AN ERASER AND PENCIL SHARPENER
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Tomlinson Bousfield, of Loughborough Park,
Brixton, in the County of Surrey, for the Invention of "AN ERASER AND
PENCIL SHARPENER."-A communication from abroad by J. J. Greenough,
Sealed the 2nd April 1861, and dated the 10th October 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Tomlinson
Bousfield at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 10th October 1860.
I, GEORGE TOMLINSON BOUSFIELD, of Loughborough Park, Brixton, in the
County of Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "AN
ERASER AND PENCIL SHARPENER," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in improvements in the construction of paper erasers
and in combining therewith a pencil sharpener or pointer. The improvement
in paper erasers consists in giving to the eraser a curved form, making its
convex side with bevilled edges, so as to serve as a polisher or burnisher. I
also combine therewith a pencil sharpener by forming a cutting edge on each
side of the shank, making an angular groove serrated or roughened for
finishing the point of the pencil or sharpening it after the wood is cut away.
The construction of my eraser is as follows:-The blade of the eraser is
formed of steel, and should be of the best quality; it is made thin towards its

page_text: edges of a heart shape or approaching thereto, the shank projecting from its
broadest end. The handle is made of wood or other material, of any pattern
convenient for the purpose. Between the shank and the blade I form curved
indentations, which I make sharp on the edges to serve as a pencil sharpener,
and on the flat portion of the shank or some other convenient part of the blade
I indent a groove, which should be acutely angular in its cross section, and
serrated or roughened like a file on its two surfaces to properly sharpen the
point of a pencil by rubbing the lead point along the said groove, and by
revolving the pencil at the same time. The blade instead of being straight
along its edges has its point curved upward, and this curving of the blade at
its point constitutes an important feature of the Invention. The curved or
convex surface may be straight on its cross section, except near its edges,
which must be in that case bevilled or chamfered off to raise the cutting or
scraping edges above the surface to enable it to be used as a polisher or
burnisher, or the whole surface must be convex in cross section as well as in
longitudinal section, which will answer the same purpose of elevating the
cutting edges from the surfaces to be polished.
This eraser may be used as a paper cutter and folder as well as for the
purposes named. Its whole surface, except the angular or sharpening groove,
should be highly finished and polished.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Tomlinson Bousfield in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 10th April 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
TOMLINSON BOUSFIELD, of Loughborough Park, Brixton, in the County of
Surrey, send greeting.
WHEREAS IIer most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-fourth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
George Tomlinson Bousfield, Her special licence that I, the said George
Tomlinson Bousfield, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said George Tomlinson Bousfield, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and
at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great

page_text: Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"AN ERASER AND PENCIL SHARPENER," a communication to me from abroad by
J. J. Greenough, of 6, Wall Street, New York, United States of America,
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said George Tomlinson
Bousfield, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was
to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Tomlinson Bousfield, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say:-
The Invention consists in giving the craser a curved form making its
convex side with bevel edges, so as to serve as a burnisher or polisher, also
combining with this curved eraser a pencil sharpener by forming a cutting
edge on each side of the shank, making a groove serrated or roughened for
finishing the point of the pencil or sharpening it after the wood is cut away.
The construction of the eraser is as follows, refering to the accompanying
Drawing, in which Figure 1 represents a plan of the eraser, showing its
outline; Figure 2 is an edge view of the same. It may be proper here to
remark that the exact form is not an essential one, so that the features here-
after claimed are maintained. The blade A of the eraser is formed of steel,
and should be of the best quality; it is made thin towards its edges of a heart
shape or approaching thereto, the shank projecting from its broadest end, as
clearly shown in Figure 1, in which A is the blade; B is the shank; C, the
handle, which may be made of wood or other material of any pattern con-
venient for the purpose; between the shank proper B and the blade A are
formed curved indentations D, which are made sharp on the edges to serve as
pencil sharpener, and on the flat portion of the shanks or some other con-
venient part of the blade a groove E is indented, which should be acutely
triangular in its cross section, and roughened like a file on its two surfaces to
properly sharpen the point of a pencil fine by rubbing the lead point along said
groove, and revolving the pencil at the same time. The blade A instead of
being straight along its edges has its point curved upward, as clearly seen in
Figure 2, and this curve constitutes the most important feature of the Inven-
tion. The curved or convex surface may be straight on its cross section,
except near its edges, which must be in that case bevelled or chamferred off
a

page_text: to raise the cutting or scraping edges above the surface to enable it to be used
as a polisher or burnisher, or the whole surface must be convex in cross
section as well as in longitudinal section, which will answer the same purpose
of elevating the cutting edges from the surfaces to be polished.
This eraser may be used as a paper cutter or folder as well as for the
purposes named. Its whole surface, except the groove E, should be highly
finished and polished like fine cutlery of other kinds.
Having thus fully described the eraser and pencil sharpener, what I claim
therein as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,-
First, the curved blade eraser as above specified, forming on one side a
convex surface, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
I also claim in combination therewith the pencil sharpener and pointer as
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Tomlinson Bousfield, have here-
unto set my hand and scal, this Ninth day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
GEO. T. BOUSFIELD. (L.S.)