Improvements in Pencil Retaining Devices.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Oct., 1898-Accepted, 3rd Dec.,
1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Pencil Retaining Devices.
I, JAMES VEAL DUNPHY, of 617, Fourth Avenue East, Daluth, County of St. Louis,
State of Minnesota, United States of America, Gentleman, 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 improvements in pencil retaining devices, and its object is
to provide a removable device adapted to be placed upon pencils, and which shall be
so constructed as to operate by friction in connection with the lining of a pocket to
prevent the pencil from slipping therefrom, and which will be capable of being
manipulated to form frictional ribs of various sizes.
It consists in providing a cylindrical body portion made of elastic material and
forming circumferential ribs upon the same and integral therewith.
It also consists in certain other novel constructions, combinations and arrangements
of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.
In the accompanying drawing,
Fig. 1 represents a perspective view of my improved pencil retainer.
Fig. 2 represents a perspective view of the same applied to a pencil.
Fig. 3 represents a longitudinal section through the said retainer, a portion of
a pencil being shown therein in side elevation.
Fig. 4 represents a detail view showing the retainer in one of its rolled forms, the
said retainer being partially rolled upon itself.
and
Fig.
represents a detail view showing the retainer entirely rolled together,
Fig. 6 is a detail view representing another manner in which the said retainer may
be rolled upon the pencil.
A in the drawing represents my improved pencil retainer. The said pencil
retainer A is preferably made with a cylindrical elastic body portion as a adapted to
The said body portion a is
be placed upon a pencil of ordinary construction.
As shown in
preferably formed with a series of annalar projecting ribs as a¹, a¹.
Fig. 2 of the drawing, the retainer A is adapted to be slipped upon a pencil as Bor
other similar article, and when so placed upon a pencil it forms a frictional surface
thereon which is adapted to engage the interior of a pocket into which the pencil
may be placed and prevent the accidental slipping of the pencil from the said pocket.
It will be apparent that the retainer may not only be placed at the end of the
pencil, as illustrated in the drawing, but it may be slipped to any point upon
the pencil, it only being necessary to place it where it will engage the interior
of the pocket when the pencil is placed therein. By constructing the retainer A
of elastic material as soft rubber, for instance, it can be used not only in its normal
position, as illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawing, but it is capable of being
rolled upon itself when on the pencil to form larger or smaller projecting ribs upon
the pencil to offer a still greater retaining means for holding the pencil in the pocket.
As shown in Fig. 4, for instance, the retainer A may be rolled back upon itself
about half its length, the enlargement formed by this roll providing an additional
security against the pencil slipping from the pocket, or, as shown in Fig. 5 of the

page_text: drawing, it may be rolled up entirely so as to form a very prominent frictional rib
upon the pencil. As shown in Fig. 6 of the drawing, it may be rolled inside out and
partially rolled upon itself to form a retaining surface of a little different character.
It will thus be apparent that the flexible elastic retainer can be rolled to any desired
shape so as to present a more prominent or a less prominent frictional surface upon a
pencil to suit the pocket into which the pencil is to be retained. If the pocket is
comparatively tight as in new clothing, the retainer in its ordinary and normal
shape would be sufficient to secure the pencil against accidental displacement from
the said pocket, but in the case of a greatly stretched or worn pocket it might be
found desirable to roll the retainer into a larger and more prominent rib upon the
pencil.
It will be further apparent that a flexible pencil retainer of this character could be
formed with other projecting configurations upon its outer periphery to form frictional
surfaces in the place of the circumferential ribs, as above described, without departing
from the spirit of my invention. However, the form shown in the drawing is found
to be a desirable one, as it is easily rolled into different shapes and retains its position
when thus rolled. It will also be apparent that the retainer may be made of different
lengths and that it may have a greater or less number of the circumferential ribs
than those shown in the drawing.
It will be observed that when the retainer is rolled up or partially rolled up, the
ribs perform a very important function, namely, that they prevent the rolled up
portion from unrolling, and also form an enlarged rib. When it is desired to partially
roll up the retainer into the position shown in Fig. 4 of the drawing, the rolled up
portion will sort of snap by the middle rib and when the fingers are released, it has a
tendency to unroll but is prevented from doing so by engaging the said middle rib
and when it is desired to return the retainer to its normal extended position as shown
in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing, the rolled up portion has to be drawn back and over
the middle rib. When it is desired to form a frictional rib of a size greater than that
which is produced when the rolled up portion is engaged by the middle rib, the
retainer is rolled back still further until the rolled up portion is engaged by the
innermost rib and in that condition it will be held from accidentally unrolling but
when it is desired, can be rolled back by the fingers. From this, it will be apparent,
that the provision of a plurality of ribs not only affords an additional number of
frictional projections when the retainer is in its normal extended position but serves
the important purpose of allowing the different sized ribs to be secured and prevents
the rolled up portion of the retainer from accidentally unrolling when engaged by
any one of these ribs.
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
As an improved article of manufacture, a pencil retainer adapted to be applied to a
pencil at any point in its length for holding the same in a pocket, and comprising in
its construction an elastic, hollow, cylindrical body portion, which is open at both
ends and formed with a series of integral elastic ribs, the said ribs, when the retainer
is in its normally extended condition, presenting frictional edges or corners to the
wall of a pocket, and which ribs, when the retainer is rolled upon itself, presenting an
enlarged frictional projection, the rolled up portion being engaged by a rib and
prevented from accidentally unrolling, substantially as described.
Dated this 15th day ou
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicant.