Year: 1888

page_text: 1, HENRY HARRIS LAKE of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Company, Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of
the 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 consists of an improved reservoir, or fountain pen, especially useful,
among other purposes, for marking on rough surfaces, such as wood, coarse wrapping
paper, and other articles, where an ordinary pen could not be used.
Of the accompanying drawings,
Fig. 1 represents a longitudinal section of my improved pen.
Fig. 2 is a side clevation.
Fig. 3 is a section on aa, Fig. 1, looking toward the screw cap B.
Fig. 4 is a section on yy, Fig. 1 looking toward the marking point.
A is the tube or barrel of the instrument made of any desirable material, drawn
down slightly at one end, as at f, to form a contracted mouth, and furnished at the
other with an interior screw thread, into which fits the tapped screw cap B preferably
provided with a milled head as shown. The inner diameter of the tube A is slightly
greater than the diameter of the spheroid L, which forms the marking point, and
which is preferably a sphere. The sphere L is introduced into the upper screw
threaded end of the tube A, and, falling to the bottom, is held therein by the con-
tracted portion, the diameter of which is such as to allow the sphere L to project
preferably about one-third of its diameter beyond the end of the tube. Above the
marking sphere L'are the smaller balls K of suitable size and number to furnish an
upward anti-friction bearing for the said marking sphere. In the pen herein
illustrated, I have used three of these anti-friction balls K, which are of sufficient size
when dropped into the tube A to dispose themselves evenly around the top of the
sphere L and against the inner surface of the tube. G is a rod provided at its upper
end with an enlarged flaring portion g, and at the other end with the somewhat
conically shaped bearing H, which bears against the balls K, the shape of its under
surface being such as to tend to force the balls K outwardly against the inner surface
of the tube A. This rod, with its conical bearing, is constantly pressed against the

page_text: balls by the spiral spring S, which rests at its upper end against the bottom of the
screw cap B, while the lower end presses against the rod G, which it preferably
surrounds. In the form of pen herein shown the lower part of the spring rests
against, small cross rods a a' fixed on the rod G, or cast thereon, at right angles to
each other and serving, to keep the upper part of the said rod G in the centre of the
tube A: The lower end of the rod is centered by the conical bearing H, which
touches lightly the inner surface of the tube at a number of points hhhh, Fig. 4,
being cut away between those points to allow the ink, with which the tube A is filled,
to flow by the bearing. The outer screw cap B is centrally bored out and tapped to
admit the inner screw C, which is preferably provided with a hole e, for admitting air
into the interior of the tube. The lower end of the screw C fits an opening in the
enlarged portion g of the rod G, when the said screw is in contact with the top of
In this position the
the rod, this being the proper position when the pen is not in use.
air hole e is closed, and at the same time the ball L is firmly pressed outward and held
against its scat in the contracted mouth of the tube A, the seat being accurately
fitted to the ball. In this position no ink can escape from the pen. When once the
marking sphere L the anti-friction balls K K K, the rod G and its attachments, and
the spring S are introduced in place, the cap B is screwed down and need rarely be
removed, except for cleaning the pen. The filling is accomplished by unscrewing the
inner screw Cand introducing the ink, or marking fluid, through the hole normally
filled by the said screw.
In Fig. 1 the pen is shown in proper position for marking. The screw C is
unscrewed slightly from its closed position and the pen is held nearly upright. When
the ball L is pressed against the surface, the spring S yields, allowing the ink to flow
out of the tube around the ball on all sides, to the point in contact with the surface to
be marked, the amount of the flow and the width of the line being determined by the
amount of play of the ball L inside the contracted mouth, which is in turn regulated
by the distance between the opening & and the lower end of the screw C.
When writing over rough surfaces the marking point, when a sphere, is free to
revolve in all directions so that writing may easily be done over cranks and scams,
and the point can neither split, spatter nor catch; hence its adaptability for marking
wooden or paper boxes, and other rough articles.
I do not limit myself to the exact form of the various parts as herein shown. The
top of the rod G may, for instance, be squared off perfectly plain, without the
opening b and the air hole e may be dispensed with in the screw C. So also the
exact shape of the lower bearing His immaterial as its under surface might be
rounded out convexly or even flat instead of conical, without affecting the working of
Morcover any desired number of anti-friction balls K may be employed.
the pen.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. A pen having a spheroidal marking point, substantially as described.
2. A pen having a marking sphere capable of revolving in all directions, sub
stantially as and for the purposes described.
3. In a fountain pen a marking sphere in combination with a spring and a tub
having a contracted mouth, whereby the sphere projects from the tube, substantiall
as and for the purposes described.
4. In a fountain pen a tube having a contracted mouth in combination with
spring, a marking sphere and one or more anti-friction balls, substantially a
described.
5. A pen having a marking sphere in combination with one or more anti-frictio
balls, substantially as described.
6. In a fountain pen a tube having a contracted mouth in combination with
marking sphere, a scrow, a spring, and a centrally guided rod provided with suitab
end bearings, whereby the marking sphere may be closed tightly into the contracte
mouth, substantially as and for the purposes described.

page_text: 7. In a fountain pen a tube having a contracted mouth and a tapped screw cap, in
combination with an inner screw, a marking sphere, a spring and a centrally guided
rod provided with suitable end bearings, substantially as described.
8. In a fountain pen a tube having a contracted mouth in combination with a
marking sphere, one or more anti-friction balls, a screw, a spring and a centrally
guided rod, substantially as and for the purposes described.
9. In a fountain pen a tube having a contracted mouth in combination with a
marking sphere, a spring, a centrally guided rod provided with suitable end bearings,
and a screw provided with an air hole, whereby, by turning the screw against the
centrally guided rod, both the air hole is stopped and the marking sphere closed
tightly into the contracted mouth, substantially as and for the purposes described.
10. A pen consisting of a tube A having the contracted mouth and the tapped screw
cap B in combination with the inner screw C, the marking sphere L, the anti-friction
balls K, the spring $ and the centrally guided rod G provided with the end bear-
ings and H, all arranged and operated substantially as and for the purposes
described.
11. In a pen substantially as described, a centrally guided rod flared at one end and
provided with a recess, and having at the other end a suitable bearing cut away at
intervals along its outer edge, substantially as and for the purposes described.
12. In a pen substantially as described, a rod provided with guides a a', and having
at one end the flared recessed portion y and at the other the conical bearing H cut
away at intervals along its outer edge, whereby it touches the inner surface of the
cylinder at the portions substantially as and for the purposes described.
13. A fountain pen consisting of a tube having a contracted mouth and a tapped
screw cap in combination with an inner screw, a marking sphere, anti-friction balls, a
spring and a rod provided with guides a a¹ and having at one end a flared recessed
bearing, and at the other end the conical bearing H cut away at intervals, al
arranged and operated substantially as and for the purposes described.
Dated this 30th day of October 1888.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London
Agents for the Applicant.