Year: 1887

page_text: I, HERBERT JOHN ALLISON, of the firm of Allison Brothers, of 52 Chancery Lane,
London, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agents, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention, which has been communicated to me from abroad by Joseph Hoffman,
of Hoboken, New Jersey, United States of America, Superintendent, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement :-
My invention relates to improvements in pencils of the class in which the lead is
movable in the stick or handle and is retractable and extendible into, and from the
pencil stick by movement of a cap or tube, placed preferably at the rear of the pencil
to which the lead is directly or indirectly attached, in which class of pencils also the
stick or handle is cut away as the lead wears off.
In the drawings the same reference letters refer to the same parts in all the
figures.
Figure 1. illustrates a longitudinal section of a pencil embodying my invention,
the lead being retracted.
Figure 2. illustrates a like view the lead being projected.
Figure 3. illustrates the details of construction of the spring catch, as shown in
Figures 1 and 2.
Figure 4. illustrates in longitudinal section, a modified construction of the invention,
shewing especially a different method of constructing the spring catch.
Figure 5. illustrates the details of construction of the spring catch shown in
Figure 4.
Figure 6. illustrates the construction of the spring depressing washer and also tho
slot in the movable cap shown in Figure 4, with which slot the spring catch
engages.
Figure 7. illustrates still another modification of construction of the spring catch.
Figure 8. illustrates the details of construction of the spring catch shown in
Figure 7, and of the washer which holds it in place.
Figure 9. illustrates a pencil embodying my invention but not having the automatic
lead retracting device.

page_text: Figure 10. illustrates a construction in which the lead holding mechanism may be
removed from the pencil stick for the convenient insertion of a new lead.
I will first describe my invention as illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3.
A is the pencil stick or handle. It is bored or otherwise made hollow, longitu-
dinally to receive the movable lead. It may be made of any suitable material which
may be cut, filed or otherwise removed as the lead wears away. I prefer to employ
wood. B is a tube attached to the rear end of the pencil stick.
(is a movable cap,
which slides easily within the tube B. D is a small tube which holds at its lower end
the lead E, the tube D being preferably, but not necessarily split as usual for that
purpose. F is a washer of such size as to fit in the tube B but have easy movement
therein. The lead holding tube D is attached at its upper end to this washer F. The
longitudinal movement of the cap C relative to the tube B is limited, and twisting of
the cap relative to the tube B is prevented by means of a little lug or car which is
preferably partially punched out of the tube B and is turned inwardly and enters and
moves in a slot, cut in the movable cap C. There may be as many of these ears and
slots as desired. G is a spring which may be bent in the form shown or made in any
other desired form and is sprung into place within the cap C, being held in position
therein, by its own elasticity and by the bearing of the catch H in the hole in the
cap C; the other end may be elongated if desired so as to bear on the washer F-and
other means such as solder or rivets may be employed if desired, to hold the spring in
place. His an outwardly extending bend or elbow formed in or attached to the
spring G which constitutes a catch as hereinafter described. It has sufficient length
to extend through a hole h made in the wall of the cap C, and through a similar
hole made in the tube B-and project somewhat beyond the outer surface of the
tube B. I is a spring which abuts against the end of the pencil stick, and the under
side of the washer Fat its respective ends. Its elasticity holds the washer F against
the lower end of the cap C. I prefer to widen the spring G somewhat at the point
where the catch H occurs, if the catch be formed by inaking bends in the spring as
shown, so that the catch may have greater stiffness.
The operation is as follows: Assuming that the lead is retracted; to project the
lead, pressure is applied to the end of the cap C which transmits it to the washer F
and the spring I which is compressed thereby; when the cap has been depressed to
such an extent that the hole in the cap becomes coincident with the hole h¹ in the
tube B the catch H is thrown outwardly through these holes by the elasticity of the
spring G and the cap and tube are by it locked together, the lead being held in its
projected position ready for use. When it is desired to retract the lead, pressure is
applied to the end of the catch H which as above stated, projects slightly beyond the
surface of the tube B when the lead is projected, and it is pressed back again through
the holes hand until the catch loses its hold on the tube B ;. when this occurs the
spring I immediately returns the parts to their original position retracting the lead.
The outer end of the catch I prefer to make rounded as shown, to facilitate this
operation.
As the lead wears away the pencil stick is cut off or otherwise removed, so as to
preserve the proper length of the stick, relative to the length of lead.
In Figures Four, Five, and Six, I illustrate a modified construction of the parts.
In this instance the spring catch H is attached to the top of the pencil and does not
move with the cap C. The spring is perfectly blanked out from sheet metal, as shown
in Figure 5 there being a flat piece a which is rolled up into tubular or ring form,
as shown at b. This tubular part fits over the upper end of the pencil, inside of the
tube B. The elbow or catch H is made of two dimensions, a wide part e and a narrow
part d; and the cap C has a slot e in it, which is enlarged crosswise as at f, at its upper
end the external tube B has a hole in it, adapted to receive the smaller part d of
the catch H, this small part lies in the slot e made in the cap C as it moves downward,
until the wider part of the spring catch comes opposite the enlarged recess fat the
upper part of the slot in the cap-the catch then springs outwardly, and locks the cap in
its depressed position by the engagement of the wide part c of the catch in the enlarged
part of the slot; and the small or narrow part d of the catch projects through the

page_text: hole in the tube B, which being pressed upon presses the catch back and releases
the engagement between the catch and the cap. In this construction, the spring I
should preferably be reduced in size, so as not to interfere with the operation of the
spring catch, or the spring part of the catch may be placed inside of the spiral spring,
if preferred.
In Figures Seven and Eight, I show still another modified construction of the
spring catch and adjoining parts. In this instance the lead holding tube D is carried
upwardly through the washer F and through the cap C (although it need not
necessarily go all the way through the cap) and a washer F¹ or its equivalent is
attached to the tube D, or otherwise fastened in place within the cap, and a spring G¹
which has the catch H at its lower end, is held in place within the cap, by engagement
with the washer or its equivalent; a convenient and effective means of securing
this engagement, is shown at Figure 8. The washer being recessed as at i and
the spring G being reduced laterally, as at the reduced part entering, and being
held by the recess in the washer. The operation of this form of construction is obvious,
without further description.
In Figure 9 I illustrato a construction in which there is no spring to automatically
retract the lead. In this instance the lead is retracted and projected by hand, and the
spring catch engages in one hole in the tube to lock and hold the lead when retracted,
and in another to lock and hold it when projected. These two holes may be made
both on the same side of the pencil, in which case the same catch will serve both
purposes, or they may be made on opposite sides of the pencil, and if So, there may be
another catch made on the other end of the spring G.
I illustrate this last mentioned method in the drawing, because I prefer it to the
other, since the pencil is more easily manipulated when the holes are on opposito
sides. It is as follows: The tube B fits somewhat snugly on the end of the stick, and
it is provided with a slot a, extending upwardly from its lower edge terminating in a
right angle extension b at its upper end, in other words, a bayonet joint; in this slot
a pin c which is driven into the pencil stick or is formed on another tube, which may
be placed over the end of the pencil within the tube B enters, and when it is turned
and rests in the bayonet joint part 6 of the slot, the tube B and the parts attached to
it will be firmly held in place, but they may all be separated from the stick by twisting
the pin out from the bayonet joint part of the slot and then drawing the stick longi-
tudinally out of the tube B. Any other suitable means of detachably attaching the
lead holding parts to the stick may be employed. Even strong friction between the
tube B and the stick will answer this purpose, but I prefer the pin and slot or
some equivalent positive attaching devices, because it is more reliable than friction
alone.
I present the several above recited plans upon which my invention can be carried
out, simply as illustrations. I do not limit myself to them. Many alterations in
details of construction will occur to those skilled in this art, and still my invention be
employed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
First The described improvement in pencils consisting in the combination of a
longitudinally bored or hollow pencil stick, constructed and arranged to be removed
as the lead wears away, a spring controlled lead holding tube, longitudinally movable,
relative to the pencil stick; a longitudinally movable spring controlled cap, which
communicates motion to the lead holding tube, and a spring catch, which when the
lead is projected, locks the movable cap against return movement. The said spring
catch being operated externally of the pencil, substantially as set forth.
Second The described improvement in pencils, consisting in the combination of a
longitudinally bored or hollow pencil stick, constructed and arranged to be removed
as the lead wears away, a longitudinally movable lead holding tube, and a longitu-
dinally movable cap, which communicates motion to the lead holding tube, and a
spring catch which when the lead is projected, locks the movable cap against return

page_text: movement. The said spring catch being operated externally of the pencil, substantially
as set forth.
Third: The described improvement in pencils, consisting in the combination of a
longitudinally recessed pencil stick, constructed and arranged to be removed as the
lead wears away, a longitudinally movable lead holding tube, and a longitudinally
movable cap, which communicates motion to the lead holding tube, and a spring catch
which locks the lead both in its projected and in its retracted position, substantially as
set forth.
Fourth The described improvement in pencils, consisting in the combination of a
longitudinally recessed pencil stick constructed and arranged to be removed as
the lead wears away, a longitudinally movable lead holding tube, longitudinally
movable spring actuated cap which communicates motion to the lead holding tube,
and a spring catch, which when the lead is projected locks the cap against return
movement. The lead holding and moving mechanism being detachably attached to
the stick, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
Dated th: 21
1027
ALLISON BROS.,
Agents for the Applicant.