IMPROVEMENTS IN FOUNTAIN PENS
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Needham, of Piccadilly, in the County of
Middlesex, Gun Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
FOUNTAIN PENS."
Sealed the 22nd January 1858, and dated the 24th July 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Needham at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
24th July 1857.
I, JOSEPH NEEDHAM, of Piccadilly, in the County of Middlesex, Gun Manu-
facturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN FOUNTAIN PENS," to be as follows:-
. My improvements, in fountain pens consist in so constructing them that
a good supply of ink is maintained in close proximity to the point of the pen,
whereby the proper and limited flowing of the ink is always ensured. The
entire point of the pen may be immersed in the ink at intervals, if required.
. I construct the holder of a tube to contain a supply of ink; to the end of this
tube I apply a conical nose piece, which tapers until only a small aperture is
formed, at the end. Within this conical nose piece I place the peu nib or.
instrument for effecting contact with the paper or surface written upon. This
instrument is somewhat like an ordinary steel pen, the point projecting a littlo
beyond tho point of the conical nose piece. A sliding stem piece is fitted within
the nose piece, to which the pen nib or writing instrument is fixed; the upper

page_text: part of this stem carries a valve, which is contained within the tube holder,
and is pressed by a spring down against the inner end of the nose piece, which
is screwed or otherwise suitably fixed therein. This valve prevents the flow
of ink from the holder into the nose piece, except when acted on to permit of
such flow. The ink is permitted to pass from the tube into the nose piece of
the pen by simply pressing the point of the pen nib until it passes within the
nose piece, which, at the same time that it raises the valve from its seat,
and allowing the ink to flow towards the point of the pen, also immerses the
point of the pen nib in the ink contained in the nose piece, thereby wetting
the point of the nib or writing instrument, and ensuring its proper action. By
this means the pen nib is at all times surrounded with ink in close proximity
to the paper or surface written upon; and by reason of its form a considerable
supply may be contained within the nose piece without being liable to blot or
escape quicker than is required for writing purposes.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Joseph Needham in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
23rd January 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
NEEDHAM, of Piccadilly, in the County of Middlesex, Gun Manufacturer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twenty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Joseph Needham, Her special licence that I, the said Joseph Needham,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Joseph
Needham, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times--thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
FOUNTAIN PENS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Joseph
Needham, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great

page_text: Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the
dato of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Joseph Needham, do hereby declare
the nature of I said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be p
e-per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
My improvements in fountain pens consist in so constructing them that
à supply of ink is maintained in close proximity to the point of the pen,
whereby the proper flowing of the ink while writing is always ensured, and tho
entire point of the pen may be immersed in the ink at intervals, if required.
I construct the holder of a tube to contain a supply of ink, and to the end of
this tube I apply a conical nose piece, which is contracted to a small aperture
at the end. Within this conical nose piece I place the pen or instrument for
effecting contact with the paper or surface written upon. This instrument
is somewhat like an ordinary steel pen, the point projecting a little beyond the
point of the conical nose piece. A sliding stem piece is fitted within the nose
piece, to which the pen nib or writing instrument is fixed; the upper part of
this stem carries a valve, which is contained within the tube holder, and
is pressed down by a spring against the inner end of the nose piece, which is
screwed or otherwise suitably fixed therein. This valve prevents the flow
of ink from the holder into the nose piece except when acted on to permit such
flow. The ink is permitted to pass from the tube into the nose piece of the
pen by simply pressing the point of the pen nib until it passes within the nose
picce, which, at the same time that it raises the valve from its seat and allows
the ink to flow towards the point of the pen nib, also immerses the point of the
pen nib in the ink contained in the nose piece, thereby wetting the point
of the nib or writing instrument and ensuring its proper action. By this
means the pen nib is at all times surrounded with ink in close proximity to
the paper or surface written upon, and by reason of its form a considerable
supply may be contained within the nose piece without being liable to blot or
escape quicker than is required for writing purposes.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 represents an external view of my improved fountain pen complete,
with cap to cover the pen nib when in the pocket; Fig. 2 is a like view with
the cap removed, and as used for writing; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section;
Fig. 4, a transverse section on the line 1, 2; and Fig. 5, a liko section on the
line 3 4. Fies 6 and 7 monument the

page_text: The holder is simply a tube a, a, to contain the supply of ink, having a cap
6 screwed thereon, at which point the holder is filled; c is an india-rubber
washer to render the cap ink-tight when screwed on; d is a conical nose
piece screwed into the opposite end of the tube, in which nose piece the pen
nibe is enclosed. The scale of the Drawings is about two inches to the inch,
in order to show the parts more clearly. The pen nib e is affixed to a
stem ff, and supported at one end by the nose picce d, and at the
other end by the bridge piece 9 inside the tube a, & resting against a
shoulder h, against which a helical spring i presses it. This spring i is
cooled loosely on the stem f, and the opposite end rests against the fixed
abutment formed by the bridge g. The shoulder h is faced with a washer
of india-rubber, which, with the shoulders h, being larger than tho internal
'diameter of nose piece & abuts against the end thereof, against which. it is
forced by the pressure of the spring i, thus forming a valve to control the
supply of ink, which is permitted to flow by forcing the valve / to recede from
contact with d. The part f of stem f, f', to which the pen nibe is affixed, is
tapered, and triangular in its cross section, so as to fit somewhat nearly
the inside of the nose piece d at the end near 7, yet at the same time to perniit
the free passage of the ink when the valvo is open. The opposite end of
stem is of a particular form in cross section, so that it shall only fit and be
introduced in one position, to ensure its return to the same position when
removed from the case. The small end of the nose piece is reduced to an
orifice m, of such diameter that the ink will not run therefrom otherwise than
by the pen; and in order that it shall flow with sufficient freedom for writing,
a small air hole o is formed in d. The pen e, which I prefer to be of gold,
occupies such a position in the orifice m that it has sufficient freedom for
deflection in writing without touching the sides of that orifice. The nose
piece d and holder a I prefer to be made of silver or gold, and also to plate or
coat the internal parts with the same precious metals, in order to prevent the
prejudicial action of the ink on them. Supposing the holder to be filled with
ink, and it is desired to write with the pen, the point of the pen is pressed
on the paper or other suitable part, so as to force the point inwards, thus
opening the valve and allowing the nose piece to be filled. Should the point
of the pen remain unmoistened by the first inflow of the ink, a repetition of
the action will have the desired effect by immersing it in the ink then
contained in the nose piece, writing may then be continued till the supply in
the noso piece is nearly exhausted, the ink that remains therein always
descending to the orifice m, & in close proximity to the point of the pen.
When the supply in d is too much exhausted the point of the pen is again

page_text: momentarily pressed on the paper, when the supply is renewed in d, and so on
until the case a is empty. The form of the pen e is somewhat of the usual
kind, being merely somewhat narrower than ordinary pen nibs, in order
to afford sufficient room for it in the nose piece d without making that part
unnecessarily large. p is a cap or cover to enclose the pen when not in use or
in the pocket; this I prefer to secure with a small bayonet joint r, and also.
to introduce a washer of india-rubbers to fit on the conical part of nose piece.
d, thereby rendering cap p air-tight, and preventing the pen becoming dry.
Instead of opening the valve to permit the flow of ink from a to d by
pressure on the point of the pen, as described, the escape valve may be
otherwise actuated.
Having described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by. tho
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the arrangement of fountain
pen, herein-before described, in which the pen nib or writing instrument is for
the most part enclosed by a chamber or part d, affording room for a supply of
ink, and maintaining it in close proximity to the point of the pen, as herein-
before described.
I also claim pressing the pen nib inwards for the purpose of moistening the
point, as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Needham, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
5 Witness,
W. CLARK, Patent Agent,
58, Chancery Lane, London.
JOSEPH NEEDHAM. (L.s.)