IMPROVEMENTS IN DOUBLE ACTING SPIRAL PENCIL CASES, PEN CASES, AND TOOTH-PICK CASES.
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Havilah Woodward, of Birmingham, in the County
of Warwick, Penholder and Pen and Pencil Case Manufacturer, for the Inven-
tion of "IMPROVEMENTS IN DOUBLE ACTING SPIRAL PENCIL CASES, PEN CASES,
AND TOOTH-PICK CASES.
"
Sealed the 6th June 1879, and dated the 24th March 1879.
Sealed the 6th June 1879, and dated the 24th March 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Havilah Woodward at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th March 1879.
ALFRED HAVILAH WOODWARD, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Pen-
holder and Pen and Pencil Case Manufacturer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN DOUBLE ACTING
SPIRAL PENCIL CASES, PEN CASES, AND TOOTH-PICK CASES."
My Invention consists in constructing the said pencil cases, pen cases, and tooth-
pick cases in the manner herein-after described, whereby their manufacture is much
simplified and the liability to derangement lessened.
I will describe iny Invention in connection with a pencil case. The everpointed
lead is contained in a coil box of the ordinary construction, and the said coil box
slides in a conductor tube, the rotation of the coil box in the conductor tube being
prevented by a pin on the said coil box taking into a straight slot in the conductor
tube. Upon the said conductor another tube, namely, the spiral tube works.
This spiral tube, made as herein after described, contains two helical slots or grooves
commonly called spiral slots, the helical slot in one balf the tube having the figure
of a right handed screw, and that in the other half the figure of a left handed screw.
Upon the upper part of the spiral tube a tube called the telescopic tube slides,
which telescopic tube when pushed towards the pencil end of the case passes between
the spiral tube and the larger tube forming the body of the pencil case. This last
described tube or body of the pencil case is soldered at its lower end to the lower
end of the conductor tube. On the inside of the telescopic tube and near its lower
or inner end is a pin which passes through the spiral in the upper half of the spiral
tube and also engages in the straight slot in the conductor tube.
The action of the parts is as follows:-When the telescopic tube is drawn out
the pin at its inner lower end engaged in the spiral slot moves in a straight line
and consequently gives a rotatory motion to the spiral tube as it traverses the spiral
[Pin G21

page_text: in the said tube. The same pin by engaging in the straight slot in the conductor
tube prevents rotatory motion therein. The spiral at the lower end of the spiral tube
being in a different direction from that in the upper end, the rotatory motion of the
said spiral tube which accompanied the drawing outwards of the telescopic tube at
the top of the pencil case produces the motion of the coil box and pencil in the
opposite direction, and the emergence of the point of the pencil from the bottom of
the case.
This motion is effected by the pin of the coil box engaging both in the
straight slot in the conductor tube and the spiral slot in the spiral tube.
In the ordinary method of manufacture the two spirals are generally made in
separate tubes working within one another, and the preventing of the rotation of
the conductor tube is effected by a grooved head or collet on the top of the conductor
tube engaging and sliding in grooves extending along the whole length of the larger
spiral tube.
By my method of preventing the rotation of the conductor tube great simplicity
of construction is secured, and the parts are not so likely to get out of order as the
more complicated parts of the ordinary construction.
'
I make the spiral tube in two parts by coiling strips of metal in the required
directions on a mandril. I take two pieces of this tubing, one with a right handed
spiral, and the other with a left handed spiral, and join them together end to end
and thereby produce a tube with the required spirals.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Alfred Havilah Woodward in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
16th September 1879.
ALFRED HAVILAH WOODWARD, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Pen-
holder and Pen and Pencil Case Manufacturer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN DOUBLE ACTING
SPIRAL PENCIL CASES, PEN CASES, AND TOOTH-PICK CASES."
My Invention consists in constructing the said pencil cases, pen cases, and tooth-
pick cases in the manner herein after described, whereby their manufacture is much
simplified and the liability to derangement lessened.
I will describe my Invention in connection with a pencil case. The ever pointed
lead is contained in a coil box of the ordinary construction, and the said coil box
slides in a conductor tube, the rotation of the coil box in the conductor tube being
prevented by a pin on the said coil box taking into a straight slot in the conductor
tube. Upon the said conductor tube another tube, namely, the spiral tubes works.
This spiral tube, made as herein after described, contains two helical slots or grooves,
commonly called spiral slots, the helical slot in one half the tube having the figure.
of a right handed screw, and that in the other half the figure of a left handed screw.
Upon the upper part of the spiral tube a tube called a telescopic tube slides, which
telescopic tube when pushed towards the pencil end of the case passes between the
spiral tube and the larger tube forming the body of the pencil case. This last
described tube or body of the pencil case is soldered at its lower end to the lower
end of the conductor tube. On the inside of the telescopic tube and near its lower
or inner end is a pin which passes through the spiral in the upper half of the spiral
tube and also engages in the straight slot in the conductor tube.
The action of the parts is as follows:-When the telescopic tube is drawn out
the pin at its inner lower end engaged in the spiral slot moves in a straight line,
and consequently gives a rotary motion to the spiral tube as it traverses the spiral
in the said tube. The same pin by engaging in the straight slot in the conductor
tube prevents rotary motion therein. The spiral at the lower end of the spiral tube
being in a different direction from that in the upper end, the rotary motion of the said
spiral tube which accompanied the drawing outwards of the telescopic tube at the top of
the pencil case produces the motion of the coil box and pencil in the opposite
direction, and the emergence of the point of the pencil from the bottom of the case.
This motion is effected by the pin of the coil box engaging both in the straight slot
in the conductor tube and the spiral slot in the spiral tube.
In the ordinary method of manufacture, the two spirals are generally made in
separate tubes working within one another, and the preventing of the rotation of
the conductor tube is effected by a grooved head or collet on the top of the con-
ductor tube engaging and sliding in grooves extending along the whole length of
the larger spiral tube.
By my method of preventing the rotation of the conductor tube great simplicity
of construction is secured, and the parts are not so likely to get out of order as the
more complicated parts of the ordinary construction.
I make the spiral tube in two parts by coiling strips of metal in the required
direction on a mandril.
I take two pieces of this tubing, one with a right handed spiral and the other
with a left handed spiral, and join them together end to end, and thereby produce
a tube with the required spirals.
I will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying Drawings the
manner in which my Invention may be performed.
Figures 1 and 2 represent in elevation, drawn to a large scale, a double acting
spiral pencil case containing my improvements, Figure 1 representing the ever-
pointed lead propelled from the case for use, and Figure 2, the same drawn into
the case; Figure 3 represents a section of Figure 1, and Figure 4 represents a

page_text: section of Figure 2. Figure 5 represents the coil box containing the everpointed
lead detached; Figure 6 represents the conductor tube detached; Figure 7 repre-
sents the spiral tube in conjunction with the conductor tube detached; Figure 8
represents the telescopic tube detached; and Figure 9 represents the tubular body
of the case detached.
Figures 10 and 11 represent the two pieces of tubing from which the spiral tube,
Figure 7, is made, and Figures 12 and 13 represent the coiled strips from which
the pieces of tubing, Figures 10 and 11, have been cut.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in Figures 1 to 11.
a is the coil box containing the everpointed lead, and b is a pin on the said coil
box; c is the conductor tube in which the coil box a slides, the said conductor
tube chaving a straight slot d in it in which the pin b on the coil box a works.
The coil box a is thereby prevented from rotating in the conductor tube. e, f, is
the spiral tube having two helical or spiral slots in it, working upon the conductor
tube C, the part e of the spiral tube having a right handed spiral slot, and the part ƒ
a left handed spiral slot in it, as represented.
The two parts e, f, (Figures 10 and 11) of which the spiral tube is made are
connected together end to end by the middle plain tube g (see Figure 7) so as to
form a single tube. The pin b on the coil box a besides engaging in the straight
slot d of the conductor tube c also engages in the spiral slot of the part e of the
spiral tube e, f h is the telescopic tube sliding upon the upper part ƒ of the spiral
tube e, f, and is the tubular body of the pencil case, which is soldered at its lower
end to the lower end of the conductor tube c. By the arrangement described, the
telescopic tube h when pressed towards the pencil end of the case passes between
the spiral tube f and the body i of the case, as seen in Figure 4. On the inside of
the telescopic tube h and near its lower end is a pink which passes through the
spiral slot in the half f of the spiral tube e, f, and also engages in the straight slot d
in the conductor tube c (see the sections, Figures 3 and 4).
When the telescopic tube his drawn out, as represented in Figures 1 and 3, the pin k
on the said telescopic tube moves in the straight slot d in the stationary conductor
tube c, and hence has only a sliding motion. As the pink slides in the straight
slot d in the conductor tube it at the same time traverses the spiral slot in the part f
of the spiral tube e, f, and thereby gives a rotatory motion to the said spiral tube.
By the rotation of the spiral tube e, f, the pin b on the coil box a is made to
traverse the spiral slot in the part e of the spiral tube, and as the said spiral slot in
the part e is in a different direction from that in the part of the rotatory motion of
the said spiral tube, which accompanied the drawing outwards of the telescopic
tube h produces the emergence of the point of the pencil in the coil box a from the
bottom of the case, as illustrated in Figures 1 and 3. As the pin b of the coil box
traverses the spiral slot in the tube e, the said pin slides in the straight slot d in
the conductor tube.
By pressing inwards the telescopic tube h, the spiral tube e, f, is rotated in an
opposite direction to that described, and the coil box a and point of the pencil are
withdrawn into the 'case.
In making the spiral tubes, Figures 12 and 13, from which are cut the lengths or
pieces to form the compound spiral tube e, f, I take a strip of sheet metal and affix
one end of it to a rotating rod or mandril fixed in a lathe. By the rotation of the
rod or mandril the strip is coiled upon it, and after the coil has been made a pin on
the rod or mandril is inserted between the edges of the coil at its end, and by
passing the pin' from end to end of the coil its edges are separated to a distance
necessary to form the required slot in the coiled strip, as particularly described and
illustrated in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to me on the 29th day of
January 1879, No. 363.
:
Instead of the two parts of the spiral tube being fixed end to end they may be
made of different diameters, and slide one upon the other.
A pencil case made according to this modification of my Invention is represented:
in elevation, drawn of the full size, open for use in Figure 14, and closed in Figure

page_text: 15; Figure 16 represents the pencil case, Figure 14, drawn to a larger scale; and
Figure 17 to 24 represent detached parts of the same drawn to the same scale as
Figure 16, Figure 17 representing one part of the spiral tube in conjunction with
the conductor tube and coil box, Figure 18 the tubular body of the pencil case,
Figure 19 the inner conductor tube and coil box, Figure 20 the outer conductor
tube, Figure 21 the telescopic tube, and Figure 22 the telescopic tube in conjunction
with the outer spiral tube; Figures 23 and 24 represent the two parts of the spiral
tube.
a is the coil box and b the pin on the same, taking into the straight slot d in the
conductor tube c, and also engaging in the spiral slot in the part e of the spiral tube,
as before described with respect to the pencil case represented in Figures 1 to 7.
The second half f of the spiral tube is in this arrangement connected to the
telescopic tube h, and is of larger diameter than the half or part e, so that the said
half can slide upon the half e, in which the pin b of the coil box a works. On
the upper end of the half e of the spiral tube is a pin e³, which engages in the spiral
slot of the half f. Fixed within the tubular body i of the pencil case is a second
or outer conductor tube l, having a straight slot m in it. The said tubular body i
and the outer conductor tube are soldered to the collar on the lower end of the
inner conductor tube c (see Figure 16). On the outside of the telescopic tube h is
a pin h², which is engaged with the straight slot m in the outer conductor tube Z.
By means of the slot m in the conductor tube and the pin h² on the telescopic
tube h the latter is prevented from rotating when drawn outwards or pressed
inwards, the said telescopic tube and the spiral tube f within it moving together.
The action of this modification is as follows:-
When the telescopic tube h is drawn outwards, as illustrated in Figures 14 and
16, the outer spiral tube f carried by it passes from off the smaller spiral tube e on
the inner conductor tube c, the telescopic tube h and the spiral tube f moving recti-
linearly in consequence of the pin h² engaging in the straight slot m in the fixed
conductor tube l. As the telescopic tube h moves outwards the inner spiral tube e
is rotated by the action of the spiral slot of the outer spiral tube f travelling upon
the pin e² on the inner spiral tube e. By the rotation of the inner spiral tube e the
coil box a and everpointed pencil are propelled from the pencil case, the action of
the parts which cause the emergence of the coil box and pencil being precisely the
same as the corresponding parts in the pencil case already described, where the two
parts of the spiral tube are fixed end to end. On pressing inwards the telescopic
tube h rotation in the opposite direction is given to the inner spiral tube e, and
the coil box and pencil are withdrawn into the case, as illustrated in Figure 15.
I make the two parts e, f, Figures 23 and 24, of the spiral tube from coiled strips
of metal made as herein before described.
In applying my Invention to pen cases or tooth pick cases I substitute for the coil
box a a penholder or a tooth pick holder of the ordinary kind.
Having now described the nature of my Invention and the manner in which the
same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I claim as my Invention of
Improvements in Double Acting Spiral Pencil Cases, Pen Cases, and Tooth-pick
Cases,"
"
First. The construction and combination of the parts of the said cases herein
before described and illustrated in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 11 of the accom-
panying Drawings, that is to say, the construction and combination of parts for
preventing the rotation of the telescopic tube by causing a pin on its inner side to
pass through the spiral slot in the upper part of the spiral tube and also engage
in the straight slot in the conductor tube, substantially as described and
illustrated.
Secondly. The modification herein before described and illustrated in Figures 14
to 22, both inclusive, of the accompanying Drawings, in which one half of the spiral
tube works on the other half of the spiral tube, the rotation of the telescopic tube
being prevented by a second or outer conductor tube with a straight slot in

page_text: which a pin outside the telescopic tube engages, substantially as described and
illustrated.
Thirdly. The improvements in making the spiral tubes of double acting spiral
pencil cases, pen cases, and tooth pick cases herein before described and illustrated
in Figures 10, 11, 12, 13, 23, and 24 of the accompanying Drawings, that is to say,
making the said tubes from strips of sheet metal, the said strips being coiled
helically on a rotating rod or mandril, the closed edges of the coil being afterwards
separated to the required distance to form the slot, substantially as described and
illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Havilah Woodward, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy nine.
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.
ALFRED HAVILAH WOODWARD. (L.S.)