CERTAIN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN FOUNTAIN PENS
Year: 1832

page_text: PARKER'S
SPECIFICATION:
:0.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
JACOB PARKER,, late of Sheffield, but now of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Gentleman, send greeting....
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King William the Fourth,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great, bearing date at
Westminster; the Twenty-sixth day of July, in the third year of His reign,
did, for Himself, heirs; and successors; give and grant unto me, the said
John Jacob Parker, his especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, the said John Jacob Parker, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said John Jacob Parker, my exors, admors, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all
times during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use; exercise; and vend, within England, Wales, and, the Town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS
IN FOUNTAIN PENS;" in which said, Letters Patent is contained a proviso that
I, the said John Jacob Parker, shall cause a particular description of the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be inrolled, in His said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six
calender months next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited
Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had; will
more fully and at large appear.

page_text: the manner in which the same is to be produced, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the Drawing hereunto annexed, and the figures and
letters marked thereon (that is to say) :-
My Invention consists of certain arrangements of parts, and thus producing
pens containing a supply of ink which may be made to flow to the nibs at the
time of using the pens, and afterwards to cause any ink remaining in the per
to flow back into the handles or upper parts of the pens, as will be fully
described hereafter.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 shews one of my fountain pens complete; Figure 2 is a section
thereof, whereby the relative situations of the parts will be clearly seen; Figures
3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11, show the various parts of which the pen is
composed separately; and in all these Figures the same letters indicate similar
parts; and I would observe that the Drawing shows the various parts about
twice the usual size I am in the habit of making the pens, and this is with a
view that all the parts and their construction should be more clearly seen and
understood; a being the outer case or handle of the pen; b, the cap or cover,
as shewn separately in Figure 3, and also in section; on the inside of this cap or
cover 6 is fixed a pin or projecting wire c; this pin or wire acts as a plug to the
ink-way when the pen is not being used, and the cover b is placed over the
nibs to protect them; by this means the flow of ink will be prevented excepting
when the pen is being used; d is the piston (shown separately in Figure 4),
the rod of which has a screw cut thereon, and I prefer such screw to be à
three-threaded left-handed screw, as I am thus enabled to obtain a more easy
motion to the piston. The piston rod is flat on two sides, and the object of this
is that it passes through a rectangular hole formed in a plate affixed in the
ink cylinder, and the piston rod is thus kept from turning, and the piston is
forced up and down by the backward or forward motion of the screw, as will be
more fully described hereafter. e is the ink cylinder which contains the ink,
and in which the piston is caused to rise and fall by means of the piston rod.
Nearly at the upper end of the ink cylinder e is affixed by soldering a small
circular plate (shewn separately in Figure 5); in this plate is formed a
rectangular perforation through which the piston rod passes, and thus the
rod is prevented turning; g is a small ring (shown separately in Figure 6),
which is placed above the plate f, and is to enable the tube h to turn

page_text: freely; the end of this tube h comes against the ring 9, and on that
end of the tube h which comes in contact with the ring g is formed an
outward flanch, as is clearly shewn at i, Figure 7, where the tube h is shown
separately; the tube h is kept to its place within the upper part of the ink
cylinder by means of the short tube j, which slides over the tube h; and this
short tubej (shewn separately, Fig. 11,) is soldered into the upper part of
the ink cylinder, and thus is the flanchi of the tube h securely retained
between the ring 9 and the small tube j, as will be clearly seen by a careful
examination of the various parts, and more particularly where they are in
section in Figure 2; within the end i of the tube h is formed a few threads of
a female screw, and the piston rod being passed within the tube h the turning
such tube will. cause the piston to be forced down the ink cylinder when the
pen is required to be supplied with ink, and may also be withdrawn when it
is no longer desired for use, by which latter action the ink which is unused
will be returned to the ink cylinder, as will be fully described when I come
to explain the manner of using such pens. is a tube (shown separately in
Figure 8) closed at the upper end, and this forms the top and part of the
outer casing of the pen, there being a small hole perforated in the top for the
passage of the wire or pin c, when the cap or cover b is placed on the upper
end of the pen for the purpose of elongating the handle, as is shown by dotted
lines, Figures 1 and 2. Through the outer casing k is a pin passed through
the inner tube h, so that when the outer tube k is thus fixed in its place, if
the same be turned backwards or forwards it will cause the tube h to turn
in a like direction, and thus actuate the piston within the ink cylinder. To
the lower end of the ink cylinder is affixed by soldering the pen-holder l, which
is shown separately in Figure 9, and consists of two tubes and m, the
inner one m having a small hole drilled through it, as is more clearly shown
in Figure 10, which is a section; and in this Figure it will be seen that the
hole is opened or made bell-mouthed, in order that the ink on passing from
the ink cylinder may have an inclination to fall immediately on to the nibs..
Having now described the various parts shown in the Drawing, and the
manner of combining the same, I will proceed to describe the manner of filling
and using the same. In order to fill the ink cylinder, the piston is first forced
down to the lower end of the ink cylinder; the end which forms the ink-holder
is then dipped into an inkstand containing ink, when the piston is to be caused
to recede upwards, by which means the ink will be pressed into the cylinder by
the atmospheric pressure, and thus will the cylinder become full of ink; the
nibs, whether of quill or metal, are then to be put into the holder, and the

page_text: pen will be fit for use, and a constant supply of ink may be kept to the nibs
whilst writing by turning with the left hand the part of the outer casing;
and I would here observe, that I prefer left-handed screws to the piston rods,
by which the desired motion for supplying ink to the nibs will be more readily
communicated. When the pen is no longer desired to be used, the part of
the casing is to be turned in an opposite direction, which will causé tlie
piston to rise in the ink cylinder, and consequently any ink which remains in
the lower part of the pen will be caused to follow the piston by the pressure
of the atmosphere; the cap or cover 6 is then to be placed on the lower end,
and the wire e will plug up the perforation in the holder, and thus prevent
the flow of the ink in case the pen should be laid horizontally, as well as
keep the passage at all times clear when the plug is withdrawn.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I would observe that I construct the same.of
gold, silver, or other suitable material, taking care that the ink cylinder is
constructed of such a material as will be as little as possible acted on by the
ink; and I do declare that one of the objects of my Invention is the lining of
the ink cylinder with a tube of glass, or I form the ink cylinder wholly of
glass, or I sometimes line such ink; cylinder with gold to prevent the injurious
effects of the ink; and it will be evident that the outer casing may be orna-
mented by engine turning or otherwise, and that the same may have a seal
or other device on one end, taking care that there is a small hole drilled
to admit the air to prevent a vacuum being formed in the cover when it is
removed for the purpose of using the pen. I would have it understood that
.I lay
no claim to the various parts of which the Invention is combined, they
'mostly being known and in use in their separate condition; but what
'I claim is,
: First, the using two or more threaded screws for working the pistons in
'fountain pens, by which considerable power is obtained with the exertion of
but a small force, in consequence of the slow progress of the screw; yet by
'such means a very careful adjustment may be obtained in supplying ink to the
pen; and although -I-have herè stated a two or more threaded screw, I prefer
'à three-threaded screw.
Secondly, I claim the use of a left-handed screw to the working of the
pistons of fountain pens, by which the supply of ink is more readily obtained,
whilst the pen is in actual use in the right hand.
Thirdly, I claim the particular combination of the various parts as a fountain
pen, although such parts are in themselves well known and in use.

page_text: And, fourthly, I claim the lining of the ink cylinder with glass or gold to
revent the prejudicial corrosive action of the ink, which in most other materials
s very great. Though in making common articles I sometimes omit such
inings of glass or gold, yet I prefer the using of such materials, as the pens
vill be much more lasting by the application.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Jacob Parker, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of January, in the third year
of the reign of our Sovereign Lord William the Fourth, by the Grace
of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, King,
Defender of the Faith, and in the year One thousand eight hundred
and thirty-three.