Year: 1886

page_text: I, JOHN JAMES RIDGE of Carlton House Enfield, Middlesex, Doctor of Medicine,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
I take a tubular case of metal, vulcanite, or other suitable material, & cause it
to surround, with suitable packing, a reservoir of glass or other incorrodable
material, a nib being inserted & held between the two. One end of the reservoir
is contracted & turned towards the nib, & from the interior thereof there
projects through the orifice a small wick of suitable material, the free end of
which rests against the under surface of the nib & conveys ink from the
reservoir as required. The reservoir is filled by means of a plunger, which remains
as a plug to close the uncontracted end of it. A cap fits on to each end of the
outer case.

page_text: I, JOHN JAMES RIDGE, of Carlton House, Enfield, in the county of Middlesex,
Doctor of Medicine do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS
IN SELF-FEEDING OR FOUNTAIN PENS and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
I take a tubular case of metal, vulcanite or other suitable material to form an
outer case (A. Fig. 1.) This may be a complete tube with a longitudinal slit at
one end (M Fig. 2) or a flat piece bent into the form of a tube & having a slit
along its whole length, or partly soldered. A transverse slit may be made across
the longitudinal slit near one end. A cap fits over one end of the case & at the
other a smaller cap fits into it (F. & G. Fig. 1); the former can be applied to the
other end (F. Fig. 2). A short tube or ring can be slid over the outer case in
order to fix some forms of pen-nibs more firmly (E. Figs. 1 & 2).
I then take a piece of glass tubing of such a size as to slide loosely within the
outer case. I draw out one end by means of a blow-pipe and bend the narrowed
portion towards one side. I cut the contracted part off at a level with the side of
the tube or thereabouts, as shown, (C Fig. 1) and also, if necessary cut off so much
of the other end as will leave the tube or reservoir B a little longer than the outer
tube or case A. I round off the sharp cut edges in the flame. I then wind
worsted, paper, or other suitable packing round the glass tube, to which it may
be fixed with cement. It is then pushed into the outer case, in which it should be
stiffly movable, & the contracted end should project most.
A plug or plunger is then forced into the larger end of the tube B (H Fig. 1).
This plunger may be made of india-rubber, wood suitably packed, or of any other
suitable material. A loop of wire is firmly fixed into it (I Fig. 1) either by
bending the ends or in any other convenient way. The ends, if projected through
the plunger, are covered with some incorrodible material (J Fig. 1). I take a
piece of thicker wire & bend one end at right angles, afterwards filing it so as to
form a hook (L Fig. 3). This hook must be of such a size as to be able to catch
in the loop of wire I, Fig. 1.
To fill the reservoir B with ink I take the rod L &, placing the hook in the
loop I, I press steadily on the plunger until it reaches the contracted end. I then
hold the orifice beneath the surface of some ink & draw the plunger steadily back
by means of the rod until it reaches its previous position at the larger end of B.
The rod L is then released & removed & the cap (G Fig. 1) placed on.
The pen is next held with the contracted end uppermost & a strand of cotton or
lamp-wick (C Fig. 1) or other suitable material, about one or one & a half inches
long is pushed into the contracted orifice, which it does not quite fill up about a
quarter of an inch of this wick is left projecting from the orifice of the reservoir.
A bin (D. Figs. 1 & 2.) is then inserted & the nib & reservoir are then adjusted by
pushing one or the other farther in or out, or by turning the tube B round, so that
the end of the tube may be about a quarter of an inch from the point of the nib.
The nib is then fixed, if necessary, by means of the sliding tube E. The free end

page_text: of the wick which projects is then made to lie along the slit of the nib on its
under side & to this it adheres when wet with ink; its end is brought down to
about an eighth of an inch from the point of the nib. The cap F is then placed
over the nib & when the pen is required for use can be removed to the other end.
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. The free or loose wick, as described, for the purpose of supplying ink to
writing nibs.
2. The plunger & rod above described, as applied to the filling of fountain pens
with ink.
3. The movable internal reservoir capable of adjustment and of being turned
round to accommodate various niba.
4. The combination of the whole of these parts for the purposes of a fountain
pen substantially as described.