Im. PROVEMENTS IN PENS
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Bewicke Blackburn, of York Buildings,
Adelphi, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of. "Im.
PROVEMENTS IN PENS."
Sealed the 8th August 1871, and dated the 6th June 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Bewicke
Blackburn at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 6th June 1871.
I, ALEXANDER BEWICKE BLACKBURN, of York Buildings, Adelphi, in
the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PENS," to be as follows:-
The Invention has for its object improvements in pens, whereby
whilst a ready flow of ink is obtained to the points of the nibs, the ink
is at the same time prevented on a fresh dip being taken from flooding
the points, and thereby blotting or producing coarse marks or writing
on the paper or other surface on which the pen is being used. For this
purpose I form the nibs of the pen with a step or contraction on each

page_text: side of the point, so as to form as it were a head or enlargement to the
points of the nibs, this head or enlargement which may be of any suitable
shape is therefore connected to the upper portions of the nibs by a very
narrow neck, whereby on taking a dip of ink, although the ink has a
free flow by the "split" of the pen to the points of the nibs, the bulk
of the ink is by capillary attraction retained above the narrow neck,
and thereby prevented flooding the points of the nibs. By these means
also comparatively fine lines may be obtained with broader nibs than
heretofore, whilst the writing is generally more uniform in character.
"
In combination with the aforesaid improvement I prefer to form the
"head' or enlargement slightly convex on each side thereof, whilst the
nibs are connected to the body of the pen at or near the "shoulders”
' instead of being connected thereto at or near the back, as is usual,
the strips of material on each side being depressed on the inner sides
thereof, so that in any part of the length of the nibs the opposite cross
sections are nearly in the same plane, thereby imparting a peculiar
flexibility to the pen.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Alexander Bewicke Blackburn in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 28th November 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDER
BEWICKE BLACKBURN, of York Buildings, Adelphi, in the County of
Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent. Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of June, 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 Alexander Bewicke Blackburn, Her special
licence that I, the said Alexander Bewicke Blackburn, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Alexander :
Bewicke Blackburn, 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

page_text: Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PENS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Alexander Bewicke Blackburn, 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.
KNOW NOW YE, that I, the said Alexander Bewicke Blackburn, 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 thereof, that is to say:―
The Invention has for its object improvements in pens, whereby whilst
a ready flow of ink is obtained to the points of the nibs the ink is at the
same time prevented on a fresh dip being taken from flooding the points,
and thereby blotting or producing coarse marks or writing on the paper
or other surface on which the pen is being used. For this purpose
I'
form the nibs of the pen with a step or contraction on each side of the
point so as to form as it were a head or enlargement to the points of
the nibs, this head or enlargement which may be of any suitable shape
is therefore connected to the upper portions of the nibs by a very narrow
neck, whereby on taking a dip of ink although the ink has a free flow
by the "split" of the pen to the points of the nibs, the bulk of the ink
is by capillary attraction retained above the narrow neck, and thereby
prevented flooding the points of the nibs. By these means also com-
paratively fine lines may be obtained with broader nibs than heretofore,
whilst the writing is generally more uniform in character.
"
In combination with the aforesaid improvement I prefer to form the
"head" or enlargement slightly convex on each side thereof, whilst the
nibs are connected to the body of the pen at or near the "shoulders'
instead of being connected thereto at or near the back, as is usual, the
strips of material on each side being depressed on the inner sides thereof,
so that at that part of the nibs the opposite cross sections are more
nearly in the same plane than they would be if made of a similar form
to the other parts of the pen, thereby imparting a peculiar flexibility to
the non

page_text: And in order that my Invention may be more clearly understood and
readily carried into effect, I will proceed aided by the accompanying
Drawings more fully to describe the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a plan on an enlarged scale of a pen constructed according ŏ
to my Invention; Figure 2 is a side view thereof; Figure 3 is a cross
section on the line 1, 1, of Figure 1, and Figure 4 is a cross section on
the line 2, 2, of Figure 1; and Figures 5, 6, and 7 represent some modi-,
fications in the form of the points of the pen.
I form the nibs of the pen with a step or contraction a on each side 1
of the points, so as to form as it were a head or enlargement b to the
points of the nibs, such head or enlargement 6 being connected to the
upper portions d of the nibs by a neck c formed as narrow as may be
consistent with the strength required thereto.
I prefer to form the head or enlargement 6 slightly convex on each 1
side thereof, as shewn at Figure 8, and this convexity should extend a
short distance from the points beyond the neck c. The nibs d are
also by preference connected to the body e of the pen at or near the
shoulders finstead of being connected thereto at or near the back, as is
usual, the portions or strips of material on each side being depressed on 2
the inner sides thereof, as shown in Figures 2 and 4, so that the nibs.
at that part of the cross section are more nearly in the same plane
than they would be if formed of the same curve as the other parts of
the pen.
In Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4 I have shown the head or enlargement 6 :
to taper from the base thereof to the "points," and to have the sides.
thereof beyond the lines, which would be obtained by producing the sides
of the upper portions of the nibs to the point of intersection.
In Figure 5 I have shewn the head or enlargement 6 formed in a
similar manner to that shown in Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4, but with the
sides thereof parallel to each other so as to obtain a broader point
thereto.
In Figure 6 I have shown the head or enlargement to be formed by
simply cutting out recesses a in the sides of the nibs which in their
general form are in the same lines from the shoulders to the points of the
nibs.

page_text: In Figure 7 the enlargement or head b is shown as being formed in a
somewhat similar manner to that shown at Figure 6 but with the sides
of the head or enlargement 6 smaller than would be the case if the lines
forming the sides of the upper parts of the nibs were produced to the
points. By these means, on taking a dip of ink with my improved pen,
although the ink has a free flow by the "split" of the pen to the points
of the nibs, the bulk of the ink is by capillary attraction retained above
the narrow neck c, and thereby prevented flooding the points, whilst a
peculiar flexibility and ease of manipulation are imparted to the pen, and
comparatively fine lines may be obtained with broader nibs than hereto-
fore, the writing being also generally more uniform in character.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, and the mode
in which the same may be carried into effect, I would have it understood
that I do not confine myself to the precise details herein shown and
described so long as the peculiar character thereof be retained, sub-
stantially as herein explained.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Bewicke Blackburn,
have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of
November, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and seventy-one.