Improvements in and relating to Pencil Sharpeners.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 25th July, 1893-Accepted, 2nd Sept., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Pencil Sharpeners.
I, PETER MCMENAMIN, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at
Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey, United States of America, President
of the Union Stone Company, 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 pencil sharpeners, and more particularly to that class in
which the blade or knife is designed to give a straight or longitudinal, instead of a
rotary cut.
Generally speaking, in this class of pencil sharpeners, the end of the pencil is
drawn repeatedly across the blade of the sharpener, while the latter is held
stationary; the pencil being held in the right hand, and the pencil sharpener in
the left, making the operation awkward and cutting the pencil from the under side,
necessitating its removal to inspect each cut.
Now the object of my invention is to provide a pencil sharpener adapted to be
held in the right hand, with the blade uppermost and operated as a plane upon the
end of the pencil, thereby giving the operator perfect control of the same and
enabling him to see each cut as it is made. It is also my object to provide a
sharpener of light construction, easily wielded, and especially adapted to planing
the wood evenly and giving to the lead a fine point, without liability of breaking
the same.
In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this Specification-
Figure 1 is a perspective view showing my pencil sharpener in use;
Figure 2 is a perspective view taken from the under side of the device;
Figure 3 is a vertical section taken on the line x-x, Figure 1, and
Figures 4, 5, and 6 are modifications.
Referring more particularly to the drawings, A denotes a steel blade having
cutting edges a a formed at each end. Said blade is seated on a triangular block
or body piece B, by screws bb; C C denote side bars secured upon opposite sides
to the block B by screws c, said bars having rounded ends f projecting beyond the
cutting edge of the blade, and the upper sides of said bars also project slightly
above the blade, thus protecting it on all sides from doing or receiving injury.
Said ends also serve to shield the hands from contact with the pencil end, and give
a purchase for the fingers close to the cutting edge of the blade, thus affording
perfect control of the same without soiling the fingers. These several parts,
excepting the blade, may be made of wood or metal in one or more pieces, or the
body piece may be made of wood, and the side bars of metal.
Said parts
are of about the dimensions shown in the drawings, space enough being allowed
between the side bars to admit a pencil. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the side
bars form, in connection with the body-piece, guide-ways in which the pencil is
held, and bring its end in contact with the cutting edge of the blade; the rounded
ends preventing the lateral escape of the pencil.
It is evident that the body piece may be cast or made in one piece, and the blade
secured to the body piece by screws or otherwise, or I may form the sharpener out
of one piece of metal, the body piece having cutting edges formed thereon. Again,
instead of having the sharpener double-ended, as shown, I may make it with a
single cutting edge, in which case the body piece and side bars may be constructed
as shown in Figure 5. In Figure 4 a modification of my invention is shown applied
to the handle of a pocket knife.
My pencil sharpener is operated by holding the device in the right haid with
the blade uppermost, while the pencil is held firmly between the side bars, in

page_text: contact with the cutting edge of the blade by the left hand, as shown in Figure 1 ;
the sharpener is then moved back and forth as a plane on the end of the pencil, as
it is rotated. My sharpener acts as a plane in shaving the wood off the pencil end,
and in pointing the lead the bevelled end of the pencil bears against the sloping side
of the body piece, thus taking the weight or pressure from the lead as it is being
cut, avoiding the liability heretofore existing of breaking the same; moreover, in
sharpening the lead, a saw cut may be given by drawing the cutting edge across
the lead, as it is sharpened, to give a fine point. By combining the bevelled and
straight sides in the body piece, the sharpener may be reversed, and placed at
different angles to the pencil, to give a long tapering end or a short bevel. As the
blade is worn away by sharpening, the sloping sides of the wooden body piece can
be filed off to keep the cutting edges of the blade projecting, as well as to preserve
the same relative angle of said side to the blade.
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 :-
A pencil sharpener, consisting of a body piece or holder having its ends shaped
to an acute angle, and a blade or cutter projecting end wise thereover, said body
piece or holder having side bars secured thereto and projecting in front of and
below said blade or cutter, substantially as described and shown.
Dated this 25th da of Ini 1802
JENSEN & SON,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.
JENSEN & SON,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.