An Improved Pencil Sharpener.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Mar., 1890-Accepted, 19th Apr., 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Pencil Sharpener.
I, ADELBERT AMES, of Highlands, Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States
of America, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement :-
The object of the invention is to provide a tubular pencil sharpener, which may
be carried on the pencil if desired.
Fig. 1 is a front elevation of tubular sharpener.
Fig. 2 is a side elevation shewing the pencil in process of sharpening.
Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a modified sharpener, shewing in dotted lines the
position of the pencil when a square end is to be beveled.
Fig. 4 is a rear view of modification.
The sharpener is made from a steel tube A which is preferably open at one side A¹
so that the tube may spring and fit pencils which differ slightly in diameter. The
split side of the case is cut away, at e, f, g, h, something after the manner of a
quill pen or tooth pick, about one half the diameter of the tube being thus cut or
scarfed away. The tube is not pointed.
An elliptical piece is removed from the front or closed side of the tube, forming
an opening a, b, c, d this opening extending toward the end of the tube so that the
end c of the opening is nearly opposite the scarfed shoulder e, at the opposite side
of the tube.
The end c, of the opening is beveled, so as to present a cutting edge on the plane
of the inner surface of the tube. This cutting edge can be sharpened by grinding or
filing. The inner surface k, of the tube, at the scarfed portion is roughened some-
what like a file.
The sharpener is used by passing a pencil P through the opening a, b, c, d, from
the concave side of the tube, as shown in figure 2. The edge c forms a double arc,
and when moved along the pencil will produce a conical point.
A new pencil with a square end, can be partly beveled by placing the pencil in
the position shown by dotted lines Fig. 3, and the sharpening completed as
in Fig. 1.
The edge of the sharpener may be made a cutting edge if desirable.
The end m of the tube may receive a rubber eraser m², if desired, or the sharpener
may be slipped on the pencil. In the modifications, Figs. 3 and 4, the tube is made
light in weight by cutting away portions at xx.
This sharpener can be carried on the pencil, and as the cutting edge is in the
plane of the inner surface of the tube, the edge will not cut the pencil unless the body
of the latter be placed at an angle relatively to the body of the tube, and will not cut
the pocket of the wearer.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is-
-
1. The tubular pencil sharpener having a part on one side scarfed away and with
an opening in the face opposite the scarfed portion having a cutting edge in the plane

page_text: 2. The split tubular sharpener described having a cut away portion, a roughened
surface inside the tube, and an elliptical opening for the passage of the pencil point
having a cutting edge in the plane of the inner wall of the tube.
Dated this 4th day of March 1890.
A. AMES.
Per. L. W.