IMPROVEMENTS IN FOUNTAIN PENS AND PENHOLDERS
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Carl Hugo Krueger, of Aberdeen, in
the County of Aberdeen, North Britain, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN FOUNTAIN PENS AND PENHOLDERS."
Scaled the 28th July 1871, and dated the 31st January 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Carl Hugo
Krueger at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 31st January 1871.
I, EDWARD CARL HUGO KRUEGER, of Aberdeen, in the County of
Aberdeen, North Britain, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN FOUNTAIN PENS AND PENHOLDERS," to be as
follows, that is to say :-
This Invention consists of improvements in fountain pens and pen-
holders whereby the ink or other writing fluid is supplied to the pen,
and its flow regulated by means of a piece of sponge, soft wool, or other
suitable fibrous substance placed under or within the pen, or above the
pen, or partly on the pen and partly within the holder, the pen and
holder being suitably constructed for that purpose, as herein-after
described.

page_text: The pens employed may be the ordinary steel pens or quill points, in
which case the pens must be so fixed in or to the holders that only a
small portion of the pens project therefrom, each holder having a suit-
able aperture to contain a sufficient quantity of sponge, soft wool, or
other suitable fibrous substance to allow the ink or other writing fluid
to flow from the holder (into which it has been introduced, as herein-
after described) to the point of the pen without dripping.
Another arrangement consists in making the pen tubular from a short
distance from its point, this tubular part serving to contain the sponge,
soft wool, or other fibrous substance, the pen being so fitted to the holder
that a portion of it containing the sponge, wool, or other fibrous sub-
stance projects a short distance into or over the holder so as to prevent
the ink or other writing fluid from dripping, and allow it to be conducted
direct to the point of the pen.
The holder is tubular and made of metal or other suitable material,
the aperture at the lower end being made to suit the pen to be used
with it. The other end or top of the holder may be closed if the aperture
at the lower end is large enough to allow the supply of ink to be poured
in; or a small hole may be made in the top or side of the holder, so that
if its lower end be dipped in a vessel containing ink a supply may be
drawn into the holder by placing the mouth at the said opening at the
top or side of the holder, and drawing out the air; the small hole is then
closed in any suitable manner. The holder may, if desired, be furnished
with an india-rubber or other elastic cap for drawing in the ink, and
over this cap may be placed a few strips of flexible metal or other suit-
able material, the holder carrying a small ring, which being placed over
the said flexible strips, and moved downwards when required, will squeeze
the elastic cap, and force the ink into the sponge, wool, or other fibrous
substance. The ring is removed when the pen is not in use, and
the ink is thereby drawn from the sponge, wool, or other fibrous
substance.
I prefer, however, that the holder should be furnished with a piston
for drawing in the ink, with an arrangement for moving the piston from
the top of the holder, and for fixing it in any desired position when
required. When the pen is not in use the piston is drawn upwards,
and withdraws the ink from the sponge, wool, or other fibrous substance.
The holder is provided with a suitable cover for passing over the pen
when not in use.

page_text: In all cases the sponge, wool, or other fibrous substance, is suitably
held in position so as not to be affected by the drawing in and the
flowing out of the ink or other writing fluid, and extends nearly to the
tip of the pen.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Edward Carl Hugo Krueger in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 31st July 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
CARL HUGO KRUEGER, of Aberdeen, in the County of Aberdeen, North
Britain, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirty-first day of January, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the
thirty-fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Edward Carl Hugo Krueger, Her special
licence, that the said Edward Carl Hugo Krueger, my exccutors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Edward Carl
Hugo Krueger, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 AND PENHOLDERS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Edward Carl Hugo Krueger, 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 Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Edward Carl Hugo Krueger, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the Drawing here-

page_text: unto annexed and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to
say:
This Invention consists of improvements in fountain pens and pen-
holders, whereby the ink or other writing fluid is supplied to the pen
and its flow regulated by means of a piece of sponge, soft wool, or other
suitable fibrous substance placed under or within the pen, or above the
pen, or partly on the pen and partly within the holder in combination
with a piston, the pen and holder being suitably constructed for that
purpose as herein-after described.
The pens employed may be the ordinary steel pens or quill points, in
which case the pens must be so fixed in or to the holders that only a
small portion of the pens project therefrom, each holder having a suitable
aperture to contain a sufficient quantity of sponge, soft wool, or other
suitable fibrous substance to allow the ink or other writing fluid to flow
from the holder (into which it has been introduced as herein-after
described) to the point of the pen without dripping.
Another arrangement consists in making the pen tubular from a short
distance from its point, this tubular part serving to contain the sponge,
soft wool, or other fibrous substance, the pen being so fitted to the
holder that a portion of it containing the sponge, wool, or other fibrous
substance projects a short distance into or over the holder, so as to
prevent the ink or other writing fluid from dripping and allow it to be
conducted direct to the point of the pen. The holder is tubular and
made of metal or other suitable material, the aperture at the lower end
being made to suit the pen to be used with it. The holder should be
furnished with a piston for drawing in the ink, with an arrangement for
fixing the piston in any desired position (when required). When the
pen is not in use the piston is drawn upwards and withdraws the ink
from the sponge, wool, or other fibrous substance. The holder may be
provided with a suitable cover for passing over the pen when not in use.
The sponge, wool, or other fibrous substance should be suitably held
in position so as not to be affected by the drawing in and the flowing
out of the ink or other writing fluid, and extends nearly to the tip of
the pen.
To make my Invention better understood I will now proceed to
describe the same by reference to the accompanying Drawing, in which
Figure 1 is a side elevation and Figure 2 a section of a pocket pen and
holder constructed according to my Invention, the piston being drawn

page_text: out nearly to its full extent; Figure 3, side elevation, and Figure 4,
section of a pen and holder suitable for office, school, and general
purposes, shewing the piston only partly drawn out; and Figure 5, side
elevation, and Figure 6, section of a penholder for similar uses, but
adapted to be used with an ordinary steel pen or quill point. In these
two Figures the piston is shewn at the bottom or lower end of the
reservoir. Figure 7 is an elevation of a pocket pen and holder in which
the piston rod is enclosed within an outer tube or case; Figure 8, a
section shewing a pocket holder and pen in which the piston is worked
by a screw arrangement such as is employed in the well known propelling
and repelling pencil cases; Figure 9, elevation, and Figure 10, a section
of a cover suitable for the holder shewn in Figures 7 and 8. Similar
letters in all the Figures represent similar parts.
In the pocket pen and holder shewn in Figures 1 and 2, a is the
holder or case, which is tubular and serves as a reservoir c to contain
the ink or other writing fluid; it is made of gold, silver, steel, or other
suitable metal or material, and its lower end receives the pen 6, which
is tubular from a short distance from its point. In the tubular part of
the pen is placed a quantity of soft wool d, which by preference has
previously been soaked in a solution of ordinary fluid acetic acid of
commerce or other suitable preservative and dried. The wool projects a
short distance into the holder a to prevent leakage at the joint of the
pen and holder, which, however, is not necessary if the joint is made
air-tight. Instead of soft wool any other suitable fibrous or woolly
substance may be employed, such for instance as sponge or the material
known as india-rubber sponge. e is the piston furnished with suitable
packing, and the rod by which the piston is moved; this rod may be
hollow formed to receive a pencil ; at the end, as shewn in Figure 1,
and if required it could be formed with a telescope joint so as to make
it more convenient to the pocket. 9 is a gland at the top of the holder a,
in which the piston rod works, and which also prevents the piston being
drawn out of the holder a when being used, but by unscrewing the gland
the piston and rod can be removed from the holder for cleaning out the
ink reservoir c, for refurnishing the piston e with packing, or for other
purposes. i, i, i, are small pins or studs on the piston rod f, which
when the penholder is not in use act as stops and prevent the rod f being
pressed into the holder by one of the said pins or studs resting against
the end of the gland g. A small hole is made in the end of the gland g
to allow the pins or studs to pass when it is desired to move the piston.

page_text: The pen and holder being constructed as herein-before described, to
fill the reservoir with ink the piston e must be pushed to the bottom of
the holder (as in Figures 5 and 6) and the point of the pen be placed in
a vessel containing ink; then by pulling the piston upwards into the
position shewn in Figures 1 and 2, the ink will be sucked through the
soft wool d into the reservoir c. The pen can now be used for writing,
for the soft wool being saturated with ink will supply it to the pen, and
as the supply from the wool is exhausted it may be renewed by slightly
pressing the piston rod downwards, when the pistnn will force the ink
from the reservoir into the wool, and this may be continued until all the
ink in the reservoir is consumed. When the pen is not in use the piston
should be drawn upwards, as by this means the ink will be withdrawn
from the soft wool d into the reservoir c, and will not drop from
the pen.
In pocket holders the holder may be provided with a cover which
consists of a short tube which slides on the holder a, and which when
the
pen
is not in use may be moved forward so as to cover the pen, or
any other suitable cover may be employed.
In Figures 3 and 4 the pen 6 is shewn as fitting over the bottom of
the holder a instead of inside it, as in Figures 1 and 2, and is suited for
office, school, and general use. The ink reservoir is larger than that of
the pocket holder, the piston e and rod f are made of any suitable
material, and the pins or studs i, i, i, Figures 1 and 2, are not required.
The holder shewn in Figures 5 and 6 is formed to receive an ordinary
steel pen or quill point 6. The holder a is formed in two picces jointed!
at h to enable a fresh supply of soft wool d to be easily placed therein
when required.
In the pocket holder represented in Figure 7 the case or holder a is
made of sufficient length to entirely cover the piston rod f when the
latter is drawn out to its full extent and is closed at the end. A slot is
cut in one side (or it may be in both sides) of the case or holder a, in
which works a pin m fixed to the piston rod f, and by which the piston
may be moved up and down as required.
Figure 8 represents a section of a pocket pen and holder in which the
piston is moved up and down by merely turning the part n of the outer
case of the holder, as in the screw arrangement employed in the well
known propelling and repelling pencil cases, but any other suitable screw
arrangement may be employed.

page_text: The cover shewn in Figures 9 and 10 consists of a short tube closed
(or it may be open) at one end. When the pens shewn in Figures 7
and 8 are not in use a cover of this form is passed over the pen and fits
on the end of the holder, thus effectually covering the pen. When the
pen is in use the cover is placed over the other end of the holder.
Having now described my said Invention, and the best means I am
acquainted with for carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be under-
stood that I do not confine myself to the precise details herein laid down
and shewn in the accompanying Drawing; but what I claim is, the
improvements in fountain pens and penholders, whereby the ink or other
writing fluid is supplied to the pen and its flow regulated or effectually
stopped according to desire by means of a piece of sponge, soft wool, or
other suitable fibrous or woolly substance in combination with a suitable
piston worked either in the simple way or on the screw propelling
system or by means of any other suitable screw arrangement, sub-
stantially as herein-before described and represented in the accompanying
Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Carl Hugo Krueger, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of July, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
one.
EDWARD CARL HUGO KRUEGER. (L.S.)