IMPROVEMENT OF PENS OPERATED BY ELECTRICITY FOR THE PURPOSES OF AUTOGRAPHIC PRINTING
Year: 1885

page_text: ROBERT EDWARD GEORGE 13 Yerbury Road, Upper Holloway and EDWARD
GEORGE Hanover Sq Club, London & Hong Kong, Chiua do hereby declare
the nature of the said invention for THE IMPROVEMENT OF PENS OPERATED BY
ELECTRICITY FOR THE PURPOSES OF AUTOGRAPHIC PRINTING, to be as follows:-
t
The Pen consists of a metal tube tapering at lower end, surmounted by a
solenoid the axis of which shall lie in the same line as the axis of the tube, &
small rod of metal (preferably a non-magnetisable metal) passing down the tube,
at the lower end of which is a needle capable of being protruded through a small
bole in the tapering end of tube. The core of the solenoid is divided into two
parts, the lower half being fixed, and the upper half free to move up or down
and acting as the armature to vibrate the rod and needle (to which it is fixed)
the rod passes through the lower half of the core in which it slides freely On the
top of the armature is fixed a piece of platina which makes electrical contact with
an adjusting screw (tipped with platina) placed on the top and in the line of the
axis of the solenoid. In the tube is placed a spiral spring which tends to keep the
arinature up against the contact screw. The current from a small battery passes
from the screw to the armature, down the rod on to the tube, from there through
the coils and back again to the battery. When the current flows through the coils
the cores become magnetised and the armature core is attracted downwards which
forces the needle out from the end of the tube and punctures the paper intended
to be written on. But when the armature is drawn down contact is broken, and
owing to the action of the spiral spring the armature is forced up against the
screw as before the circuit being completed the armature is again drawn down and
the needle makes another puncture. This movement takes place with such rapidy
that lines drawn with this pen in action appear to be perfectly continuous though
in reallity composed of small dots. This paper when written on is used as a stencil
the ink being forced through the small holes on to the paper beneath by means of
flexible roller.
"

page_text: Improvements in Electric Autographic Printing Pens.
We, ROBERT EDWARD GEORGE, of 13, Yerbury Road, Upper Holloway, and
EDWARD GEORGE, of the Hanover Square Club, Hanover Square, both in the
County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This Invention relates to improvements in electric autographic printing pens.
t The improvements constituting the Invention are illustrated on the accompanying
drawings in the several Figures which will be hereinafter particularly referred to.
Fig. 1, represents a longitudinal section, Fig. 2, an exterior view and Fig. 3, a
plan view of the improved pen.
The pen is constructed with a metal tube, 1, to the lower end of which there is
adapted a conical or tapered metal cap, 2, having a fine hole, 3, drilled centrally of
its length. On the upper end of the tube, 1, there is screwed an ebonite bobbin, 4,
which is wound with insulated copper wire to form a solenoid, 5, the ends of the
wire being respectively connected to the terminals, 6, 7, and the solenoid. coil is
protected by an outer thin tube, 39, of ebonite.
At an upper part of the tube, 1, there is fitted a set-nut, 8, which presses against
the bobbin, 4, and keeps it in place. In the hollow of the bobbin there are adapted
two soft iron cores, 9, 10, the former one of which occupies a fixed position in the
bobbin, and the latter one of which is capable of being moved up and down the
hollow of the bobbin, and acts as an armature.
The core, 9, has a through hole drilled centrally of its length and of a sufficienţ
size to allow of a rod, 11, moving freely up and down therein. The top end of
this rod is screwed in or fixed to the armature, 10, and in or to the lower end of
the rod there is fixed a needle, 12, which can move freely in the hole, 3.
At a convenient position within the tube, 1, there is fixed a guiding disc, 13,
with a through hole to allow of the free movement of the rod, 11, and on the rod
there is secured a collar, 14, a spring, 15, being placed between the washer, 13, and
collar, 14, so that its tendency is to press the rod, 11, and armature, 10, up against
an adjusting screw, 16, on a bridge piece, 17.
The action of the pen is dependent on the making and breaking of an electric
circuit by a contact-breaker a suitable arrangement of which will be hereinafter
described. Supposing the pen to be in circuit with a battery and contact-breaker,
when the circuit is closed and current flows the armature, 10, is drawn down
owing to the induced magnetism of the core, 9, and the needle point, 12, therefore
protrudes through the cap at, 3, and punctures a hole in the paper to be written
upon; when the circuit is broken the core, 9, ceases to be a magnet and therefore
the armature, 10, no longer attracted, is returned by the spring, 15, to its original
position against the screw, 16, and the needle is consequently drawn out of the
paper. The contact-breaker is caused to make and break the circuit very rapidly,

page_text: and the needle, 12, is consequently correspondingly reciprocated; thus forming
through the paper a series of small holes in apparently one continuous line in the
direction guided by the hand in holding the pen.
:
The pen may be caused to make and break its own circuit, if the electrical
connections in the pen are properly arranged for that purpose, and there are
platinum contacts on the screw, 16, and the armature, 10, at, 18; to effect this
connect the terminal, 6, to one end of the solenoid, and the tube, 1, to the other
end thereof, and the contact screw, 16, to the terminal, 7, then the course of the
current would be from the terminal, 6, through the coil, 5, to the tube, 1, thence
along the rod, 11, to the armature, 10, across the points at, 18, through the
screw, 16, to the terminal, 7. When thus arranged, and the current is on, the
armature, 10, is drawn downwards to the core, 9, causing the circuit to be broken
at 18, the magnetism of the core, 9, then ceases and the armature is returned by the
spring, 15, so as to complete the circuit again, and is thereupon again drawn down,
these reciprocations being continued in rapid succession.
The modification represented in Fig. 4, is very similar to that represented in
Figs. 1, to, 3, but in this arrangement the fixed core, 9, is uppermost of the move-
able armature, 10, and the fixed disc or washer, 13, is above the collar, 14, on the
rod, 11, so that the tendency of the spring, 15, is to press the rod, 11, and needle, 12,
downwards, the needle being prevented from being protruded too far by means of
the top end of the tube, 1, which arrests the descent of the armature. In this
arrangement when the circuit is closed the needle, 12, is drawn out of the paper,
and when the circuit is broken the needle punctures the paper; thus the action is
the reverse of the arrangement herein before described.
Fig. 5, represents in sectional elevation, and Fig. 6, in sectional plan, a convenient
arrangement of battery box and contact-breaker for operating the pen.
19, represents a battery box containing any convenient and suitable arrangement
of batteries, 20, such as Leclanche's, 21, being a partition dividing the cells.
22, represents the contact-breaker, consisting of a soft iron core, 23, having two
end pole pieces, 24, 25, and a surrounding coil, 26, and which is adapted to a
block, 27, of ebonite or other suitable insulating material, and to which screwed
a brass bracket, 28, carrying a contact screw, 29. 30, represents a steel spring
fastened at one end to the pole piece, 24, and carrying at its other end an
armature, 31.
The contact-breaker is fixed on an ebonite stand, 32, between which and the lid
of the battery box there is placed a piece, 33, of india-rubber sheeting felt or other
suitable substance to dealen the sound of the contact-breaker when working.
Over all is placed a brass, pewter or other suitable metal box, 34, which is suitably
secured by a bayonet joint or other convenient means to the ebonite stand, 32.
The connections are shown in the drawing, and are from the terminal, 35,
through the wire, 36, leading to the terminal, 6, through the pen by the return
wire, 37, to the terminal, 38, through the, connected cell of the battery to the
contact-breaker, and thence to the cell in connection with the terminal, 35.
Figs. 7, and, 8, respectively represent plan and transverse sectional views of a
suitable arrangement of frame for stretching the paper to be written on, and con-
sisting of a central-block, 40, and removable frame pieces, 41, 42. In order to
stretch a piece of paper tightly thereon, the top frame, 42, is removed, and the
paper is laid over the block, 40, and frame piece, 41, (the paper being large enough
to overlap,) and the piece, 42, is then pressed into its place again and fastened to
the piece, 41, by hooks, 43, or like means. The part, 41, works on a binge so that
the parts, 41, 42 can be raised together with the paper written on (which forms the
stencil) away from the block, 40, on which the paper, on which a copy of the
writing is intended to be printed, is then placed. The frames, 41, 42, with
the stencil paper are then again lowered into place, and upon an inked roller being
passed over the stencil, the ink passes through the stencil perforations and produces
an exact copy on the paper underneath.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that
what we claim is :-
1. An autograph pen consisting of electrically actuated reciprocating mechanism
constructed and operating substantially in the manner hereinbefore described, in
combination with a holding tube, 1, and reciprocating needle, 12.
2. The arrangement of the parts of such pen in such a manner as to make and
break its own circuit substantially in the manner hereinbefore described.
3. The use in combination with such pen of an actuating electrical battery and
contact breaker arranged and operating substantially as herein before set forth.
4. The contact breaker hereinbefore described in combination with its containing
case 'and insulating stand.