention into effect, that is to say, in
communicating magnetism to steel pens, I resort to any of the well
known methods of communicating magnetism to steel, which said
methods, however, I do not consider it necessary to describe, as the
same constitute no part of my Invention. The object of communicating"
magnetism to steel pens is to diminish their tendency to corrosion.
I carry the second part of my Invention into effect as follows:-The
metals I prefer using in carrying this part of my Invention into effect
are copper and zinc; but any other combination of an electro positive
with an electro negative metal or material may be used: I combine the
said copper and zinc (or other metals) in various ways; but the method
of combining the said metals illustrated in the Drawing I have found in
practice to answer very well.
Figure 1, represents a penholder constructed according to my Inven-
tion; Figure 2, represents a vertical section of the same; and Figure 3,
represents a portion of the same.
It consists of a cylinder of wood a, or other imperfect conductor of elec-
tricity. Two parallel spirals are cut in the said cylinder a, as shewn at b, c,¯
Figure 3. In one of the said spirals a wire of copper d, Figure 1, is placed;
and in the other of the said spirals a wire of zinc e, Figure 1, is placed.
When the holder, Figure I, is grasped by the hand-in writing, the
moisture of the hand forms with the two metals d, and e, a galvanic or
voltaic combination, the electricity of which flows through the hand of
the writer. I sometimes carry this part of my Invention into effect by
placing wires or strips of copper and zinc in grooves, formed in lines
parallel to the axis of the holder; and I sometimes inlay the said metals
so as to form ornamental designs on the said holders; but I do not limit
myself to any particular method of carrying my Invention into effect.
In using a penholder constructed according to my said Invention
the voltaic current generated by the contact of the hand with the metals

page_text: of the holder destroys or diminishes the tremulousness of aged persons
and invalids, and gives tone to the nervous system of such persons.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner
of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that I do not
limit myself to the methods of carrying my said Invention into effect
herein described, as the same may be varied without departing from the
nature of my said Invention; for example, although I have described the
second part of my Invention as carried into effect by the use of copper
and zine inserted in a penholder of wood, other combinations of suitable
metals or other materials may be used, and the penholders may be
made of other material than wood. I claim as my Invention, firstly,
communicating magnetism to steel pens for the purpose of diminishing
the tendency to corrosion therein. Secondly, the construction of pen-
holders in which two metals capable of generating a voltaic current by
contact with the moist hand are so placed that on grasping the pen-
holder in writing they shall cause a voltaic current to pass through the
hand of the writer.
In witness whereof, I, the said Isaie Alexandre, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of December,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-
three.
Witness,
JACQUES CAIEN.
ISAIE ALEXANDRE. (L.S.)