IMPROVEMENTS IN PENCIL CASES OR HOLDERS
Year: 1883

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Robert Lake at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 20th October 1883. Communicated to
him from abroad by Alonzo T. Cross, of Providence, Rhode Island, United
States of America,
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake, and Co, Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London, "IMPROVEMENTS IN PENCIL CASES OR HOLDERS
[A communication to him from abroad by Alonzo T. Cross, of Providence, Rhode
Island, United States of America,]
This invention relates to that class of pencil cases or holders in which the
unused stub of the lead or crayon is automatically expelled from the carrier, and
the said invention comprises the combination of the crayon-carrier, with the
carrier-operating mechanism, also the combination of a carrier-tube provided with
spring jaws at its forward end for frictionally holding the crayon, with a spring
arranged to act against the rear end of the crayon and adapted to forcibly eject the
crayon-stub, upon the arrival of the carrier at the proper point near the lower end
of the holder.
In carrying the said invention into practice, the screw-holding tube is provided;
longitudinally with a slot, the lower end of which is made wider than the upper.
portion in order to form a shoulder.
The lower end of the said tube is provided with opposite slots, and the jaws so
formed are arranged to spring toward each other in order to clasp and steady the.
crayon, and also to hold the lower end of the carrier-tube, whenever the carrier is
brought down to expel the unused stub of the crayon; and upon the said tube
between the said alots is secured a collar by means of which the point-tube is
secured to the aforesaid tube.
The carrier for the crayon is formed of a tube provided longitudinally at its
upper end with a slot the upper portion of which is laterally deflected. to form a
holding notch for the pin of the forcer, and the lower end of the carrier-tube is:
provided with a slit for a short distance, thus forming opposite spring jaws, which
Pine Ad

page_text: are adapted for receiving and holding crayons of slightly varying diameters.
Within the carrier-tube is placed the loosely moving forcer provided with a pin
which enters the slot in the carrier-tube and passing through the slot in the first
named tube enters the groove of a hollow screw which is loosely held upon the said
tube by means of a fixed collar.
The forward end of the forcer is provided with a projecting pin over which is
placed a spiral spring. A cylindrical plug also moving loosely in the bore of the
carrier-tube provided with a pin which enters the lower portion of the slot in the
said tube; and the said spring is made to occupy the space between the plug and
the forcer, the pins being in this case at opposite ends of the slot which forms
a limiting stop to the movement of the forcer and plug under the action of the
intervening spring.
.
Whenever the crayon is inserted into the split end of the carrier-tube, the plug
will be forced backward causing the compression of the spring until the pin comes
against the rear end of the plug.
The operation of the holder will be as follows, viz, upon turning the screw in the
proper direction the crayon will be fed downward to the point of the holder; and
when the crayon has been nearly used up the forward end of the carrier will strike
the inner side of the conical end of the point-tube or other suitable stop, and also
encounter the frictional resistance caused by the spring action of the jaws, which
will serve to prevent the carrier-tube from rotating within the bore of the first
named tube under the continued movement of the screw; which movement will
cause a pin to be carried laterally to a position immediately under a shoulder in
the slot of the first named tube and also at the same time out of its retaining notch
in the slot of the carrier-tube.
I do not limit myself to any particular form of mechanism for operating the
forcer, since this improvement, is applicable to crayon-carriers that are differently
constructed and operated, as for instance that shewn and described in the
specification of former Letters Patent No 4133 of 1882, and in this case the spring
is held in the bollow forward end of the forcer but upon the ejectment of the
crayon the expanded spring will project beyond the forward end of the said forcer.
According to another modification of the said invention the upper end of the
carrier-tube is provided with a fixed plug and also with a pin adapted to enter
the slot of the first named tube. The carrier-tube is also provided with a short slot
or enlarged perforation adapted to receive a pin which projects from the side of the
cam forcer, the lower end of which is made hollow to receive a spring and is also
provided with a pin which enters an angular enlargement made in the slit, which
serves to form the spring jaws for frictionally holding the crayon against the
resilient action of the spring. This spring is to be soldered to the bottom of the
bore of the cam forcer or otherwise secured therein to prevent its escape and loss..
The carrier is inserted in the bore of the slotted tube at the upper end of the
same, the pin of the cam forcer being adapted to pass through the slot in the said
tube and enter the groove of the screw, whereas the pin which projects from 'the
side of the carrier-tube will enter the slot only, and does not enter the groove of
the screw.
The insertion of the lead or crayon into the lower end of the carrier-tube serves
to force back the spring, and upon turning the screw in the proper direction the
crayon will be fed downward to the point of the holder; but when the crayon has
become nearly used up, the pin will reach the notch made in the side of the slot
and then the continued movement of the screw, which operates against a pin, will
cause the lateral movement of another pin into the notch thus stopping the forward
movement of the carrier-tube; while the cam forcer will be allowed to proceed, and,
by means of another pin which enters the angular enlargement made in the slit of
the carrier-tube, will cause the outward spreading of the jaws, thus gradually
releasing the lead or crayon from the grip of the jaws, which at a certain point
will be overcome by the resilience of the spring; and the resulting sudden extension

page_text: of the spring will cause the crayon stub to be expelled to a considerable distance
from the point of the holder.
Another form of carrier provided with a notched slot and a forcer, without the
ejecting spring, is adapted for use with the screw mechanism above described, but
in this case the lead or crayon will be gradually expelled from the carrier-tube
and when free therefrom will drop vertically from the point of the holder.