IMPROVEMENTS: IN INKSTANDS OR INKHOLDERS
Year: 1840

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
BARNABAS DAFT, of Birmingham; in the County of Warwick, Gentleman,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent. under the Great Seal of Great Britain; bearing date at
Westminster, the "
.day of
in the third year of Her
reign, did, for Herself; Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me; the
said-Thomas-Barnabus; Her especial licence; full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said Thomas Barnabus Daft, my exors, admors, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Thomas Barnabus Daft, my exors, adñiors; or.
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 "IMPROVEMENTS: IN INKSTANDS OR
INKHOLDERS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso" that I;
the said Thomas Barnabus- Daft, shall: cause a particular description of the
nature of my Invention, and in what manner the saine is to be performed,
to be enrolled in Her said-Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six
calendar 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
NOW KNOW YE, that' in compliance with the said proviso,' I, the said
Thomas Barnabas Daft, do hereby declare the nature of my Invention; and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and

page_text: ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to
Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
that is to say:
My Invention relates to such description of inkstand as have the ink for use
raised out of the general containing vessel, and consequently to a point above
the level at which the ink stands in the inkstand. And my Invention relates,
First, to a mode of working the instrument, which causes the ink when
required for use to flow out of its natural level up into the inkholder, which
is situated above the general level of the ink, and whereby the act of
uncovering of the inkholder is the means of causing the required supply of
ink to be forced up into the inkholder, and the closing of the cover of the ink-
holder will allow the ink in the inkholder to descend into the vessel or ink-
stand, and any quantity of ink which shall have been used or removed from
the inkholder will be replaced by air passing through the ink contained in the
inkstand.
Secondly, my Invention relates to a mode of constructing the instrument by
which the ink is caused to ascend from its general level in the inkstand into
the inkholder, placed in a position above the level of the ink in the inkstand.
And thirdly, my Invention relates to a mode of applying the tube or passage
for ink of the inkholder, by passing it through the piston or plunger of such
inkstands as have the inkholder above the level of the ink in the inkstand.
And in order that my Invention may be most fully understood and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawing hereunto annexed
in the several Figures, of which the same letters of reference indicate the same

page_text: into the cover of the inkstand or vessel a, and when the inkholder 15
unscrewed, the opening into which it is set is that at which the requisite
supply of ink is made to the vessel a, and the inkholder 6 may be then used
as a funnel for filling. The cover c of the inkholder b is to be conveniently
connected to the apparatus for causing the ink to flow up into the inkholder b.
The Figures under description show the apparatus for such purpose to be an
air pump, which, at each upward movement of the cover c of the inkholder,
forces a quantity of air into the vessel a on to the surfaces of the ink in that
vessel, and thereby causes the ink to flow upwards into the inkholder b; and
on the closing of the cover c, a quantity of air is withdrawn from the vessel a,
by which means the ink will flow back from the inkholder b into the vessel a;
and if any of the ink which was previously forced up into the inkholder b
should have been used or otherwise removed, there will be a quantity of air
flow down the tube b', and ascend through the ink in the vessel a, and rise to
the upper part of that vessel, by which means, when the cover c is again opened,
e is the
the proper supply of ink will be again raised into the inkholder.
cylinder of the air pump. f, a bent tube passing from the lower part of the
cylinder e to the upper part of vessel a. The object of having the passage or
opening between the cylinder e and the vessel a, by means of a bent tube, is to
prevent ink flowing into the pump barrel or cylinder e, in the event of the
inkstand a being tilted or turned over. g is the piston, and the piston rod of
the air pump, the piston rod being attached by a pin joint or otherwise to the
lever handle of the cover c, such lever handle h moving on a fulcrum at i,
carried by a standard affixed to the cover of the pump barrel or cylinder e,
there being a slit or opening through such cover for the passage of the piston
rod, as is clearly shown; and there is a second cover j applied over the pump
barrel or cylinder e, having a slit or opening through which the lever h works,
all which will be readily understood on a careful examination of the Drawing.
I would remark, that I do not claim the mode of raising the ink by means of
forcing air on to the ink in the vessel a, such means being similar to what was
described in the Specification of my former Patent. And I would have it
understood, that the apparatus for causing the ink to be forced out of the
vessel a into the inkholder b, may be varied without departing from this
Invention, which simply relates to so connecting the movement
part of
of the cover of the inkholder with the apparatus used for forcing up the ink
into the inkholder b, that the opening of the cover c shall be the means of
obtaining a supply of ink to be raised into the inkholder 6 for use; and that
the closing of the cover c, to keep out dust, shall be the means of causing
the apparatus so to act as to allow the ink to descend into the vessel a.
my

page_text: Figure 3 shows a section of another inkstand and inkholder, having the
second part of my Invention applied thereto, and the apparatus for causing
the ink to flow up into the inkholder is caused to act by being connected-in
its, movements, with those of the cover c. of the inkholder b; and as the parts
are marked with the same letters of reference, and for the most part work
similarly to those parts of the preceeding Figures, no further description thereof
will be necessary. This part of the Invention, simply: relates to a mode of
causing the ink to rise out of the inkstand a into an inkholder placed above
the general level of the ink in the inkstand or vessel: a; and consists in a
mode, of applying a flexible surface, which being pressed or moved out of its
natural figure, will 'enlarge or decrease the interior area of the vessel a 'which
contains the ink, and thus withdraw the ink from: the inkholder 6 into the
vessel a, or else cause it to rise from the vessel a into the inkholder.! gis a
flexible surface covering the end of the cylinder e; and I prefer this flexible
surface to be of india-rubber, though, other' material may be used, it being
affixed to the lower end of the piston which works in the interior of the
cylinder e, and serves to govern the rising and falling of the flexible surface.
The flexible surface, may, however, be separate from the piston. Figure 3.
shows the parts in the condition they would be.when the cover.c is raised, and
a supply of ink for use-has been raised.into the inkholderyb, consequently the
interior area of the vessel a. will be reduced to its-smallest dimensions. Hence
when, in closing the cover c,. which will cause the flexible surface to be raised
and become concave to.the interior of the vessel a; and thus the area of the
interior of the vessel; a will be enlarged; which will produce space therein for
the ink to flow down into the vessel a. I would reinark, that I prefer the
flexible surface g to be in a position above the general level of the inki in: the
vessel a, though that is not essential for it may be lower or higher-than-is'
shown in the Drawing; and although I prefer that the movement: should. be
suitably connected-with the movement of the cover. c, other means may be
resorted to for moving the flexible surface.
..Figure 4 shows the section of another inkstand and inkholder, constructed
according to my improvements!: -a; a, is the inkstand;bris the inkholder,
the tube of which passes, through the piston or plunger, which I prefer to be of
cork, or it may be of other suitable material:The piston or plunger moves
in a cylindrical opening in the cover of therinkstand or .vessel a, a, and it will
be evident that as the. piston or plunger is raised or lowered, so will the ink be-
withdrawn from and rise to the inkholder.b, by means of the piston or plunger
filling more or less of the interior of the inkstand or. vessel a, and thus cause.
the ink to be displaced, therefrom, or allow it to return to that vessel:

page_text: Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I would have it understood that what I
claim is,
First, the mode of causing the ink to flow up out of a vessel a into an ink-
holder above the level of the ink in the vessel a, by means of connecting the
movement of the cover of the inkholder with apparatus for raising the ink, as
above described.
Secondly, I claim the mode of raising the ink up into an inkholder, placed
in a position above the level of the ink in the inkstand, by means of applying a
flexible surface, in the manner above described.
And, thirdly, I claim the mode of making inkstands or inkholders where
the ink is caused to rise out of its level, in order to offer a supply for use by
passing the tube or ink passage of the inkholder through the piston or
plunger, as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Barnabas Daft, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty.
THOMAS BARNABAS (L.S.)
(L.S.) DAFT.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Thirtieth day of October,
in the year of our Lord 1840, the aforesaid Thomas Barnabas Daft, Esq',
came before our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the
Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified,
in form above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped
according to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.