IMPROVEMENTS IN HOLDERS FOR THIN RODS OF VARIABLE LENGTH, SUCH AS THE MOVABLE CORES OF LEAD PENCILS
Year: 1884

page_text: I, HERBERT JOHN HADDAN, of the firm of Herbert and Company, Patent Agents,
of 67, Strand, in the City of Westminster, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of said invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN HOLDERS FOR THIN RODS OF
VARIABLE LENGTH, SUCH AS THE MOVABLE CORES OF LEAD PENCILS, to be as
follows:-
This invention relates chiefly to pencil holders but is also applicable to analogous
appliances for holding and guiding thin rods of variable length.
The improved hollers resemble that class of pencil holders in which the core or
lead pencil is gripped near the point by a pair of tongues projecting over the front
end of the casing and kept closed by a helical spring contained in the rear part of
the casing, the forward motion of the tongues and thereby the opening of the same
being effected by pressing with a finger on a button at the rear end of the casing,
so as to compress the said helical spring.
This arrangement has the disadvantage that it ceases to guide the front end of
the rod, when the gripping tongues are released for the purpose of feeding the rod
forward or withdrawing the same into the holder.
In order to obviate this drawback I provide in addition to the gripping tongues &
thin central tube or metallic sheath adapted to guide the movable core, and having
a pair of diametrically opposite slots for allowing the tongues to reach the rod.
The gripping tongues form part of a sleeve surrounding the central sheath and
mounted loose on the same.
A helical spring enclosed in the rear part of the case rests with its front end on
an internal collar of the same, while the rear end abuts against a dish-shaped ring
secured to the rear end of the sheath, which carries a second dish-shaped ring placed
with its convex side towards the convex side of the first one. A metallic cap fits
loosely over the rear end of the wooden case and over the discs, a circular groove
being formed in the cap between the two discs, so as to retain the relative position
of the cap to the sheath, while it is allowed to slide along the rear end of the casing.
The extremity of each tongue may be serrated or lined with suitable material for
better gripping the rod, and the metallic sheath is provided with a collar serving
as an abutinent for the rear end of the sleeve which carries the tongues.
Dated this 16th day of January 1884.

page_text: I, HERBERT JOHN HADDAN, of the firm of Herbert and Company, Patent Agents,
of 67, Strand, in the City of Westminster, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN HOLDERS FOR THIN RODS OF
VARIABLE LENGTH, SUCH AS THE MOVABLE CORFS OF LEAD PENCILS" 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 chiefly to pencil holders but is also applicable to analogous
appliances for holding and guiding thin rods of variable length.
The improved hollers resemble that class of pencil holders in which the core or
lead pencil is gripped near the point by a pair of tongues projecting over the front
end of the casing and kept close by a helical spring contained in the rear part of
the casing, the forward motion of the tongues and thereby the opening of the same
being effected by pressing with a finger on a cap or knob at the rear end of the
casing, so as to compress the said helical spring.
The improved pencil holder affords the advantage that the lead is automatically
fed to the required length by pressure on a cap or knob, and again secured, when
the cap or knob is released.
In the following description reference will be made to the accompanying drawings,
in which Fig. 1 is a side view, Fig. 2 an axial section and Fig. 3 a cross section of
a pencil holder embodying the invention, while Figs. 4 and 5 show details.
The improved pencil holder chiefly comprises a casing A with a metallic mouth
piece B and a knob or cap C situated at the rear end of the tube A and made fast
to the metal sleeve D serving to receive the lead E.
The enlarged part H at the upper end of the sleeve D forms a guide for the
lead E and at the same time an annular lid for the holder. Immediately behind
the swelling the sleeve D is provided with two slots arranged opposite each other
and in which engage the teeth of the clip F mounted on the sleeve D. The parts
cut out to form the slots form two clastic tongues or springs which tend to recede
from the centre.
The inner diameter of the tube A is enlarged at the rear end to receive a helical
spring G.
The mechanism of the pencil holder works as follows:
For feeding the blunted lead further forward, the cap or knob C is pressed into
or along the tube A, whereby the sleeve D and the clip F mounted on the same are
advanced.
The travel of the sleeve D is determined, on the one hand, by the abutment H at
the upper end which abuts against the metal mouth piece B when the mechanism
is at rest, and on the other hand by a ring I arranged at the lower end (and serving
to secure the knob or cap C to the sleeve D) which ring comes in contact with the
tube A in consequence of the pressure on the knob or cap C.
The travel of the lead, however, is determined by the projecting rim, its motion
being only possible as far as permitted by the recess at the upper end of the tube.
If now the rim comes in contact above, the two teeth of the clip F project beyond
the metal mouth-piece and recede from the centre owing to their elasticity, so that
the disengaged lead is permitted to terminate its travel with the sheath D.
When the cap or knob is subsequently released, the sleeve D and the clip F again
return into their original position by the effect of the helical spring, and as the travel
of the lead sheath D is three times as long as that of the clip, and the lead is retained

page_text: by the teeth of the clip, as soon as the latter has receded into its original position,
the lead projects over the sleeve for a distance equal to the remaining travel of the
lead tube.
The construction of the lead-tubo D and sliding tube or clip F is more clearly
represented by Fig. 5 of the drawings.
The lead tube D has two collars or rings L which limit the sliding motion of the
clip tube F along the lead holder D. The drawing shows the tube F and clip near
its foremost position, where the front edge of the tubular part of F touches the
collar K, while a large clearanco is left between the rear edge of F and the
collar L.
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:
In holders for lead pencils and other thin rods,
1. The combination of a casing A and mouthpiece B, with a tube D, sliding
clip F, and a pusher and spring cap, substantially as described.
2. The combination of casing A and mouthpiece B, with tube D, cap C and ring I,
spring G, and clip F, substantially as described.