Improvements in Electric Perforating Pens.
Year: 1894

page_text: .
Date of Application, 13th Mar., 1394-Accepted, 14th Apr., 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Electric Perforating Pens.
I, AARON DABNEY LEWIS, of Canton, in the County of Lewis, and State of
Missouri, United States of America, Gentleman, 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 electric perforating pens, and it has for its object to
provide certain improvements in electric perforating pens employed for perforating
and indenting the writing material being written upon, such as drafts, checks, and
other commercial paper, whereby alterations and erasures cannot be made without
detection. To this end the main and primary object of the present invention is to
improve upon the construction of electric perforating pens whereby the same are
rendered much more useful and efficient.
With these and other objects in view which will readily appear as the nature of
the invention is better understood the same consists in the novel construction,
combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated
and claimed.
In the accompanying drawings
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an electric perforating pen constructed in
accordance with this invention.
Fig. 2 is a vertical central longitudinal sectional view thereof.
Fig. 3 is a detail transverse sectional view on the line x-x of Fig. 2.
Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of the needle operating devices removed from
the pen-holder casing.
Fig. 5 is a similar view of the upper end of said devices.
Fig. 6 is a detail plan view of the armature disk.
Referring to the accompanying drawings, A represents a tubular hollow pen-
holder having a lower shouldered end a, which removably receives one end of the
hollow penholder tip B, which tip accommodates in the outer end thereof the spring
pen-holding plug C, between which and the penholder tip B, is adapted to be
inserted an ordinary pen point D. The peu point D is provided on its under side
with the perforated guide lug E, the perforation of which is in a line with a guide
perforation e, formed in the plug C.
The penholder A is flared at one end as at F, and exteriorly threaded at f, at
such end, to removably receive one interiorly threaded end of the cylindrical pen-
holder casing G, which is interiorly threaded at both ends and has a binding or set
screw g, working in one side thereof. The other interiorly threaded end of the
casing G removably receives the flared exteriorly threaded end of the tubular pen-
holder extension cap H, which completely encloses the casing or barrel G, and
provides convenient means for enclosing the leading-in wires of the magnet devices
to be presently described.
The cylindrical penholder casing F, is adapted to snugly and removably receive
the cylindrical magnet box I, which is held firmly in position within the penholder
casing by means of the binding or set screw g, clamping thereon. The magnet
box I is closed at one end and is provided with a central opening i, in such closed
end, and said box encloses therein an ordinary electro-magnet J. The electro-
magnet J is thus entirely encased within a metallic box, which is itself held in
position inside of the hollow penholder and said magnet is provided with a
longitudinally perforated core K, one end of which is threaded as at k, to receive
the perforated screw L, passing through the central perforation in one end of the
magnet box I, and engaging the threaded end of the core of the magnet, in order

page_text: to securely hold the same in position within the magnet box, and the latter is
further provided in one side with a wire groove L'-which accommodates one of
the magnet wires 1, which passes through a suitable perforation in the closed end
of the magnet box and forms a continuation of one of the leading-in wires x, which
are disposed within the cap H, and are suitably connected in a battery circuit in
the ordinary manner.
The electro-magnet J is provided at one end thereof with the projecting guide
pin M, which projects beyond the open end of the magnet box to loosely fit in the
guide perforation m, in the vibrating armature disk N, which is arranged to vibrate
over the exposed end of the magnet core and the open end of the magnet box, and
is held steady in its vibration by said guide pin, which also provides means for
connecting the armature disk in circuit with the other magnet wire to provide for
the proper make and break of the circuit.
The armature disk N, is provided with a central threaded opening n, which
receives the inner threaded end of the reciprocating perforating needle O, which
works through the longitudinally-perforated core of the magnet and the perforated
screw L. The said longitudinally-reciprocating perforating needle O is guided to
its work by the perforated plug C and lug E and is provided at its outer extremity
with a perforating point o, which vibrates directly back of the pen point, so as to
indent or puncture the writing material as the pen is carried thereover in the
ordinary manner.
The vibrating armature disk N is normally held off from the core of the magnet
by means of the relieving coil spring P, arranged there between and one end of the
magnet so as to relieve the disk from the magnet core immediately upon the
breaking of the circuit, and outside of and beyond the armature disk is arranged an
adjustable contact spring Q, the lower end of which is adapted to contact with
the disk when the latter is held off from the magnet core by the relieving
spring P. The contact spring Q is attached to one end of the adjusting screw R,
adjustable in and insulated from the off-standing bracket arm S, attached to one
end of the magnet box I, and disposed entirely within the cap H.
The screw R has attached thereto one of the leading-in wires a, in order to
complete the circuit through the magnet and the armature disk during its
vibrations.
Now it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that immediately upon
closing the circuit through the writing instrument just described, the electro-
magnet is rendered active so that its core at once attracts the armature disk, and
draws away from the contact spring thereby reciprocating the perforating needle
in one direction, and at the same time immediately breaking the circuit so that the
armature disk immediately flies back against the contact spring under the tension
of the relieving spring, so as to again close the circuit and cause the vibrations to
continue. The employment of the springs at both sides of the armature disk
greatly assist the rapid vibration thereof.
Changes in the form, proportion and the minor details of construction may be
resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the
advantages of this invention.
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. In an electric perforating pen a hollow penholder, an electro-magnet mounted
inside of said penholder and having a vibrating armature, and a longitudinally-
reciprocating perforating needle working inside of the penholder and attached at
one end to the magnet armature, substantially as set forth.
2. In an electric perforating pen, a hollow penholder the pen point having a
guide lug on its under side, an electro-magnet removably mounted inside of the
hollow penholder and having a vibrating armature, and a longitudinally-
reciprocating needle attached at one end to the magnet armature and working

page_text: through the guide lug of the pen point in a direct line with its point, substantially
as set forth.
3. In an electric perforating pen, the hollow penholder having a perforated pen-
holding plug, the pen point having a perforated guide lug, the perforation of which
is in a line with that of said plug, a longitudinally-reciprocating perforating needle
mounted within the penholder and reciprocating through said plug and lug, and
electric needle-controlling devices encased within the penholder, substantially as
set forth.
4. In an electric perforating pen, a sectional hollow penholder having a cylindrical
casing, an electro-magnet mounted inside of the penholder casing and having a
vibrating armature, and a longitudinally-reciprocating perforating needle mounted
within the penholder and connected at one end to the magnet armature substantially
as set forth.
5. In an electric perforating pen, the sectional hollow penholder consisting of
opposite exteriorly threaded tubular portions and an intermediate enlarged
cylindrical casing removably receiving the ends of such opposite portions, the pen
point inserted in one end of the penholder, an electro-magnet removably clamped
in position inside of the penholder casing and having a vibrating armature, the
leading-in wires enclosed within one end of the holder and connected with the
magnet devices, and a longitudinally-reciprocating perforating needle connected at
one end to the magnet armature and adapted to have its other end vibrate beneath
and beyond the pen point, substantially as set forth.
6. In an electric perforating pen, a hollow penholder having a centrally disposed
cylindrical casing, the pen point having a guide lug on its under side, a cylindrical
magnet box removably clamped in position within the penholder casing, an electro-
magnet similarly held in position within the magnet box, a vibrating armature disk
arranged at one end of the magnet box and the magnet therein, circuit connections
and a reciprocating perforating needle having a perforating point at one end
working through the pen point guide lug and attached at its other end to the
armature disk substantially as set forth.
7. In an electric perforating pen, a hollow penholder having a cylindrical casing
in a line with the body thereof, a cylindrical magnet box closed and perforated at
one end and adapted to be removably clamped within the penholder casing, an
electro-magnet mounted within the magnet box and having a perforated core
threaded at one end, a perforated screw passing through the perforated end of the
magnet box and engaging the threaded end of the magnet core, a vibrating
armature disposed at one end of the magnet box, circuit connections and a
longitudinally reciprocating perforating needle working through the perforated
magnet core and the perforated screw and attached at its inner end to the armature
disk, substantially as set forth.
8. In an electric perforating pen, a hollow penholder having a cylindrical casing
a cylindrical magnet box adapted to be clamped inside of said casing, and having a
longitudinally perforated core, and a guide pin at one end a vibrating armature
disk disposed at one end of the magnet box and having a perforation loosely
moving over said guide pin, a relieving spring arranged between the armature disk
and the magnet, an off-standing bracket arm attached to one end of the magnet
box, a contact spring adjustably held off from said bracket arm and disposed at
one side of the armature disk, circuit connections, the pen point and the
longitudinally reciprocating perforating needle removably attached at one end to
said vibrating armature, substantially as set forth.
Dated this 13th day of March 1894.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.