IMPROVEMENTS IN INKSTANDS
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Jules Louis Adam, of Spring Grove, Isleworth,
in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN INKSTANDS.”
Sealed the 5th December 1871, and dated the 10th June 1871..
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Jules Louis Adam at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 10th June 1871.
I, JULES LOUIS ADAM, of Spring Grove, Isleworth, in the County of
Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN INKSTANDS," to be as follows:-
I propose to combine inkstands with locks by providing the inkstand
with a receptacle for a lock bolt, so that when the lock is fixed to a
desk or elsewhere the inkstand cannot be removed except by the person
holding the key of the lock.
Inkstands open at the top in the usual manner may be thus combined
with locks; but I propose to place the inkstand more completely under
the sole control of the person holding the key, by composing, the ink-

page_text: stand of a closed reservoir and an open cup or cups communicating
therewith by orifices, so placed that only a limited quantity of ink is
supplied to the cup, and that by the atmospheric pressure upon the
upper orifice when the ink falls below it, the supply is automatically
maintained in the ratio of the consumption, until the reservoir is
exhausted.
I further propose to adopt this self-feeding arrangement for inkstands
unprovided with locks.
These several improvements are illustrated on the accompanying
Sheets of Drawing forming part of this my Provisional Specification.
Figure 1 (Sheet 1), being a perspective view of a combined inkstand
and lock attached to a desk; A, inkstand or reservoir; B, cup; D, the
lock plate in which the inkstand is secured by means of a lock bolt
shot by the key E. Figure 2 is an elevation of same inkstand or
reservoir removed from the lock plate, shewing the socket C for
receiving the lock bolt. Figure 3 represents a part elevation and
section through the cup B, shewing the openings F, f, for supplying ink
to cup from reservoir A.
Figure 4 illustrates the lock plate with inkstand A removed; G, open-
ing to receive inkstand A.
Figure 5 (Sheet 2), is a perspective view of an office inkstand fitted
with self-feeding cups B, B, B, one of which is shewn in section.. H is
a screw plug for withdrawl when the stand requires refilling.
.
The reservoir A (Sheet 1) will be filled with ink through the cup B
by gradually tilting the reservoir as the ink enters, until the cup is
uppermost, the reservoir being then returned to its normal position
the ink will flow back into the cup B until it rises in the cup above
the orifice f, when the supply will be arrested; the inkstand will then
be inserted in the lock by the opening G (Figure 4), and when by
ordinary evaporation and consumption the ink is brought below the
orifice, the pressure of the atmosphere will cause a fresh supply to
enter by the orifice F, and so on continuously, until all the ink in
reservoir A is exhausted.
It will be evident that the inkstand illustrated, Sheet II. of the
Drawing, could not be filled in the same manner as an inkstand with a
single cup, because the tilting would cause the ink to flow out of an
opposite cup, this inkstand is therefore filled through an orifice in the

page_text: bottom closed by the screw plug H, or in any suitable manner:. The
bottom of this inkstand should be made concave and the filling orifice
be slightly above the topmost hole f, as otherwise the reservoir. might
be incautiously filled above this hole and an overflow take place through
the cups before the vessel was inverted.
The accompanying Drawings are merely illustrative of my improve-
ments, and I need scarcely observe that the shape of the inkstands may
vary, that they may be made of porcelain or of any suitable material,
and that the lock may be more or less complicated as may be desired;
the lock might also be placed on one side at top or bottom of the ink-
stand, and the bolt pass through any kind of staple adapted to any part
of the inkstand.
The advantages of locked inkstands in schools are self-evident, and I
believe their use will extend to desks generally, to prevent the shifting
of the inkstand from its proper place, and the constantly recurring
accidents consequent thereupon; and by combining the self-supplying
arrangement therewith and using small and shallow open cups the ink
will not readily become clogged with impurities, and the pen will take
up a sufficiency of ink and no more.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Jules Louis Adam in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 8th December 1871.
•
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JULES
LOUIS ADAM, of Spring Grove, Isleworth, in the County of Middlesex,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of June, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-fourth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Jules Louis Adam, Her special licence that I,
the said Jules Louis Adam, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Jules Louis Adam, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
1

page_text: 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
Inkstands,” upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Jules
Louis Adams, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 montlis next
and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Jules Louis Adam, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement :-
I combine inkstands with locks by providing the inkstand with a
receptacle for a lock-bolt, so that when the lock is fixed to a desk or
elsewhere, the inkstand cannot be removed except by the person holding
the key of the lock.
"
· Inkstands open at the top in the usual manner may be thus combined
with locks, but I prefer placing the inkstand more completely under the
sole control of the person holding the key by composing the inkstand
of a closed reservoir and an open cup or cups communicating with the
reservoir by an orifice, or orifices, so placed that only a limited quantity
of ink is supplied to the cup or cups, and that by the atmospheric
pressure upon an upper of two or more orifices, or upon the upper part
of a single orifice when the ink in the cup falls below it, the supply is
automatically maintained in the ratio of the consumption until the ink
in the reservoir falls below the lower orifice or the lower part of the
single orifice.
These several improvements are illustrated on the accompanying Sheet
of Drawing.
Figure 1 being a plan view, representing part of a desk fitted with
lock and inkstand combined and with cup B turned ready for use.. A is
the inkstand or reservoir, D the lock-plate; Figure 2, a similar view,
but with inkstand turned partly round so as to bring cup B beneath the
lock-plate and protect its contents from dust when not in use; Figure 3,
a section of the above, shewing arrangement of lock, and also opening E,
for supplying cup B from reservoir A.

page_text: Figure 4, an elevation of reservoir or inkstand A, removed from lock-
plate D, showing cup B and also lug C for receiving lock-bolt H.
Figure 5, an elevation of a similar reservoir, but fitted with a socket
ċ in place of lug C for receiving lock-bolt H; Figure 6, a sectional
elevation of the above showing openings E, e, for supplying ink into
cup B.
Figure 7, plan of lock-plate D; G, opening to receive reservoir A;
Figure 8, an inverted plan of the same, showing arrangement of lock-
bolt H and spring h.
Figure 9, perspective view of an office inkstand fitted with self-feeding
cups B, B, B, one of which is shown in section; I is a screw plug for
withdrawal when this inkstand requires refilling, as hercin-after described;
f, upper opening between reservoir and cup, three openings are shown
but two or one only may be used.
Figure 10, inkstand as at Figures 1 to 6 inclusive, being filled by the
aid of a small can provided for the purpose.
The reservoir A of the single cup inkstands will be filled with ink
through the cup B, by gradually tilting the reservoir as the ink enters
until the cup is uppermost; the reservoir being then returned to its.
normal position, the ink will flow back into the cup B until it rises in
the cup above the orifice E of Fig. 3, or that e of Fig. 6, when the.
supply will be arrested; or the filling may be effected with the aid of a
small can of exactly the same capacity as the reservoir, and constructed.
as shown Fig. 10, whereby any possibility of an overflow of ink will be
obviated. The inkstand thus filled will be inserted in the lock by the
opening G (Fig. 7), and when by ordinary evaporation and consump-
tion the ink is brought below the orifice E, or that e, the pressure of the
atmosphere will cause a fresh supply to enter the cup, and so on con-
tinuously until the level of ink in the reservoir A is below the opening
or openings leading to the cup. When only one opening leads from
reservoir A to cup B, (as at Fig. 3) the cup should have a sufficient
depth below this opening to give the supply of ink needed for, the pen,
as ink will not flow from the reservoir into the cup until the upper part
of this single opening is exposed to atmospheric pressure.
It will be evident that the inkstand illustrated Fig. 9 of the Drawing
cannot be filled in the same manner as a single cup inkstand inasmuch
as the tilting would cause the ink to flow out of the cups thus brought
lower than others, this inkstand is therefore inverted to be filled through

page_text: an orifice in the bottom closed by the screw plug I, or in any suitable
manner. The bottom of this inkstand is made concave and the filling
orifice is slightly above the hole f, as otherwise the reservoir might
incautiously be filled above this hole and an overflow take place into the
cups before the vessel was re-inverted top part upwards.
The accompanying Drawings are merely illustrative of my improve-
ments, and I need scarcely observe that the shape of the inkstands
may vary at pleasure, that they may be made of porcelain, of glass, of
enameled metal, of metal lined with a glass or porcelain cup or of any
material which I may find suitable, and that the lock may be more or
less complicated or ornamental. The lock might be placed at one side,
at top or bottom of the inkstand and the bolt pass through any kind of
staple adapted to any part of the inkstand which, as above stated, might
be of ordinary construction, although I give the preference to a self-
feeding inkstand.
The advantages of locked inkstands in schools are self-evident, and
I believe their use will extend to desks generally, to prevent the shifting
of the inkstand from its proper place and the constantly recurring
damage consequent thereupon, and by combining the self-supplying
arrangement therewith, and using small and shallow open cups, the ink
will not readily become clogged with impurities, and the pen will take
up a sufficiency of ink and no more.
Having now described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I desire it to be
' understood that I claim as secured to me by the herein-before in part
recited Letters Patent,-
Firstly. The use of inkstands combined with locks substantially as
herein-before set forth.
Secondly. The use of self-supplying inkstands as herein described and
illustrated Fig. 9 of the accompanying Sheet of Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Jules Louis Adam, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Sixth day of December, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.