CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN INKSTANDS' AND IN INSTRUMENTS FOR FILING OR HOLDING PAPERS AND OTHER ARTICLES
Year: 1842

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
SCHLESINGER, of Birmingham, Manufacturer, send greeting...
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Sixteenth day of July, in the sixth year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said John
Schlesinger, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that
I, the said Joseph Schlesinger, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Joseph Schlesinger, my exors, admors, or assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-
upon-Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN INKSTANDS' AND IN
INSTRUMENTS FOR FILING OR HOLDING PAPERS AND OTHER ARTICLES," in which
said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said Joseph Schlesinger,
shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the
same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
1
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Joseph Schlesinger, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and

page_text: ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to
the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon
(that is to say)-
Figure 1 represents in section one of my improved inkstands. a is a cylin-
drical vessel, which may be made of metal, porcelain, glass, or other convenient
material; it is closed at bottom and open at top, and constitutes the reservoir
for the ink. is a piston working tightly in the cylinder a.
b' is the packing
of the piston b c is a double or treble threaded screw, one end of which is
fixed to the piston at 6". d.is the cap or cover of the reservoir a. f is a
chamber situated in the middle of the cup or cover d, which chamber contains
the mechanism for raising and lowering the screw c. g is a cap, the lower
end of which fits loosely in the chamber f. The cap g has two shoulders 9' and g¹¹;
the shoulder g¹ rests on the top of the chamber f; the cap g may be turned in
the manner herein-after described, by means of the shoulder 9. h is a nut or
screw box, which screws into the lower end of the cap 9; the screw c works in
the nut or screw box h, and is raised or lowered by its rotation. The nut or
screw box h is prevented from ascending by its shoulder h', and from descend-
ing by the shoulder g' of the cap g. i is a small cup fixed on the side of the
reservoir a, and communicating with the lower part thereof by the opening j.
The action of the various parts of this inkstand is as follows:-By turning the
shoulder g of the cap g in one direction, the nut or screw box h raises the
screw c, and with it the piston 6; and by turning the nut g¹¹ in the opposite
direction, the screw c and the piston 6 are depressed. In order to fill the ink-
stand the shoulder g" must be turned in the direction proper to raise the
piston b, and ink must at the same time be slowly poured in the cup i. When
the inkstand is not in use the shoulder 9" must be turned in the direction
proper to raise the piston b, and cause the ink to flow from the cup i into the
reservoir a; when it is required to use the inkstand the shoulder g" should be
turned so as to depress the piston, the ink will thereby be raised into the cup i,
from whence it may be used,
on
.
Figure 2 represents (partly in section) another of my improved inkstands.
k is a cylindrical vessel of glass, porcelain, or earthenware. 1, 1, are cups fixed
the sides of the vessel k, and communicating with the lower part thereof
by the passages.m, m. n is a double or treble threaded screw, the lower end
of which is attached to the plunger o, which plunger may be made of glass,
porcelain, or earthenware. p is the chamber containing the mechanism by
which the screw n is raised and lowered, which mechanism exactly resembles
that by which the screw c, Figure 1, is raised and lowered.
In order to pre
vent the plunger o from turning round a small quantity of cotton or thread o

page_text: is wound round it; the friction of the cotton or thread o¹ against the inside of.
the vessel k prevents the rotation of the plunger o. The cotton or thread o¹
must only be used in such quantity as barely to touch the sides of the
cylinder k, as very slight friction suffices to prevent the rotation of the
plunger o. The rotation of the plunger o may also be prevented by a pro-
jection on its side, working in a vertical groove in the cylinder k. I prefer the
latter construction. . In filling the inkstand the shoulder p¹ should be turned
so as to raise the plunger o to the top of the cylindrical vessel k, and ink
should be poured into one of the dipping cups until the vessel k is filled to the
height of the bottom of the dipping cups. This height is indicated in the
Drawing by a dotted line. To raise the ink into the dipping cups 1, 1, the
shoulder p' must be turned so as to depress the screw n and plunger o. The
plunger o, by entering the ink, displaces a portion of it; its level consequently
rises, and the.dipping cups 1, 1, become more or less filled with ink. When
the inkstand is not in use the shoulder p¹ should be turned so as to raise the
plunger o out of the ink, the level of the ink immediately sinks, and the ink
in the dipping cups l, l, flows into the reservoir k.
Figure 3 represents (partly in section) a modification of the inkstand last
described, in which modification the ink contained in two reservoirs is made
to flow simultaneously by one operation into a dipping cup or dipping cups;
communicating with each reservoir. r, r¹, are two cylindrical vessels or reser-
voirs for the ink. s is the dipping cup communicating with the reservoir r; a
similar dipping cup communicates with the reservoir r¹, but is not represented
in the Drawing. t is a plunger, on the top of which a metallic nut is
cemented, in which nut the screw u works. v is a toothed wheel fixed on the
top of the screw u. w is a pin passing through the cover of the reservoir r³;
and fixed to the toothed wheel v; the shoulder w¹ of the pin w rests on the
cover, and supports the screw u and plunger t. 1 is a toothed wheel of the
same size as and taking into the toothed wheel v; the toothed wheel 1 turns
on the axis 2. This axis is supported at 3, 31, and has a nut 4 at its top, by
which it may be turned. The parts in the reservoir r exactly resemble those
in the reservoir r¹, and need not be described. On turning the nut 4 with the
thumb and finger the motion is communicated through the toothed wheels 1
and v to the screw u; the rotation of the screw u raises or lowers the screwed
nut cemented in the top of the plunger t, and thus raises or lowers the
plunger itself. The toothed wheel 1 operates at the same time, and in a
similar manner, on the parts contained in the reservoir r, aud consequently
raises or lowers the plunger in the reservoir r at the same time that it raises
or lowers the plunger t in the reservoir r¹. To prepare this inkstand for use

page_text: the nut 4 must be turned in the direction proper to raise the plungers in both
reservoirs, ink must then be poured into each dipping cup until the level of the
ink in the reservoirs reaches the bottom of the dipping cups; the height is
shewn by a dotted line. When about to be used the nut 4 must be turned so
as to depress the plungers into the ink, the ink will immediately rise in the
dipping cups. The plungers in this inkstand must be prevented from turning
on their axes. Either of the modes described for preventing the rotation of the
plunger in the inkstand last described may be adopted.
Figure 4 represents one of my improvements in letter clips or instruments
for filing and holding. papers. 5 is a bar of metal attached by the joint 6 to
the board 61. 7, 71, are two springs or strips of steel bent into the form
shewn, one end of each of which springs is fastened to the board 6¹ by a
screw 8, and the other ends are rivetted to the bar 5. In using this letter clip
the thumb or finger is pressed upon the thumb plate 9, so as to force it down,
the bar 5 is by this action raised from. the board 6', and the letters or papers
to be filed or held together are placed on the board 61, their edges being.placed
immediately under the bar 5; on removing the finger or thumb, from the
thumb plate 9 the springs 7 and 7. press the bar 5 upon the letters or
papers, and hold them tightly. The letter clip may be hung up by the hole 10
in the thumb plate 9. In order the more securely to hold the letters or papers
the under edge of the bar 5. may be, serrated or notched.
Figure 5 represents in plan, and Figure 6 in section, a modification of my
improved letter clip, which modification is particularly adapted for holding
music. 11 is a bar of metal turning on an axis, the ends of which work
in the boxes 12, 121; these boxes are fixed on the board 13. A. coiled steel
spring is placed in each of the boxes .12; 12', one end of each of which springs
is fastened to the box containing it, and the other ends of the springs to the
ends of the axis. These springs press, the bar 11 upon the board: 18. 14 is
a thumb plate attached to the bar 11 by the hinge joint 15. When it is
required to secure music or papers by this modification of my improved letter
clip, the thumb plate 14 must first be raised into the position shewn in
Figure 6; the construction of the hinge joint 15 is such that the thumb plate
cannot be raised to a greater distance from the bar 11 than that shewn in
Figure 6; by continuing, therefore, to move the thumb plate 14 in the direction
shewn by the arrow in Figure 6, the bar 11 turns on its axis, and its edge is
raised-from the board 13; the music may be introduced under it. On removing
the pressure from the thumb plate 14 the bar 11 descends,. and, pressing on the
music, holds it tightly. The thumb plate 14 should then be pressed close
the bar 11: The advantage of the jointed thumb plate 14 is, that music
upon

page_text: or papers may be opened. or folded back over the bar 1-1 without receiving
injury from the thumb plate.
Figure 7 represents a modification: of my improved letter: clip, which modifi-
cation is adapted for filing or holding newspapers. The mechanism, 16 by
which the papers are held may resemble the mechanism of either of the letter.
clips herein-before described. The clip is fixed on the side of the stand.or
desk 18, which is supported 'on the rod 19; this rod slides in the tube 20, änd
the tube 20 is fixed on the tripod 21. The stand.or desk: 18 may be placed
at any convenient height by sliding the rod 19: in the tube 20: 22 is a frame
which slides under the stand or desk 18. When it is.required to expose two
leaves of a newspaper at the same time, additional support for the paper may
be obtained by drawing out the frame 22. The bars of the improved letter
clips herein-before described may either be made of brass or cast iron.
Besides the various purposes to which I have already described my improved
letter clip as applicable, namely, the filing or holding together of letters,
music, newspapers, and papers generally, I use it for the following purposes,
namely, the securing of letter or drawing paper on a desk. or writing; pad
while such paper is being written or drawn 'on,; and the holding of ladies,
work, but, as no essential. modification of the letter clips herein-before
described is required to adapt them to these purposes, I deem a particular
description of such applications unnecessary...
Firstly, I claim, as my Invention, the construction of inkstands in which
ink is raised into a dipping cup or dipping cups by the descent of a piston on
the surface of the ink contained in a cylindrical reservoir, as herein-before
described.
*
Secondly, the construction of inkstands in which the descent of a plunger
into the ink contained in the reservoir occasions the displacement of.a portion
of such ink, and thereby raising its level, causes it to flow into the dipping
cups communicating with such reservoir, as herein-before described.
Thirdly, the combining of two inkstands in such a manner that the ink
from two reservoirs is made to flow simultaneously by one operation into the
dipping cup or dipping cups communicating with each such reservoirs.
Fourthly, the construction of letter clips, as herein-before described and
represented in Figure 4 of the accompanying Drawing, in which letters or
papers are held together by being grasped between a bar of metal and a card
or board, such bar of metal being pressed upon such card or board by two
steel springs, one end of each of which springs is fixed to the bar of metal
and the other to the card or board.
Fifthly, the construction of letter clips having jointed or folding thumb