IMPROVEMENTS IN PENCIL-CASES
Year: 1883

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Otto Bussler at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 7th November 1883.
OTTO BUSSLER of N° 71 Myddleton Square in the County of Middlesex
"IMPROVEMENTS IN PENCIL-CASES"
In the Specification to Letters Patent dated the 16th March 1883, N° 1399, I
described a construction of automatic pencil holder in which the lead is held by a
conical split nipper in a forward position protruding when in use, and in a backward
position protected by the case when not in use, the movement of the lead to and
fro being limited by a washer embracing it moving between the ends of a recess in
the case which form stops for it.
My prevent invention relates to pencil cases of this kind, having for its object to
render them more convenient in use. According to my present invention, I form
the recess in which the washer plays, within the body of the nipper itself. I also
apply a spring, which by preference is a piece of caoutchouc tube placed within the
outer case and acting against the moveable head, so that when the head is relieved
from the pressuro of the finger applied to push out and release the nipper, the
spring pushes the head back causing it to draw back with it the conical nipper so
as to make it grasp the lead in either its forward or its backward position. By
fixing the one end of the caoutchouc tube round a lip of the moveable head, and
the other end round the tube containing the lead that is moveable with the head,
aud securing the caoutchouc tube near its middle to the tube of the casing, the
caoutchouc tube becomes a contractile vessel containing air, and then, on pressing in
the head so as to compress the part of the caoutchouc tube between it and the
casing, the air thus compressed presses forward the lead so as to make its point
protrude, and on releasing the head, the caoutchouc tube expanding again, reduces
the internal pressure, so that the excess of of external pressure pushes back the lead.
The cavity of the caoutchouc tube may be charged with water or other liquid
PDion B31

page_text: instead of air, and in this case, it is extended as a small tube closed at the end
which bears against the end of the lead. For the part of the caoutchouc tube next
the lead may be substituted a small cylinder fixed to the casing and having a piston
attached to the head, this piston forcing the liquid into the caoutchouc tube and so
expanding it longitudinally.
For the purpose of adjusting the protrusion of the lead and advancing it as it
becomes worn, I cut within the tube that contains the lead an internal screw, and. I
connect to the head a stem with a screwed boss on its end so that by turning the
head round and with it tho screwed stem, the latter is made to advance along the
screwed tubo and so push forwards the lead. In order to provide for a considerablo
range of advance of the load, I connect the stem of the screw, not directly to the
head, but by two or more lengths of tube in the manner of the parts of a telescope,
each of those parts as well as the screwed stem being free to slide longitudinally
but being prevented from turning round independently of the head.
According to a modified construction, whereby I am enabled to draw out the case
of the pencil holder so as to make it longer, and also to provide for thrusting
forward the lead when it requires greater protrusion, I construct the case in threo
parts, an outer tube which has the nipper projecting through its end, a middle tube
made with a milled head by which it can be pulled out telescopically so as to
lengthen the case, and having at its other end a stud which projects through a wide
slot cut in the side of the inner tube and extending along the greater part of the
length of that tube, which tube at its end next the nipper is attached to the outer
tube. Within the inner tube of the case is situated the small tube which holds the
lead, and which has at its one end the nipper screwed to it, and at the other end
the spring head. This tube is provented from turning by having at its nipper end
a small feather entering a slit in the mouth of the inner tube of the case, and it
has a slot along one side through which a stud passes from a slide fitted within it.
This slide bears against the end of the lead, and is itself enclosed within a slotted
tube which has also a stud projecting through the slot of the lead tube. These two
studs are in such a position within the case, that, when the middle tube of the case
is drawn out and turned partly round, the stud at its inner end engages with the
one or the other of them, and then, by pushing in the middle tuhe of the case, the
lead can be thrust forward.
•

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Otto Bussler in the Patent Office on the 6th May 1884.
OTTO BUSSLER of N° 71 Myddleton Square in the County of Middlesex
"IMPROVEMENTS IN PENCIL-CASES
"
In the specification to Letters Patent dated the 16th March 1883, N° 1399, I
described a construction of automatic pencil holder in which the lead is held by a
conical split nipper in a forward position protruding when in use, and in a backward
position protected by the case when not in use, the movement of the lead to and
fro being limited by a washer embracing it moving between the ends of a recess in
the case which form stops for it.
the
My present invention relates to pencil cases of this kind, having for its object to
render them more convenient in use, ns I will explain referring to the accompanying
drawings, which are drawn to a magnified scale so as the better to shew constructivo
details. Fig. I is a longitudinal section of the whole pencil caso, according to my
present invention, fig. II being a longitudinal section to an enlarged scale of tho
nippers for the lead shewn in an inverted position, it being understood that this
construction of nippers is applicable not only to. pencil cases of the construction
which I am about to describe, but also to those of the construction described in my
former Specification_above referred to. In this construction of nipper,' which is, as
usual externally conoidal as indicated at m, split up, as indicated at 8, the interior
forms a cylindrical cavity in which the split ring r, which grasps the load b, is free
to move, the butting of the ring against the ends of the cavity determining the
extent to which the lead is protruded and retracted when the nipper is released by
pushing its coned part out of the mouth of the sheath in which it is fitted. In tho
complete pencil case shewn by fig. I, the lead tube e to which the nipper m is
screwed, extends to a knob n, which can be pressed by the finger so as to push the
nipper out of the mouth of the sheath h and so allow its split parts to spring apart
releasing their grip of the lead b. The sheath h is a tube extending from the
mouth to a cross piece t, to which is attached one end of a caoutchouc tubo
other end being attached to a collar all on the lead tube. This caoutchouc tube g
operates as a spring pushing back the lead tube when the pressure of the finger on n
is relieved. In a modified construction shewn by fig. III, besides the caoutchouc
tube g which operates as a spring, I employ a second piece of caoutchouc tube gl
which is supported at the middle by a loose ring a, and from the interior of which
there is a small hole Z opening into the interior of the lead tube.e. On pressing n
with the finger, causing the nipper m to be protruded and released, the air within
is compressed, and the pressure, communicated through the hole 7, causes the lead b
to be advanced and protruded beyond m. Instead of employing air pressure to act
on the lead, liquid may be used in the manner shewn in figs. IV and V, whero b¹¹ is
a small elastic sack with a long neck 6' extending along the lead tube and closed at
the end which butts against the lead in the tube. On pressing the lead tube
forwards, the sack b", which is charged with liquid is compressed lengthwise and
the pressure causes the neck 61 to become elongated prossing forward the lead.
Recurring to fig I, the sheath his attached to an outer casing tube, and in the
annular space between h and the casing tube is fitted free to slide and turn a
tube having a milled rim at its outer end. Fig VII is a side view and fig VII*
is a sectional plan of the part of the lead tube which extends from the caoutchouc
tube g to the nipper m, and fig VIII is a side view of a corresponding length of
the sheath tube h which is slit with two slits i joined by a cross slit at their inner
ends. In these slits is engaged a stud ¹ projecting inwardly from the tube; this
"
g

page_text: stud having a certain freedom of stroke between two studs o o¹ that project through
a slit of the lead tube from a sliding picco fitted within the tube and butting
against the end of the lead therein. The lead tube has along one side of it an
externally projecting rib o", on one side of which is the slit through which work
the studs o o'. The rib o" stops short at o at a position corresponding with the
cross junction of the two slits ii in the sheath h. When the tube 711 is in such a
position that its stud passes through one of the slits i, it encounters the studs o o¹,
and consequently by the sliding to and fro of the tube in that position, these
studs are moved by the stud i, and the lead can thus be protruded or allowed to
be pushed in.
But by drawing out the tube 211 until its stud ¹ comes to the end of the slit i
facing the place oil where the rib o" stops, the tube 211 can be turned partly round
so that its stud i enters the other slit i, and then, as it is out of the way of the
studs o o', the tube 1 can be drawn out so as to lengthen the pencil case or
pushed in so as to shorten it for the pocket, without affecting the position of the
lead.
According to a modified arrangement for the purpose of adjusting the protrusion
of the lead and advancing it as it becomes worn, I employ the construction shown
in fig VI. The tube of the pencil case is made with an internal screw thread to
which is fitted the nut m¹, that can be turned by a rod connecting it to the moveable
top n. This rod, in order to allow for the required extent of advance of the nut as
the lead wears, is made in several parts 11.111 111 telescopically fitted to one
another, the upper part 1 having at its upper end a stud fitted to slide a certain
distance in the slit of a sheath h¹.
Having thus described the nature of my invention and in what manner the same
is to be performed, I claim in respect of pencil cases in which a lead is held near
its point by a conical split nipper,
First: Constructing the nipper with a cylindrical recess in which is free to play
to and fro the ring that embraces the lead, substantially as described with reference
to fig II.
-
Second: The combination of the lead tube e, with its slit and rib 8" and its
slide with studs o o¹, the sheath with its double slit ii and the push tube 7'll,
substantially as described with reference to figs. I, VII, VII, and VIII for the
purpose set forth.
Third: In combination with the moveable lead tube e and the fixed-sheath h, the
caoutchouc tube g operating as a spring, substantially as described with reference
to figs I and III.
Fourth In combination with the lead tubo e, the closed elastic tube g¹ or the
sack b", for advancing the lead by fluid pressure, substantially as described with
reference to figs. III, IV and V.
Fifth: The construction of the advancing mechanism substantially as described
with reference to fig VI, with an internal screw and its nut m' moved by telescopic
rods, from the top n.
In Witness whereof I the said Otto Bussler have hereunto set my hand and
seal this third day of May in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight hundred
-and eighty-four.