CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN PENS AND PENHOLDERS
Year: 1833

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, STEPHEN
PERRY, of Wilmington Square, in the Parish of Saint James, Clerkenwell,
in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, EDWARD MASSEY, Senior, of King
Street, in the same Parish, Watchmaker, and PAUL JOSEPH GAUCI, of Charles
Street, Middlesex Hospital, Artist, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King William the Fourth,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date
at Westminster, the Nineteenth day of November, in the fourth year of His
reign, did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said Stephen Perry, Edward Massey, senior, and Paul Joseph Gauci,
His especial licence, that we, the said Stephen Perry, Edward Massey,
senior, and Paul Joseph Gauci, our executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as we, the said Stephen Perry, Edward Massey, senior, and
Paul Joseph Gauci, our executors, administrators, 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, our Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN PENS AND PENHOLDERS;"
in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso obliging us, or one of us,
the said Stephen Perry, Edward Massey, senior, and Paul Joseph Gauci, by
an instrument in writing under our or one of our hands and seals, parti
cularly to describe and ascertain the nature of our said Invention, and in what

page_text: manner the same is to be performed, and to cause the saine to be inrolled
in His 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, we, the said
Stephen Perry, Edward Massey, senior, and Paul Joseph Gauci, do hereby
declare the nature of our said Invention to consist,―
First, as regards our improvements in pens, in the application of auxiliary
springs for the purpose of forcing the points of the nib together quickly and
tightly, after making a down stroke; and further, in the application of various
contrivances which we call ink retainers, for retaining a quantity of ink just
above the nib, so as to form a sort of magazine that will supply the writer for
a considerable time after one dip of the pen in the ink; and,
Secondly, as regards our improvements in penholders, in adding to them
such parts as will, when the ordinary steel pen is put into them, form such a
magazine as aforesaid; and further, in the addition of what we term an elastic
or flexible piston to such penholders as are made hollow for the purpose of
containing ink.
And in further compliance with the said proviso, we, the said Stephen
Perry, Edward Massey, senior, and Paul Joseph Gauci, do hereby describe
the manner in which our said Invention is to be performed 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:-
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figures 1, 2, and 3, represent steel pens, each furnished with an auxillary
spring, such spring being a thread ring or loop of india rubber or caoutchouc,
held in its place by means of notches cut in the sides of the pens, as shewn
in Figures 4 and 5. Figure 1 is a back view of the pen when the loop is on,
and Figure 2 a front view of the same. Figure 3 shews the loop crossed
over the front of the pen, the back view under these circumstances would be
the same as in Figure 1. Figure 6 is a mere band of thin india rubber
drawn gently round the pen, its two ends being stuck together at the front
of the pen.
In all the above cases it is evident, that whenever by the down-
stroke of the pen iu writing the points of the nib are opened, a stretching of
the india rubber will take place, and the moment the pen rises for the up-
stroke, the india rubber will contract and draw the points of the nib closely
together, whereby we are enabled to make the slits of the pen longer, thus

page_text: adding greatly to its elasticity, without the danger of the points of the nib
opening too far, and not closing quickly enough.
Figure 7 is a steel pen, furnished with one of our contrivances for retaining
a quantity of ink just above the nib. The part coloured pink is a thin piece
of metal made concave towards the pen, and shewn separately at Figure 8.
This piece is wide enough to touch the sides of the pen when fixed to its
place, and is held fast by the pin or rivet e. It has a small air hole at r,
Figure 8, and if the pen so furnished be dipped into the ink, it will take up
and retain enough ink for many lines of writing.
Figure 9 is another contrivance for a similar purpose; it consists of a piece
of elastic metal, formed as shown separately at Figure 10, which is to be
slipped on to the pen, as shewn at Figure 9, where it performs the double
office of an auxiliary spring and of an ink retainer, for the part's being elastie
clasps the pen, and after the points of the nib have been opened for the down
stroke draws them together as they rise for the up-stroke, in the same manner
as the india-rubber ring before mentioned, and which we consider better for
the purpose.
Figure 11 is another contrivance for retaining the ink as aforesaid, fixed
to the back of the pen and turning up a little way in front; this piece should
be about as wide as the pen at its middle part, and tapering gradually down-
wards so as not to interfere too much with the nib, which protrudes through
an aperture made for it at the bend of the ink retainer. This piece is also.
made a little concave towards the pen, as shewn separately at Figure 11 a.
Figure 12 represents a penholder with one of our said contrivances attached
thereto, t being one of our ink retainers made as part of the holder, and thus
constituting an improved penholder. When an ordinary steel pen is pushed
under the ring W, which is placed there for the purpose, it assumes the
appearance shewn in this Figure, and the extra quantity of ink is retained as ..
effectually as if the ink retained were fixed to the pen as in Figure 7; it
should be observed in this case, that the ink retainer should not fit close to
the sides of the nib of the pen.
Figure 13 represents another penholder with another of our said improve-
ments drawn in section; this holder is hollow, and has a rod R with a valve V
at its lower end, and the upper part of this rod has a screw, by means of which
5 it is either raised or lowered. The upper part of the rod also must work up.
and down in stuffing of some sort, so as. to exclude the air. Y, is what we
call an elastic piston, and consists of a small conical-shaped funnel fixed on
to the holder at X; this funnell is covered with a thin sheet of india rubber
so tightly fixed on as to exclude the air. In order to use this holder raise the

page_text: valve V, then press hard with the end of the finger on the sheet of india rubber,
immersing at the same time the extremity E of the holder in ink, now remove
the pressure from the india rubber, and the ink will immediately ascend into
the holder when the valve V should again be closed. When a flow of ink
is required for writing, raise the valve as little as possible, and press gently
on the elastic piston, which will instantly cause sufficient ink to flow into the
pen.
The pen in this holder slides up between the piece P, Figure 14,
(which is soldered on to the holder at Z) and the holder is held firmly
to its place by the slide ring N. Figure 14 is a view of the holder and pen
complete.
:
Figure 15 shews another mode of effecting the same object, the funnel
being in this case furnished with an air-tight bag instead of a sheet stretched
over it as before; the pushing in and drawing out of this bag, which we call
our flexible piston, draws in or forces out the ink as before described, when
required.
Now, whereas it is evident that there are many ways of applying such
auxiliary springs, ink retainers, and elastic or flexible pistons as aforesaid, but
we have described only such as we have found to answer best. And whereas.
we claim as our Invention,-
:
"
.
First, the application of such auxiliary springs as aforesaid, for the pur-s
pose aforesaid, and also the application of such ink retainers as aforesaid to
metal and other pens; and,
Secondly, the application of what we call ink retainers to penholders, and
of what we call elastic and flexible pistons to penholders as aforesaid. :
And such our Invention being to the best of our knowledge and belief
entirely new, and never before used within that part of His said Majesty's
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England, His said
Dominion of Wales, or Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, we do hereby declare
this to be our Specification of the same, and that we do verily believe this
our said Specification doth comply in all respects fully and without reserve 3
or disguise with the proviso in the said herein-before in part recited Letters
Patent contained; wherefore we do hereby claim to maintain exclusive right
and privilege to our said Invention.
In witness whereof, we have hereunto set our hands and seals, this
Seventeenth day of May, in the year of our Lord One thousand 8
eight hundred and thirty-four.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Seventeenth day of May, in the
fourth year of the reign of His Majesty King William the Fourth, the said
Stephen Perry, Edward Massey, sen", and Paul Joseph Gauci came before
our said Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Instrument
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form
above written. And also the Instrument aforesaid was stamped according to
the tenor of the Statute made in the fifty-fifth year of the reign of His late
Majesty King George the Third
Inrolled the Seventeenth day of May, One thousand eight hundred and
thirty-four.