AN IMPROVED PEN HOLDER
Year: 1885

page_text: I THOMAS JOSEPH MCCARTNEY, of 19, Bradford Road, Somer's Road, Southsea,
in the County of Hants, employed as a Pensioner Dockyard Writer in Portsmouth
Royal Dockyard, do hereby declare the nature of the said invention for "AN
IMPROVED PEN HOLDER" to be as follows:-
This invention relates to the construction of an improved penholder which I term
the "Electrograph."
In writing with an ordinary penholder, a certain amount of friction takes place
between the penholder and the part of the hand or forefinger which touches the
holder at the portion above that part grasped by the ends of the three fingers,
namely the thumb, the forefinger and the second finger.
It is mainly in consequence of this friction that, when the hand is hot or in a
state of perspiration, the writing is performed with greater difficulty than it would
be if the hand were cool and dry.
Now my invention consists in so constructing a penholder that the said friction
shall take place between parts of the holder instead of between the hand of the
writer and the holder.
In carrying out my invention I construct one end of the penholder of a metal
cylinder fitted with a female screw in the centre to receive one end of a rod and
with a second female screw, eccentric to the first, to receive one end of a smaller
rod or needle, the two rods being parallel with each other.
The larger rod passes from the metal cylinder to the other end of the penholder
and connects all the principal parts thereof.
The other end of the smaller rod or needle passes and slides in a hole in a tube
sliding apparently upon the larger rod and serves to prevent the said so-called
sliding tube from rotating when the penholder is in use, as hereinafter described.
Over the end of the so-called sliding tube opposite that in which slides the
small rod or needle is passed a hollow cylinder containing a spring which works
within it.
The lower end of the said cylinder is fixed to the end of the penholder which
receives the usual barrel writing pen, or the holder for what is usually known as a
"nib" nen.

page_text: One end of the spring is fixed within its cylinder and the other end is attached
to the so-called sliding tube; the said spring serves to retain the sliding tube in its
place upon the large rod.
By this construction of penholder, when, (in the usual manner when writing),
the three first fingers of the hand of the writer grasp either a holder placed on the
end, or part of a pen when a barrel pen is used, or conjointly with these, touch a
portion of the hollow cylinder containing the spring, some part of the hand (the
knuckle of the fore finger or the part between the knuckle joint and the second
joint of the fore finger for example) will touch the so-called sliding tube, which,
being stationary, the rod will move up and down within it, that is to say,
downwards when an up stroke is made, and upwards during the formation of the
down strokes.
.
Amongst the advantages to be derived from the use of a penholder of this
construction may be mentioned the following:-rapidity and facility in writing;
the penholder can be used efficiently whether the hand be cool and dry, or hot and
perspiring; the pen is relieved of a great portion of the usual strain, and will be
found to glide easily over rough paper. The penholder will tend to improve the
writing of persons using it, and it will assist children to make the large letters
which they are usually first set to write.

page_text: I, THOMAS JOSEPH MCCARTNEY, of 27 George Street, Stonehouse in the county
of Devon employed as a Pensioner Writer at the Royal Naval Hospital, Plymouth,
do hereby declare the nature of this 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 the construction of an improved penholder which I term
the "Electrograph."
In writing with an ordinary penholder, a certain amount of friction takes place
between the penholder and the part of the hand or forefinger which touches the
holder at the portion above that part grasped by the ends of the three fingers,
namely the thumb, the forefinger and the second finger.
It is mainly in consequence of this friction that when the hand is hot or in a
state of perspiration, the writing is performed with greater difficulty than it would
be if the hand were cool and dry. .
Now my invention consists in so constructing a penholder that the said friction
shall take place between parts of the holder, instead of between the hand of the
writer and the holder.
In carrying out my invention I construct one end of the penholder of a metal
cylinder fitted with a female screw in the centre to receive one end of a rod and
with a second female screw, eccentric to the first, to receive one end of a smaller
rod or needle, the two rods being parallel with each other. (Or the said small rod
or needle can be dispensed with and the end of the large rod instead of being
screwed into the said metal cylinder can work freely therein this cylinder being
attached to the sliding metal cylinder as hereinafter described.)
The larger rod passes from the metal cylinder to the other end of the penholder
and connects all the principal parts thereof.
The other end of the smaller rod or needle passes and slides in a hole in a tube
in which the larger rod slides and serves to prevent the said tube from rotating
when the penholder is in use as hereinafter described.
Over the end of the said tube opposite that in which slides the small rod or
needle is passed a hollow cylinder containing a spring which works within it.
The lower end of the said cylinder is fixed to the end of the penholder which
receives the usual barrel writing pen or the holder for what is usually known as a
"nib" pen (or the said end or holder can be arranged to slide in the said
cylinder).
One end of the spring is fixed within its cylinder to the upper end of the
penholder and the other end is attached to the tube; the said spring serves to
retain the tube in its place upon the large rod. Or two of the said springs may be
employed having their bearings upon the rod and upon the tube as hereinafter
described.

page_text: In order to enable my invention to be fully understood I will proceed to describe
the same by reference to the accompanying drawing in which figure 1 is a longi-
tudinal elevation and figure 2 a longitudinal section of a penholder constructed
according to my invention and provided with a single spring and a small eccentric
guide rod or needle, the large rod being screwed into the cylinder at the upper
end; figure 3 is a transverse section on line A. B. of figure 2; figures 4 and 5 are
similar views to figures 1 and 2 but shewing my improved penholder without the
eccentric guide rod or needle the end of the large rod working free within the said
cylinder; figure 6 is a longitudinal section of my improved penholder provided with
two springs; figure 7 is a transverse section on line C D of figure 6. Similar
letters in all the figures represent similar parts.
Referring to figures 1, 2, and 3, a, represents the metal cylinder at one end of
the penholder having a female screw in its centre and a second female screw
eccentric to the first; b, is the rod of, round, form one end of which is screwed into
the central hole of the cylinder and is the smaller rod or needle one end of
which is screwed into the other hole of the cylinder as shewn in figure 2 the
rods b and c, being parallel with each other and the rod b, passing through to the
other end of the penholder into which it is fastened and connecting all the principal
parts of the penholder together; d, is the tube in which the rods b and c, slide, the
latter serving to prevent the tube d, from rotating when the penholder is in use;
e, is the hollow cylinder one end of which works or slides over the reduced end f,
of the tube d; g, is the spring working within the cylinder e; h, is the end of the
penholder into which the lower end of the rod b, is fixed as hereinbefore described
and which serves to receive the usual holder i, for the nib or pen (or a barrel pen
can be placed thereon instead) one end of the spring g, is fixed as shewn to the
end h, of the penholder and the other end is fixed to the end f, of the tube d, the
said spring serving to retain the tube d, in its place upon the rod b.
By this construction of penholder when (in the usual manner when writing) the
three first fingers of the hand of the writer grasp either the holder i, placed on the
end h, (or part of a pen when a barrel pen is used) or conjointly with these, touch
a portion of the hollow cylinder e, containing the spring g, some part of the hand
(the knuckle of the fore finger or the part between the knuckle joint and the
second joint of the forefinger for example) will touch the tube d, and as this tube
by bearing against the hand will remain stationary the rod b, will move up and
down within it, that is to say, downwards when an up stroke is made, and upwards
during the formation of the down strokes.
The penholders shewn in figures 4, 5, 6 and 7 are similar in construction to that
herein before described and represented in figures 1, 2 and 3 with the exception
that the guide rod or needle c, is dispensed with and the upper end of the rod b, is
free and moves in the cylinder a, which is formed hollow and fixed to the tube d;
the rod b, is moreover formed of a square shape in cross section as shewn in
figure 7 (or of other suitable shape) and slides in a correspondingly shaped hole in
the end of the tube d, thereby preventing the said tube from rotating; the hollow
cylinder e, is fixed to the opposite end of the tube d, instead of sliding thereon and
the end h, which receives the holder or pen slides in the cylinder e; the rod b, is
provided with a nut j, at its upper end whereby the downward play of the rod is
limited, its upward play being limited by the upper end of the part h, of the
penholder.
In figure 6 I have shewn the penholder provided with two springs g and g¹,
enclosed in the tube d, and bearing upon and fixed to a collar l, upon the rod b,
and upon the closed ends of the tube d. By this means when the penholder is in
use one spring is caused to act against the other and they are thereby prevented
from being unduly stretched or contracted and the extent to which the rod b can
move within the tube d, will be uniform.
Although I have described my improved penholder as being provided with a
spring or springs these may if required be dispensed with as the tube d, will
automatically work into the required position while writing with the penholder.

page_text: Amongst the advantages to be derived from the use of a penholder of this con-
struction may be mentioned the following; rapidity and facility in writing; the
penholder can be used efficiently whether the hand be cool and dry or hot and
perspiring; the pen is relieved of a great portion of the usual strain and will be
found to glide easily over rough paper. The penholder will tend to improve the
writing of persons using it, and it will assist children to make the large letters
which they are usually first set to write.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that
what I claim is :-
1. A penholder constructed in such a manner that the friction which usually
occurs between a penholder and the portion of the hand (as before described) of the
person writing therewith shall be caused to take place between parts of the
penholder only, substantially as herein before described."
2. A penholder formed in two parts one of which parts is adapted to slide or
work within or on the other part by the action of the hand in writing substantially
as and for the purposes hereinbefore described and represented in the accompanying
drawing.
3. The improved penholder herein before described and represented in figures 1, 2
and 3 of the accompanying drawing.
4. The improved penholders hereinbefore described and represented in figures 4, 5,
6 and 7 of the accompanying drawing.