Improvements in or relating to Holders for Pens, Pencils, or the like.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Mar., 1890-Accepted, 19th Apr., 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Holders for Pens, Pencils, or
the like.
A communication from abroad by FRIEDRICH E. HEINRICHS, Stuttgart, First
Lieutenant, and HELNRICH SCHUSTER, Lendsiedel, Magistrate.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.L.M.E., of the Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, 6 Lord Street, Liverpool and 6, Bank Street, Manchester both
in the County of Lancaster, and 323 High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex,
Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be perforined, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement :-
This invention relates to a device for automatically holding a pencil, pen, or other
similar article in the required position in its outer case.
The object of the invention is to provide a device or mechanism by means of which
the pencil can be retained in an extended position relatively to the said holder, or
can be shut up within the same. The device can, in practice, be arranged in various
ways without departing from the scope of the invention.
The invention is shown and described as applied to a pencil in which the loose
lead is adapted to be regulated and fed by a suitable device, but it is evident that the
application is not limited to pencils.
Referring to the drawings:
Figures 1, 3 and 5 are vertical sections, showing three ways of carrying out this
invention, the pencil in each case being extended for use.
Figures 2, 4 and 6 are corresponding views showing the pencil covered up and
protected.
Referring first to Figures 1 and 2 :-
The outer case of the pencil consists of a preferably metallic holder a in which the
pencil is free to slide. The fixing of the pencil in its extended position is attained
by means of two pins m m easily movable on a hinge or pivot on a projection of a
sliding metal piece e to which the upper end of the pencil is attached, and these
pins engage in the ring or recess b on the falling out of the metal piece, as shown in
Figuro 2. A small cone n, arranged between the pins, prevents them falling together.
If the holder, after use, be reversed with the top downwards, the metal piece c falls
nto the position shown in Figure 2 and thus draws out the two pins m m from the
ing b.
Referring now to Figures 3 and 4 which show a modification of construction :-
In this case, two metal pieces of semi-circular section are arranged in the interior
of the holder, one o of which is fastened to the holder by soldering or otherwise,
whilst the other p is of circular section at its lower end intended for holding the
encil and which can slide in and out of the holder a. In the fixed metal piece o
here is a wedge shaped groove g, and a wedge is movably arranged therein, whilst
recess, corresponding to the wedge r, is formed in the sliding metal piece p. In this
ecess & the wedger engages, as soon as the holder points downwards, with the point
f the pencil (see Figure 3) and thus fixes the pencil. The wedge will slide back
its groove and release the metal piece as soon as the holder is reversed, so that the
osition shown in Figure 4 is again assumed.
In the modification illustrated in Figures 5 and 6, there are employed a fixed
etal piece and a light sliding metal piece corresponding thereto in which the
encil k is fastened. Both these metal pieces are of semi-circular section, but their
iding surfaces are not flat vertical ones, but spiral, corresponding to a half turn of
e cylinder formed of the two metal parts. The sliding metal piece has a circular
largement at its lower end where the pencil is attached.

page_text: In order to hold the pencil firmly when in use, the fixed metal piece is provided
with a perpendicular boring which, beginning at the upper face i, ends at some-
what beyond the middle of the metal piece in consequence of the spiral shape of
the sliding surface. A ball w corresponding to the hole is arranged loosely playing
in the same. The loose metal piece w, which, when the holder is pointed downwards,
slides downwards with a revolution corresponding to the spirals, is provided with a
semi-circular recess 2¹ corresponding to the size of the ball to situated in the bore v
at a suitable place on its interior sliding surface. If now, in its downward sliding,
the semi-circular recess of the metal piece comes under the opening of the hole",
the ball, lying over this opening, falls, by reason of its vertical or sloping position,
half into the hollow and prevents, in this position, any pushing lack of the pencil
fastened in the metal piece u, as shown in Figure 5. On reversing the br, the
hall again falls back into the hole r, and allows the metal piece to slide back into
the position shown in Figure 6. In place of a ball r, a pin can be fitted in the hole v
(which, to expelite its dropping in and out, is weighted at its upper end) in such a
manner that it easily drops in or out of the sume in a similar manner to the ball and
engages with its lower rounded end in the semi-circular hollow and thereby fixes
the pencil as soon as the holder is directed with the point of the pencil downwards,
whilst, when the position is reversed, it falls back again into the hole and releases the
pencil.
In order to avoid any unintentional falling out of the pencil from its position,
various safety arrangements can be introduced in all the above named forms of
construction.
1
In Figure 1 the securing is shown as brought about by means of a ring 3
placed around the case a, which is, for this purpose, provided with a longitudinal
slit 4, which allows of a narrowing of the case by means of the ring drawn over
it and thereby the firm securing of the metal piece c. Other kinds of fastenings
can however he employed according to the various forms of construction of the
holders.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondents, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. In a holder for pencils, pens or the like, the arrangement of two hinge-like
movable pins m m on the sliding metal piece c which, when they slide down, engage
in the recess and hold the pencil firmly, substantially as described and shown.
2. The arrangement in the inside of a case of two metal pieces of suitable length
and semi-circular cross section, one of which, o, is fixed to the said case and is
provided with a sloping wedge-shaped groove a containing a corresponding wedge r
sliding freely in the same, whilst the other metal piece p, which slides in the case a
and is provided with a pencil or similar article, has a recess which, when placed in
a suitable position, the wedge r engages and thus fixes the pencil, substantially as
described.
3. The arrangement of two semi-circular metal pieces with spiral slides of which the
fixed piece is provided with a vertical channel r in which a ball or specially weighted
pin rests, whilst in the sliding metal piece ", to which the pencil or similar article is
attached, is formed at a suitable place a recess into which, when held in a suitable
position, the ball or the pin - half falls and thus retains it firmly in the desired
position.
4. The various modified forms of the improved holder for pens or pencils each
taken as a whole, substantially as described and shown in the drawings.
Dated this 10h do fh 1400
WM. P. THOMPSON & ('o.,
Agents for the Applicant.