Improvements in Holders for Leads, Crayons, and other like Articles.
Year: 1888

page_text: Improvements in Holders for Leads, Crayons, and other like
Articles.
1 JAMES YATE JOHNSON of 47 Lincolns Inn Fields in the County of Middlesex
Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of this Invention which has been communi-
cated to me from abroad by Henry Berolzheimer of New York City in the County
and State of New York United States of America Manufacturer 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 holders for pencil leads and other articles in which the
carrier for the lead or other article is free to move by gravity within pre-determined
limits within the case or sheath of the holder and is combined with a gravity lock
which automatically locks it in the protruded position when the holder is held point
downwards, and automatically releases it and permits it to drop back when the
holder is held point upwards.
The present invention consists in the combination of instrumentalities hereinafter
described for obtaining a pencil action of the above character and also in the means
hereinafter described for advancing the carrier in order to compensate for the wear
of the load or other article subject to wear. For simplicity of description I will
assume that it is a lead that is held in the holder.
In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a longitudinal axial section of the
complete holder with the parts in the position which they assume when the holder
is point upwards. Figure 2 is a side elevation of the parts in this position with the
extended sheath or handle D removed. Figure 3 is a like elevation of the same
parts looking from the side opposite to that represented in Figure 2. Figures 4 and 5
are side elevations from opposite sides of these parts in the position which they
assume when the pencil is held point downwards, and the oscillatory gravity follower
has dropped half way. Figures 6 and 7 are views respectively similar to Figures 4
and 5 representing the parts in the position which they assume when the gravity
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page_text: follower has dropped the full distance. Figures 8 to 11 both inclusive, illustrate
more clearly the mechanism for feeding forward the lead and the mode of operation
of the same. Figure 8 is a sectional elevation of the upper portion of the working
parts of the pencil, representing the pressure cap E', and lifter stem E depressed so
as to cause the hook g to engage with, the follower tube. Figure 9 is a sectional
elevation of the parts in the position which they assume when the lifter, after having
raised the follower, is about to release the latter so as to allow it to drop. Figures 10
and 11 are elevations from diametrically opposite sides, representing the parts in the
position which they assume when the follower, after its release from the lifter, has
just commenced to drop. The position of the V slot d, with reference to the pin e at
the time the follower is raised by the lifter to the full extent (and before the follower
has commenced to drop) is indicated in Figure 11 by dotted lines.
The essential parts of the pencil, so far as the automatic or gravity action is
concerned, are the carrier A, the toothed tube B, and what I will term the follower
tube ().
The carrier A can as shown be a sheet metal tube (into the front end of which the
lead is inserted) and is provided with a lug or pin a.
28
c)
The toothed tube B, has a longitudinal slot b, bounded along its edge by teeth
(Fig. 10). The teeth c, on one side are pointed in a reverse direction to the direction
in which the teeth e on the other side are pointed, and the two rows of teeth are so
fashioned and are of such size that those of the one row will enter the space between
those of the other row, thus forming what is virtually a zig-zag longitudinal passage.
The teeth of each row are spaced evenly, and the distance between the point of one
tooth and the point of the next is the limit of the antomatic or gravity movement of
the carrier.
The follower tube C, is longitudinally slotted at and is of a size to loosely
encircle the toothed tube B on which it is mounted, the two tubes have a pin and
slot connection, the slot being of an approximately V form. In this instance the
slot. d is in the tube and the pine is on the tube B. The follower tube C, is free
to move on the tube 13 within the limits of the slot d, and in so moving manifestly it.
will not only have longitudinal movement but also an oscillatory movement on its
axis.
The carrier A is received in the toothed tube B and loosely fits therein, and its lug
or pin a projects out through the slot in the tube B, into the siot in the tube C.
The two tubes B and C are so connected by the pin and slot connection d and e, that
at either extreme of its movement the tube C will tend to jamb the lug a over into
the angle of junction of two contiguous teeth of the row c, and against the shoulder
formed by the rear tooth of the two; and the extent of its oscillatory movement is
such that it will direct the lug along the sinuous or zig-zag path which leads from
one tooth to the next-permitting however the lug to travel only the distance which
separates the point of one tooth from the point of the next, during each complete
oscillation.
The toothed tube B, is made fast to a sheath or handle D, and the tip 11 of the
handle may be removably secured to it by a bayonet joint, or otherwise so as to
permit of the said tip being removed whenever it is necessary to remove and replace
or reverse the lead.
The operation of the parts thus far described is as follows:
When the pencil is point upwards the parts are in the position shown in Figures 1—3,
the lug a resting against the square shoulder or face of one of the teeth c and being
held in that position by the follower tube C. As soon as the pencil is turned point
downward, the follower tube will drop, the one leg of the V-slot d, which is first
traversed by the pin e, causing the tube to turn in a direction to allow lug a, of the
carrier to follow down the inclined face of the tooth c next in front until it is directed
over onto and rests upon the square face of adjoining tooth c¹ of the other row, in
which position it is opposite to the passage between the square face of the tooth c
and the square face of the tooth e, last above mentioned as seen in Figure 4. At this
time the pine, will be in the equivalent of the angle of the V-slot d and the follower

page_text: tube will be at the extreme of its oscillatory movement in one direction (Figure 5).
Further downward movement of the follower tube causes it to oscillate in the opposite
direction thus forcing the lug a over through the passage between the square faces of
teeth c and c; the follower tube by the time it has finished its downward course,
travelling as it does over the reversely inclined leg of the V-slot, will have carried
the lug under and locked it against the square shoulder of the tooth e, as seen in
Figure 6.
The reverse takes place when the pencil is again turned upward, the follower tube
serving to direct the carrier pin a back to the original position occupied by it in
Figure 1.
I have for greater clearness represented in several figures the different positions
assumed by the parts during the course of the operation, but as a matter of fact, the
whole action is practically instantaneous.
In order to compensate for the wear of the lead the carrier can readily be advanced,
by holding the pencil point downward, and then jerking it up sufficiently suddenly to
throw up the follower tube, allowing it to fall again by its own weight.
But in order to provide a more effective means for this purpose I have devised a
mechanism composed of a spring retracted pressure cap or lifter, consisting of a
stem E, which fits from the rear end of the pencil into the tube B in which it can
slide, and is surmounted by a pressure cap E¹ between which and the rear end of the
pencil is interposed a spiral spring f¹ for maintaining the lifter stem in the retracted
position. On the inner end of the lifter stem is a spring hook g, which, when the stem
is pushed inwardly protrudes through an opening or slot h in the tube B. When the
stem is retracted the hook is depressed under a shoulder i on tube B. A shoulder k, is
provided on the follower tube C the said shoulder in this instance being formed by
cutting or slotting the follower tube at l.
The operation of these parts is as follows:
The pencil is held point downwards, so that the follower tube is in its lowest position.
The lifter stem is now depressed until its spring hook rides under and beyond, and
catches the shoulder k. Pressure on the lifter stem being removed, it is at once
retracted by its spring and in so moving, its spring hook lifts the follower tube far
enough to cause the pin e, to reach the angle of the V slot d, at which time the spring
hook will strike the shoulder i, and will consequently be depressed and release its
hold on the shoulder k, and the tube C will again drop. During this movement of the
tube the carrier tube by gravity will have dropped from one tooth c to the next and
so on until the lead has been protruded to the desired extent.
With respect to the tube B and C, the position of the parts can manifestly be
reversed, that is to say the toothed tube can be upon the outside of the other and the
arrangement of the tube can be otherwise varied, what is essential being that the two
should be capable of the above described longitudinal and oscillatory movement rela-
tively to each other.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what 1
claim is:
1. The combination of the longitudinally slotted and toothed tube, the slotted
longitudinally movable and oscillatory follower tube and the carrier contained, and
moveable by gravity, within the toothed tube and provided with a pin or lug projecting
through the slot in the toothed tube and the longitudinal slot in the carrier tube, the
combination being and acting substantially as herein before set forth.
2. The combination of the sheath or handle, the longitudinally slotted and toothed
tube fixed to said handle, the longitudinally slotted and moveable gravity follower
tube, loosely surrounding said toothed tube and connected thereto by a pin and
V slot connection; and the carrier loose within the toothed tube and provided with a
pin or lug which projects through the toothed slot in the said tube into the longi-
tudinal slot in the follower tube, substantially as and for the purposes herein before set
forth.

page_text: 3. The combination of the longitudinally slotted and toothed tube, the slotted
longitudinally moveable and oscillatory gravity follower tube, mounted on said toothed
tube the carrier loosely contained in the toothed tube, and provided with a pin or lug
projecting through the toothed slot of said tube into the longitudinal slot of the follower
and the reciprocating lifter provided with a spring hook, to engage the follower at the
times and in the manner, substantially as and for the purposes as herein before set
forth.