IMPROVEMENTS IN PENS AND PENHOLDERS
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Wiley, of Great Hampton Street,
Birmingham, Gold Pen and Pencil Case Manufacturer, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PENS AND PENHOLDERS."
Sealed the 14th January 1862, and dated the 24th September 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Wiley
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
24th September 1861.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD WILEY, of Great Hampton Street, Birmingham, Gold'
Pen and Pencil Case Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PENS AND PENHOLDERS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in pens and penholders.
For these purposes in making metal pens in order to retain ink therein, I
employ tongues or holders, which it is preferred should be of metal, and have
but little elasticity, but depend for their elasticity on vulcanized india-rubber
or other elastic material acting on them, in such manner as to cause them to
press towards the nibs of the pens, and to follow and remain in contact with
them as they open in writing, and yet that the elasticity acting on the tongues
may be overcome by the elasticity of the nibs of the pens; or the tongues may
be of vulcanized india-rubber, metal, or other elastic material, with the proper
elasticity to press them towards and cause them to follow and keep in contact
with the nibs when writing.

page_text: Heretofore in some cases metal pens have had their surfaces varnished by
shaking them in a suitable vessel with varnish. Now, part of my Invention
consists in applying varnish combined with a pigment, which is applied by a
brush to the lower parts of metal pens, leaving the upper parts of the stems
uncoated, by which I am enabled to obtain a coating which materially thickens
the substance of the lower parts of metal pens, and gives them at the points
and upper parts of the nibs more the substance of quills, and when such
coating of varnish combined with a pigment has become perfectly dry, the nibs
are separated by opening them at the points, when they will be found more
suitable for holding the ink, and by reason of the enamel-like surface produced
by the combined varnish and pigment, the ink will not act prejudicially on the
pens for a greater length of time than when used with or without varnish, as
heretofore.
In constructing penholders, in order that children may be more readily
taught to hold a pen correctly, and to know when they are doing so, each
older is made with a recess for the thumb, and two other recesses for the
fingers, such recesses being at the proper distances apart, and in the proper
positions in each holder for the thumb and fingers respectively. And in order
to insure that metal pens may be correctly placed and retained in holders, bent
springs are employed interior of the holders, which prevent the stems of the
pens being introduced incorrectly. In place of making composition pen-
holders as formerly, I use compositions such as have been heretofore used, or
other suitable compositions in a plastic state, and I make the holders either
solid or tubular, by forcing such composition through dies or moulding orifices
by bydraulic or other power.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters l'atent, filed
by the said William Edward Wiley in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 24th March 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD WILEY, of Great Hampton Street, Birmingham, Gold Pen and Pencil
Case Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fifth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said William Edward Wiley, Her special licence that I,

page_text: the said William Edward Wiley, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said William Edward Wiley, 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 PENS AND PENHOLDERS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Edward Wiley,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or
their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascer-
tain 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 William Edward Wiley, do hereby
declare the nature of the 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 :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in pens and penholders.
For these purposes in making metal pens in order to retain ink therein, I
employ tongues or holders, which it is preferred should be of metal, and have
but little elasticity, but depend for their elasticity on vulcanized india-rubber
or other elastic material acting on them, in such manner as to cause them to
press towards the nibs of the pens, and to follow and remain in contact with
them as they open in writing, and yet that the elasticity acting on the tongues
may be overcome by the elasticity of the nibs of the pens; or the tongues may
be of vulcanized india-rubber, metal, or other elastic material, with the proper
elasticity to press them towards and cause them to follow and keep in contact
with the nibs when writing.
The mode of forming and applying an elastic tongue or ink holder to the
nibs of a pen according to my Invention may be varied, so long as the
elasticity applied to the tongue, or possessed by the tongue itself, is such as to
cause the lower end of the tongue to press lightly against the nibs of a pen,
and follow them as they open in the act of writing. The object of this part
of the Invention is to apply a tongue or holder of ink in such manner that the
ink between the tongue and the nibs shall be retained against the nibs by the
tongue moving towards the nibs as they open. It should be stated that in
applying tongues or ink holders to pens as heretofore practised, such tongues
or holders of ink have not been so applied as to follow the nibs of the pen, but

page_text: on the contrary, they have been applied in such manner as to allow of the nibs
of a pen as they open to move away from contact with the tongue or ink
holder; whereas, in my Invention, the tongue of a pen is so applied, as con-
stantly to press elastically towards and remain in contact with the nibs of the
pen. The elasticity of the tongue is, however, not to be such as to prevent
the nibs by their clasticity closing in opposition to the pressure of the tongue.
The mode in which it is preferred to apply suitable elasticity to the tongue or
ink holder of a pen is by a light band of vulcanized india-rubber, which,
pressing on the tongue, causes its lower end to come and remain in contact
with the inner surfaces of the nibs, and somewhat above their points, the
tongue having a sufficient extent of movement to insure its remaining in
contact with the nibs, not only when the nibs are closed, but also when they
open in the act of writing. The tongue used to a pen may, however, have the
requisite elasticity in itself, or have it otherwise applied thereto.
Heretofore in some cases metal pens have had their surfaces varnished by
shaking them in a suitable vessel with varnish. Now, part of Invention
my
consists in applying varnish combined with a pigment, which is applied by a
brush to the lower parts of metal pens, leaving the upper parts of the stems
uncoated, by which I am enabled to obtain a coating which materially thickens
the substance of the lower parts of metal pens, and gives them at the points
and upper parts of the nibs more the substance of quills, and when such
coating of varnish combined with a pigment has become perfectly dry, the nibs
are separated by opening them at the points, when they will be found more
suitable for holding the ink, and by reason of the enamel-like surface produced
by the combined varnish and pigment, the ink will not act prejudicially on the
pens for a greater length of time than when used with or without varnish, as
.heretoforc.
In carrying out this part of the Invention, the varnish used is to be such
as not to be soluble in or prejudicially acted on by writing ink; that which
I have ordinarily used is the best coach body varnish, which being mixed with
pigment of the desired colour, is applied by a brush to the lower part of a pen,
so as to coat and thicken the nibs and lower parts of the pen, and render the
same more resembling B quill pen in substance; when well dried the nibs are
to be opened, so as to disconnect one from the other, as the varnish in addition
to coating the surfaces passes into the slit and cements the nibs together.
In constructing penholders in order that children may be more readily
taught to hold a pen correctly, and to know when they are doing so, each
holder is made with a recess for the thumb, and two other recesses for the
fingers, such recesses being at the proper distances apart, and in the proper

page_text: positions in each holder for the thumb and fingers respectively. And in order
to ensure that the metal pens may be correctly placed and retained in holders,
bent springs are employed interior of the holders, which prevent the stems of
the pens being introduced incorrectly.
In carrying out this part of my Invention, each holder is formed with three
recesses, a, b, and c, as is shewn in the Drawing annexed; the recess a is for
the thumb, that at b is for the forefinger, and that at c is for the next finger.
The holder is made hollow at its lower end, and the instrument d, Figure 3, is
introduced, which ensures the pen being held correctly. In place of making
composition penholders as formerly, I use compositions such as have been
heretofore used, or other suitable compositions in a plastic state, and I make
the holders either solid or tubular, by forcing such composition through dies
or moulding orifices by hydraulic or other power.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Wiley, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
WILLIAM EDWARD WILEY. (L.S.)