Improvements in Inkstands.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Sept., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 20th May, 1890-Accepted, 21st June. 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION,
Improvements in Inkstands.
L, THOMAS HERRIOT TAIT, residing at 7, Violet Terrace. North Merchiston,
Edinburgh, formerly Lay Missionary, and now chiefly engaged in Chaplaincy work,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
A combination of small levers so formed, adjusted, and fitted on the top of the lid
of a box, or other appliance, holding the ink bottle, that the hand, while in the act of
dipping the pen, merely by being made to rest on the end of a lever (A), shall cause
the end of another lever (C) to turn quite off from the mouth of the bottle; and that
the said end of the lever (C) shall immediately close over the opening into the ink,
whenever the band is lifted off.
In the construction, three levers are used. The first (A) is made to turn upon a
pivot, so that when the hand rests upon the nearer end, the other end rises, and,
being bevelled, pushes aside a very little, the lever (B), and changes the direction of
the motion from vertical to horizontal. A spring acting upon (B) brings the parts
back to a position of rest when the hand is off. The long end of (B) is connected
with the short end of lever (C), and thus the longer end of (C) sweeps sufficiently far
to open and close over the ink, and has, on its under side, a kind of brush to prevent
the admission of dust.
These lovers, except the ends of (A) and (C) are enclosed in, and defended by,
what may be, for the sake of reference, called the cover, and which is a piece of wood
hollowed out on the under side, so as to allow the free motion of the parts within it,
and is grooved out on the top for putting the pen in.
In the accompanying drawings, I. shews the position of the levers when at rest,
II. their position when the band is on (A). The small circle (J), the opening into
the ink. The treple line (a, a, a, a) indicates the edge of the lid of the box; the
double line (b, b, 6, 6), the outside of the cover; and the single line (c, c, c, c), the
inside edge of the cover; and indicates also the form of a plate on which the levers
may be fixed, apart from the box, in order to be fitted on a school desk, or other
piece of furniture used for writing at.
2nd day of September 1889.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Inkstands.
I THOMAS HERRIOT TAIT of 7 Violet Terrace, North Merchiston, Edinburgh,
Scotland formerly Lay Missionary and now chiefly engaged in Chaplaincy work
do bereby 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:-
This invention relates to an inkstand consisting of a bottle of ink enclosed in a
suitable box or casing an aperture in which provides for dipping ink from the bottle
by inserting the pen at the aperture.
The object of my invention is to protect the ink bottle or ink well from admission
of dust which would occur if the aperture in the box or casing were left exposed for
dipping ink in the usual way.
For this purpose I provide mechanism for effectually covering the aperture and for
removing the covering merely by resting the hand upon part of the mechanism while
in the act of dipping the pen.

page_text: In the accompanying drawings in all the Figures of which the same part is
indicated by like reference letters
Figure 1 is an end elevation of an inkstand with a rest for penholders at the rear
part of the upper side serving the purpose of enclosing and thus concealing the
mechanism hereinbefore referred to.
Figure 2 is a plan of Figure 1 having part of the penholder rest removed to
exhibit the enclosed mechanism and
Figure 3 is an enlarged detail view of part of the main lever which acts upon the
longitudinal lever by contact of their respective inclined planes.
The ink bottle or ink well A is secured in position at one side within the box or
casing B immediately beneath the dipping aperture Cover which a disc D lodges,
being provided with fine bristles or plush E so as to cover the aperture in a manner
to exclude any admission of dust. The disc D is carried at the extremity of a curved
lever pivoted at G to move horizontally and being provided with a stop H in
contact with which it is urged by the spring J acting upon the longitudinal lover K
which engages by a projecting piece L in a slot or opening M beyond the fulcrum G
of the curved lever F.
In order to remove the disc D from the dipping aperture to the position shown
by the dotted lines it is merely necessary to rest the hand while in the act of pro-
ceeding to dip for ink upon a second disc N carried at the extremity of a main
lever P pivoted at Q to move in a vertical direction and so by contact of the inclined
plane R formed at its extremity bearing in contact with an inclined plane S formed
near the fulcrum T of the longitudinal lover K to produce the required movement of
the lever F to uncover the dipping aperture while a dip of ink is taken; the
spring J returning the whole of the mechanism to its normal position when the hand
is removed.
It is obvious that the design of the inkstand may be varied at pleasure and that the
mechanisin may be left exposed, or concealed beneath a hollowed part which may
conveniently have a longitudinal concave channel at its exterior upper side to form a
receptacle in which to lay penholders when not in use or that the mechanism may be
mounted upon a thin plate to be subsequently attached to a school desk or other piece
of furniture used for writing at.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
In an inkstand the combination of the vertical operating lever P the longitudinal
lever K and the curved lever Farranged and operating substantially as described and
shown in the accompanying drawings for removing the disc D from the dipping
aperture C and insuring its automatic return to its normal position to exclude dust
from the ink bottle or ink well.
Dated this 20th day of May 1890.
AYRTON & THOMAS,
Agents for the Applicant.