IMPROVEMENTS IN PEN-HOLDERS
Year: 1884

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
I, FREDERICK MATTHIAS LIBBY, of Portland, County of Cumberland, and State
of Maine, one of the United States of America, Bank Clerk do hereby declare
the nature of said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PEN-HOLDERS
to be as
follows:-
My Invention relates to pen-holders. It frequently happens that in a box of
pens all of which are supposed to be of uniform quality some of the said pens are ;
stiff and others limber.
The object of this Invention is to impart elasticity or a yielding property to the
pen when it is pressed upon the paper in writing.
This quality of yielding affords great relief to the fingers and wrist in writing
and prevents much of the fatigue and pain consequent upon the use for a long time
of a pen that is stiff and rigid in the holder and stock. The pen when placed in
the improved holder and pressed on the paper has a slight tipping or vibrating
motion and so relieves the writer's hand to a very considerable degree. I accomplish
this result by holding the pen in its stock or holder so that the rear or inner end
of the pen is free to move or vibrate slightly, thus imparting to the point or nib
the yielding quality spoken of. In carrying the said Invention into practice
I provide the holder with a screw or with an open tube having wings.
same,
When the screw is used the said screw enters the solid part of the pen-stock, the
head of the screw being arranged so that only a small part of the pen bears on the
and so that the back part of the pen is free to tip or vibrate slightly when
the point is pressed upon the paper. The degree of rigidity with which the pen is
held is regulated in a variety of ways, that is to say either by the width or bearing.
surface of the head; by the leverage which the pen has on being pressed in or
pulled out of the pen holders; by placing the pen over or across a slot. This last
arrangement places the pen upon such a bearing as ensures a greater degree of
rigidity than with the other arrangements. When the pen is held by the first
arrangement the head of the screw passes under the shank of the pen while the
sides of the shank rest in spaces. In the second arrangement the sides or edges of
the shank of the pen rest upon the solid oblique portion of the head and conse-
quently take up more space and give firmness or rigidity while at the same time
leaving a certain degree of elasticity to the pen.
The head of the screw is not perfectly round but has one diameter somewhat
less than the other. The head can be made with any number of sides or curves

page_text: and accomplish the same result as long as the form of the head is preserved in order
that it may act as a fulcrum or pivot.
The object of using this form of head or its equivalent is that when the pen is
inserted into the stock the edges of the same should be in the spaces and the sides
of the shank pressed downwardly by the tip or ferrule and held firmly in the stock
without any side motion.
I make the slot in the head of the screw in order to be enabled to readily remove
the same and guide the user in the insertion of the pen into its place in the stock.
That is to say when the pen is inserted with the shank across the slot the pen is
held in one manner, and in a different manner when inserted parallel with the slot.
The pen can be held with a larger or shorter bearing, as desired, by varying the
width of the head.
It is evident that the head can be removed in case of clogging with ink, and
cleaned and replaced. The head can be made solid if a heavy holder is desired, or
hollow if a lighter one is wanted.
When the open tube with wings is used the said tube can extend further into
the pen-stock than the non-elastic form, inasmuch as the vibrating motion of the
pen, or its elasticity, is derived from the wings referred to. The result is the same
in both cases. A freedom of motion is given to the inner end or shank of the pen
which gives elasticity to the pen in use,
If it is desired to have the nib of the pen point downwardly, the head is screwed
or pushed into the hollow end of the stock. This tips up the shank and so turns
downward the nib or point.
. Drawing out the head turns the nib upwardly. The degree of elasticity imparted.
to the point of the pen in the case of the hollow head with the wings, depends on
the length and stiffness of the wings, or upon the extent to which the pen may be.
pushed into the hollow stock as in the case of the solid head.
With my holder a pen is always easily removable from the stock and can also be
easily inserted into the saine.
T
1 "

page_text: .
I, FREDERICK MATTHIAS LIBBY, of Portland, County of Cumberland and State
of Maine, one of the United States of America, Bank Clerk, do hereby declare
the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PEN-HOLDERS". 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 pen holders and has for its object to impart elasticity,
or a yielding property, to the pen when it is pressed upon the paper in writing.
This quality of yielding affords great relief to the fingers and wrist in writing
and prevents much of the fatigue and pain consequent upon the use for a long time
of a pen that is stiff and rigid in the holder and stock.
"
A pen placed in the improved holder has a slight tipping or vibrating motion,
when pressed on the paper, and so relieves the writers hand to a very considerable
degree. I accomplish this result by holding the pen in its stock or holder so that
the rear or inner end of the pen is free to move or vibrate slightly thus imparting
to the point or nib the yielding quality spoken of.
In the accompanying drawing
Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of the improved pen-holder.
Figure 2 is an end view of the same.
Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view shewing a pen inserted in the holder.
Figure 4 is a side view illustrating a modification of the invention.
Figure 5 is a view of a detail of the same drawn to an enlarged scale.
Similar letters indicate like parts in the several figures.
In carrying the said invention into practice I construct either a screw a with a
head b and shank c, or, an open tube d, with wings e¹ e¹.
In the first or screw device, the screw enters the solid part of the pen stock at f,
and thus holds the head b, at the proper point in the stock. It will thus be seen
that only a small part of the pen bears on the head b, and that the back part of
the pen is free to tip or vibrate slightly when the point is pressed upon the paper.
The degree of rigidity with which the pen is held is regulated in a variety of
ways, First; by the width or bearing surface of the head b, Second; by the
leverage which the pen has on being pressed in or pulled out of the pen holder.
Third; by placing the pen over or across the slot g. This last arrangement places
the pen upon such a bearing as ensures a greater degree of rigidity than the other
bearing. In the first instance-placing the pen over the parts of the head that
form the narrower circle-the head b, goes up under the shank of the pen while
the sides of the shank rest in the spaces h, h. In the second instance, the sides or
edges of the shank of the pen rest upon the solid oblique portion of the head b,
and consequently displace-more space, and give a greater degree of firmness or
rigidity, while at the same time leaving a certain degree of elasticity to the pen.
In fig. 2. is seen the shape of the head b, in end view. It will be seen that it is
not perfectly round but that it has one diameter somewhat less than the other.
The head can be made of any number of sides or curves and accomplish the same
result, so long as the form of the head is preserved in order that it may act as a
fulcrum or pivot. The object of using this form of head, or its equivalent shown
in Fig 4 is this. When the pen is inserted into the stock at i, the edges of the pen
are in the spaces h, h, and the sides of the shank are pressed upon downwardly by
the tip or ferrule and held firmly in the stock without any side motion..
I make the slot in the head b, for the sake of ease in removal of the head
and in order to guide the user in the insertion of the pen into its place in the

page_text: stock. That is, when the pen is inserted with the shank across the slot the pen is
held in one way and in a different way when inserted so to speak, parallel with
the slot.
The pen can be held with a longer or shorter bearing as desired by varying the
width of the head b. It is evident that the head can be removed in case of 5
clogging with ink,-cleaned and replaced. The head can be made solid if a heavy
holder is desired or hollow if a lighter one is wanted. The tipping or vibrating
capacity of the pen is the chief result aimed at by the use of the head, or, an
elastic condition of the pen when pressed on, the paper in writing. Some pens, in
the same box and all manufactured to be of uniform quality, are stiff, others
limber.
Thus there is no certainty. But the different conditions of the joints and
muscles of men's hands absolutely require, for ease, in writing, elasticity or rigidity.
This result is accomplished by my invention independently of the quality of the
material of the pen.
Now this head b, can also, as illustrated in the drawings, be made hollow with
wings or springs connected with the head and working substantially as in d,
fig. 5.
1
These wings or springs allow the rear end of the pen to tip or vibrate as it is
pressed against them by the pressure of the nib of the pen on the paper in writing. 2
Being elastic, the wings yield, and so imparting a slight "give" or tipping to the
nib of the pen, afford great relief to the fingers, hand, and wrist, especially in
prolonged writing.
Different degrees of elasticity can be imparted to the pen by the length and
stiffness of the wings el ell.
The structure of the tube is clearly seen in the drawings. It is a sheet of metal
rolled up into the proper size and form and furnished with wings or springs e¹ e¹¹.
This is then inserted into the hollow end of a pen-stock. Any pen-stock so
constructed as to admit of its insertion can be used to receive it.
The tube can be secured in place by rivets entering through the walls of the 3
hollow end of the pen-stock and penetrating the tube, or in any well-known
manner.
⚫ The pen is inserted into the annular space between the outer periphery of the
tube and the inner periphery of the hollow of the pen-stock.
The wings can be formed by slits made either horizontally or vertically.
· 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:-
First. In a pen-holder, binding or holding the shank of the pen on a small part
of the surface thereof so as to admit of the vibrating motion of the pen as herein 4
set forth.
Second. The combination with a hollow pen holder, of the screw a and head b,
or their equivalent consisting of the open tube d having wings e¹ e¹¹, the said head
being shaped as herein set forth.
Third. The head b, made either hollow or solid and acting as a pivot for the pen
in a hollow pen-stock as herein set forth.
T
1
AT
1000