Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Apr., 1888
Specification Accepted, 18th May, 1888
I, WILLIAM WASHINGTON STEWART, residing at No. 15 Monroe Place, in the City
of Brooklyn, in the County of Kings and State of New York, one of the United
States of America, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
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 penholders or pen-stocks for holding steel or gold pens or
pen nibs. Its principal object is to render the one holder adaptable to pens of various
sizes, constituting thus what may be termed a "compromise holder."
To this end my improved holder is constructed at its lower end with a space or
recess for the insertion of the pen, the said space being varied by notches or indenta-
tions at intervals in order to adapt it to receive pens of different sizes. In the
preferred construction the recess for receiving the pen is an annular recess, and the
notches or indentations are formed on its inner side being spaced at different distances
apart in order to adapt them, to receive the side edges of the shanks of different sized
pens. These notches or indentations may be distributed around the circumference of
the recess or may be arranged entirely on one side. The notches are formed around
or upon the periphery of a central head or stock at the lower end of the holder, the
annular pen recess being constituted by the combination with this head of an external
cylindrical sleeve which may be formed integral with the holder or may be fastened
adjustably thereto. A certain degree of elasticity is desirable between the stock and
sleeve, which is effected in various ways according to the particular construction that
may be adopted. When the external sleeve is made integral with or fixed rigidly to
the holder, as is preferred, the stock is made separate from the holder and is united
thereto by a screw shank, or in other equivalent manner, being thereby rendered
elastic laterally and adjustable in or out.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings is a side view of my improved holder in
its preferred form, the lower end portion being in longitudinal mid-section. This
figure also includes an end view of the lower end of the holder.
Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are end views of a different form of stock showing three different
sizes of pens applied to it.
Fig. 5 is a perspective view of another construction of holder, and Fig. 6 is a
longitudinal mid-section thereof.

page_text: OUTICT
CONSULTO1
FUN CALCUTIUI
section.
Fig. 8 is an end view of the stock of the holder shown in Fig. 7.
Fig. 9 is an end view of a modified construction.
In the several figures A is the holder, B is the central stock, A¹ is the exterior
sleeve enclosing this stock, and is the pen. In all the constructions except that
shown in Fig. 9 the stock B is longitudinally notched or grooved upon its exterior
to receive the edges of the shank portion of the pen, and these notches are disposed at
different distances apart around the periphery, or around a portion thereof so that any
size of pen within certain limits may be adapted to the holder by placing its side
edges in any two notches which are found to be of the proper distance apart to
fit them.
In the construction shown in Fig. 1, the holder A is formed with a tubular
cylindrical sleeve A¹ at its lower end forming a recess within it and the stock or
head B is constructed in a separate piece from the holder, and united to the latter by
screwing a shank g formed on it into a threaded hole in the holder. The stock B is
of smaller diameter than the interior of the sleeve A', so that an annular space or
recess is left between them for the insertion of the pen, and this space is varied by
the notches in the periphery of the stock B. When the pen is crowded into the
recess on one side, the stock B may yield more or less to the pressure and may be
deflected sufficiently to bear against the opposite side of the sleeve A¹, or it may be so
rigidly mounted as not to yield, or to yield to less extent.
The notches in the stock B may be formed at intervals entirely around its circum-
ference, as shown in the end view at the right of Fig. 1, or they may be formed on
only one side, as shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4. In the latter case the opposite or plain
side of the stock may be made of sufficiently large diameter to be normally in contact
with the sleeve A¹. In Figs. 2, 3 and 4 the stock is formed with fixed notches of
which the two middle ones a and a are adapted to receive a pen of the smallest size,
as shown in Fig. 2; the two next ones and are adapted to receive a pen of larger
size, as shown in Fig. 3; and the two outer ones c and c', are adapted to receive a
pen of the largest size, as shown in Fig. 4. A pen of a size between those shown in
Figs. 2 and 3 may be set with one edge in a notch of one pair and its other edge in a
notch of another pair, as for example, in the notches a¹ and b. Or a pen of a size
between those shown in Figs. 3 and 4 may be set with one edge in notch c and the
other in notch ¹.
Figs. 5 and 6 show a construction in which the stock B with its notches is formed
on the lower end of the holder and in one piece therewith, and the exterior sleeve A'
is made as a separate tube capable of sliding longitudinally upon the holder, and
prevented from escaping therefrom by means of a diametrical pin passing through a
longitudinal slot e in the holder. The holder has two longitudinal slots e and el
intersecting it diametrically at right angles to one another in order to impart elasticity
to it. The stock B is notched at intervals around its circumference, somewhat as in
Fig. 1, so that the holder may be turned either side up according to which side of
the annular recess the pen is inserted in. The holder is formed with a recess h,
shown in Fig. 5, in order that the pen may be laid against the holder when not in
use with its point entering this recess and be held in place and protected from injury
by sliding the sleeve A¹ upwardly on the holder until it comes over and confines the
pen. The sliding sleeve A is thus advantageous not only in holding the pen in place
when in use as shown in Fig. 6, but also in thus holding the pen when not in use and
when it is desired for instance, to carry it in the pocket. The sliding sleeve also
facilitates the extraction of the pen when the latter has become cemented to the
holder by incrustated ink, as by forcibly sliding back the sleeve the pen is exposed
and may be readily pulled off the holder.
Fig. 7 shows a construction similar to that shown in Figs. 5 and 6 except that the
notches in the stock B are prolonged in the form of grooves extending up the holder,
as shown at i, i. This construction enables any size of pen to be held against the
upper part of the holder with its points protected within the recess h, as by placing

page_text: the pen against one side or another of the holder its opposite edges may be caused to
enter notches or grooves at such distance apart as to fit them and enable the pen to
lie close against the holder. There are several notches arranged at different
points around the holder midway between the grooves i i.
Fig. 8 is an end view showing the preferred arrangement of the notches or grooves
around the stock B in order to accommodate different sized pens.
Instead of forming notches or grooves in the stock, recesses of different sizes may
be formed in the sleeve A', as shown at m n o p and q in Fig. 9. The recess m takes
the smallest pen and 9 the largest, the intervening ones receiving pens of
intermediate sizes.
The notches or recesses may be arranged in various other ways by which the same
result of enabling the holder to receive pens of different sizes, each held with
equal firmness at the sides of its shank by means of the notches or their equivalents,
will be attained.
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
1. A penholder constructed with a space or recess at its lower end for the insertion
of the pen, the said recess being varied by notches or indentations substantially in
the manner described, in order to adapt it to receive pens of different sizes.
2. A penholder constructed at its lower end with a central stock and a sleeve
enclosing it, with a space between them for the insertion of the pen, said space being
varied by notches or indentations substantially in the manner described in order to
admit pens of different sizes.
3. A penholder constructed at its lower end with a central stock and a sleeve
enclosing it, with an annular space or recess between them for the insertion of the
pen, and notches in the periphery of said stock at varying distances apart adapted to
receive pens of different sizes.
4. A penholder constructed at its lower end with a sleeve A¹ and a peripherally
notched stock B connected to the holder by means of a shank formed on it and
engaging the holder, whereby the stock is elastically mounted within the sleeve.
5. The combination of a holder A formed with a sleeve A¹ at its lower end and a
central screw-threaded socket, with a stock B within said sleeve having a screw-
threaded shank g screwed into said socket, whereby the stock is adjustable out or in.
6. The combination with a holder A formed with a recess h, of a sliding sleeve A¹
movable longitudinally on the holder and adapted when moved down to hold a pen at
the lower end thereof in position for use, and when moved up to confine a pen against
the holder with its point protected by said recess whereby it may be safely handled
when not in use.
J. C. MEWBURN,
169, Fleet Street, London,
Agent.