IMPROVEMENTS IN METALLIC PENS AND PEN HOLDERS, AND IN ORNAMENTING METALLIC PENS AND PEN HOLDERS
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Hill, of Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Tool Maker, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN METALLIC
PENS AND PEN HOLDERS, AND IN ORNAMENTING METALLIC PENS AND PEN
HOLDERS."
Sealed the 18th May 1855, and dated the 16th March 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Hill at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 16th
March 1855.
I, WILLIAM HILL, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Tool Maker,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
METALLIC PENS AND PEN HOLDERS, AND IN ORNAMENTING METALLIC PENS AND PEN
HOLDERS," to be as follows:-
My improvements in metallic pens consist in giving to the blanks of which
the said pens are made such forms between that portion which is held by the
holder and the points of the pen that folds or coils may be made in the said
portion, whereby great elasticity is given to the pens, and where necessary an
oblique direction to the points, and an unequal elasticity in the said oblique
points. I also form the body of a metallic pen much shorter than the body of
the ordinary metallic pen, and by making a small strap on each side of the
body attach it to a quill as a holder. I make pen holders by giving to the

page_text: blanks folds such as are before described with respect to pens, or by sliding a
plate of metal on a tube, and turning the ends of the said plate into the
interior of the said tube, the pen being held between the ends of the plate and
the tube. The said plate slides on the tube with a spring catch. I also fix
short metallic pens in a holder similar in form to the body of an ordinary
metallic pen, and, having transverse or oblique slits to give.it.elasticity. In
ornamenting metallic pens and penholders I silver, or tin the same, or cover
them with copper, and heat them, whereby a bronze color is given to them. I
also affix ornamental labels to the pens
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William-Hill-in-the-Great-Seal Patent Office on the
11th September 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
HILL, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Tool Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by, Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and. fifty-five,. in the eighteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Hill, Her special licence that I, the said William Hill, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Hill, 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 METALLIC PENS AND
PEN HOLDERS, AND IN ORNAMENTING METALLIC PENS AND PEN HOLDERS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said-William Hill, by an instrument
in writing under my hand and seal, 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.
1
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Hill, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof (that is to say):
:

page_text: My Invention .consists, firstly; in giving to the blanks to be, made into
metallic pens, such. forms between that portion, which is held by the holder
and that portion which constitutes, the point of the pen that the said inter-
mediate part may be folded or. coiled; as herein-after particularly described,
by which folding or coiling great elasticity is given to the pen, and where
necessary an oblique direction, and oblique, elasticity is, given to the point.of
the
pen.
Figure 1. represents in front and back view a pen constructed according to
my Invention.a is the body; and b, the point of the pen; between the parts
a, b, is a narrow strip or neck, which has been coiled so as to resemble one
coil of a helix, as represented, at ci. Figure 2 represents .another pen con-
structed according to my Invention, the said Figure.representing a back view
at d, a front view at e, a longitudinal vertical section,at f, and a side elevation
at g. The body h and point i;of the pen are connected together by strips k, k';
the said strips h, k, in the blank. occupying the positions indicated by dotted
lines at 7, by bending the strips of the. blank into the positions represented.at
k, k; the pen is completed: I sometimes remove the strip k', and leave only
the strip k, and when I use only the strip k, I make the said strip stronger
than is represented in the Drawing...Figure 3 represents another pen con-
structed according to my Invention. In this pen the body m and point n are
connected. by two long strips o;0;, the said strips 0, 0, are bent into the form
represented in Figure 3, which said Figure so clearly indicates the form to, be
given to the said strips. o, o, that I do not consider it necessary to give a
further description of the same. Figure 4 represents in back view at p, in
front view at q; and side view at r, another pen constructed according to my
Invention. The blank of which, the-pen, Figure 4, is made is represented at 8.
By commencing at the point t of the blank, and effecting from the said point t
the rolling up of the said blank s, the said blank produces the pen, Figure 4,
the elasticity of the said pen being thrown upon ther neck u. Figure 5
represents another pen constructed according to my Invention, v representing
a back view, and 'w a side. view. The blank of which the said pen, Figure 5, is
made is représented at a. The part y of the blank is folded over at the neck z;
and the point is then turned over from the position in. which it is represented
to that indicated by dotted lines. The elasticity of the pen is mainly thrown
upon the neck z, and as the said "neck is on one side of the pen, the point of
the pen yields more on the side 2' (Figure 5; v,) than on the side 1; this
occasions an oblique yielding in the point of the pen, which action is preferred
by some writers. Figure 6 represents a back view. at-3, and a side view at 4,
of another. pen constructed according to my Invention. The blank of which

page_text: this pen is made is represented at 5, Figure 6. The point of the pen 6 is
joined to the body 5 at the neck 7; by folding over the point 6 on to the body 5,
the folding being effected at the neck 7, the pen 3, 4, Figure 6, is produced.
The elasticity of the pen is thrown upon the neck 7, and the lateral position of
the said neck 7 occasions an oblique yielding in the point of the pen; the said
point is situated also obliquely with regard to the body of the pen; one side of
the point is parallel, or nearly parallel to a line drawn through the middle
of the pen, as represented. Figure 6 A represents another pen constructed
according to my Invention, and having an oblique action. The point of the
pen is in the blank a¹, situated very obliquely to the body of the pen, but by
making the fold b¹ between the body and the point, the said fold being highest
on the side 6, and vanishing on the side 6, the point of the pen is brought
into a position less oblique to the body of the pen than it originally had in the
blank. The pen, Figure 6 A, yields obliquely in writing.
Figure 7 represents another pen having an oblique action, the point 8 of
the pen being oblique, and the slit in the said point opening obliquely into the
piercing 9. By the constructions represented in Figures 6, 6 A, and 7, all the
advantages of oblique action are secured with less tendency in the pen to turn
about the axis of the holder than occurs when the oblique point of the pen
extends far laterally.
Figure 8 represents in back view at 10, front view at 11, and longitudinal
vertical section at 12, a pen or pen holder and pen constructed according to
my Invention.
13 is the pen, made shorter than the ordinary pen, and
provided at its top with a spring catch 14. 15 is the holder, consisting of a
nearly semi-cylindrical plate of metal, having a longitudinal slot 16, and lateral
oblique slots 17. Two ears 18 on the lower part of the holder 15 are turned
inwards, as represented, and between the said ears 18 and body of the holder
15 the pen 13 is inserted. The spring catch 14 enters the slot 16, and while
permitting the pen to slide in the said holder 15, prevents the withdrawal of
the said pen from the holder. The oblique slots 17 give great elasticity to the
lower part of the holder, by which the pen is held. By sliding the pen to a
greater or less distance in the holder any desired degree of yielding may be
secured in the pen. The body of the holder 15 may be inserted in the common
rigid pen holder, or made into a hollow cylindrical form, and a stick inserted
therein. Figure 9 represents in back view at 19, in front view at 20, and
longitudinal vertical section at 21, another pen constructed according to my
Invention, and adapted for holders of the kind represented. The pen 22 is
much shorter and smaller than an ordinary metallic pen. The form of the blank
will be understood by reference to the back view 19 and the front view 20.

page_text: The dotted lines 23, 24, represent those portions of the blank which when
folded inwards assume the positions 25, 26. 27 is an ordinary quill cut in
the form represented, which said quill is inserted between the parts 22 and 25
of the pen; the said quill 27 constitutes the holder of the pen, and gives to the
said pen the elasticity of the quill pen.
I give
..
My Invention consists, secondly, of improvements in pen holders.
to pen holders made of metal forms similar to those herein-before described
with respect to that portion of the pen on which its elasticity depends; that is
to say,
I form between that portion of the holder which is attached to the
stick and that portion in which the pen is inserted, coils or folds such as are
herein-before described and illustrated with regard to pens, the said coils or
folds giving elasticity to the said holders. Figure 11 represents a pen holder
constructed according to this part of my Invention, 33 representing the blank
from which the holder is made; 34 a back view of the holder, 35 a front
view of the same, 36 a side view of the same, and 37 a vertical section of
the same, with a pen introduced.. The blank 33 being coiled into a cylindrical
form, the ears 39 being turned inwards, and the neck 40 being curved,
as represented in the several Figures, the holder is completed. Figure 12
represents another pen holder constructed according to my Invention. 41
represents the blank, 42 a back view, 43 a front view, and 44 a section, with
a pen introduced. The ears 45 are curved upwards so as to make the hollow
cylinder into which the stick is inserted, all the central parts of the blank
being also curved upwards; the ears 46 are then curved or bent downwards
until their edges meet, as seen in 42. The manner of introducing the pen
will be understood by an inspection of 44. I also make pen holders by the
method represented in Figure 13; that is to say, I take a piece of metallic
tubing 331, and cut away one portion of the same after the manner of making
a quill pen. I then place on the outside of the said tube a plate of metal of
the form of 34', and turn the edges of the said plate of metal over the edges
of the tube into the interior of the same, as represented, so as to secure the
said tube and plate together. The pen is inserted and held between the said
plate 341, and tube 331; the said plate may be made to slide on the tube with
a spring catch after the manner which will be understood by reference to
Figure 8.
Figure 14 represents another method of making pen holders according to
my Invention. 47¹ is a quill, the lower edge of which is cut obliquely; a plate
of metal bent into a semi-cylindrical form is placed in the interior of the quill,
and the arm 49 is bent over the back of the quill, as seen in the back view 50,
the end of the arm 49 being turned inwards; as seen in the front view 47.

page_text: The manner in which the pen is introduced between the quill and the plate
48 is shown in dotted lines in the side view 51.***
:
Figure 15 represents a pen holder made wholly of metal, and nearly
resembling that last.described. 52 is the blank, 53 is a back-view, 54 a front
view, and 55 a side view. The arm 56 is turned over upon the part 57; the
whole of the blank is then rolled into a cylindrical form, the end of the arm 56
being turned over the edge of the part 57, as seen in 54; the pen is introduced
between the parts 56 and 57.
.
.:
My Invention consists, thirdly, in ornamenting metallic pens and pen-
holders. In carrying this part of my Invention into effect, I plate or coat
with silver or tin the said metallic pens, and the metallic parts of the said
holders, or I plate or coat the said pens and holders with copper, and after-
wards heat the same until the coating of copper assumes a bronze or purple
colour. In plating or tinning metallic pens and the metallic parts of pen
holders according to my Invention, I first coat the said pens and pen holders
with copper, and I then treat the said coppered pens and pen holders by. any
of the well-known methods whereby articles of brass or copper can be
plated or tinned by treating the same (without the agency of electricity) with
suitable solutions of silver or tin. I also ornament metallic pens by attaching
ornamental metallic or other labels thereto. This part of my Invention is
illustrated in Figure 10, which said Figure represents in back view at 28 and
in front view at 29 a metallic pen ornamented according to my Invention; 30
represents the pen, and 31 a label, attached by ears 32 on the said label, being
turned over the edge of the pen, as represented.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit
myself to the precise details herein described, as the same may be varied
without departing from the nature of my said Invention; but I claim as my
Invention,-
.
Firstly, making folds or coils between the bodies and points of metallic pens
fo the purpose of increasing the elasticity of the said pens, and where required
so forming the said folds or coils as to produce an oblique yielding in the
point of the pen, as herein-before described and illustrated in the accom-
panying Drawings.
Secondly, making oblique pointed metallic pens, having only the extreme
point situated obliquely to the body of the pen, as herein-before described and
illustrated in the accompanying Drawings.
Thirdly, the methods of constructing pens, and adapting them to their
holders, and the methods of constructing pen holders, herein-before described

page_text: and illustrated in Figures 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15 of the accompanying
Drawings.
Fourthly, ornamenting metallic pens by attaching thereto metallic or other
labels, and ornamenting metallic pens and the metallic parts of pen holders by
coating the same with copper, and afterwards heating them so as to give to the
said copper a bronze or purple colour, and by silvering or tinning the same, by
first coating them with copper, and afterwards treating them with any solution
of silver or tin which, without the agency of electricity, will deposit a layer of
silver or tin thereon, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Hill, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Tenth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.
WILLIAM HILL. (L.S.)