IMPROVEMENTS IN FOUNTAIN PENHOLDERS
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Martin Benson, of No. 52, Chancery Lane, London, for
an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN FOUNTAIN PENHOLDERS." A communi-
cation from abroad by William Washington Stewart, of Brooklyn, in the
County of Kings, State of New York, United States of North America.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Martin Benson at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 21st February 1882.
MARTIN BENSON of No. 52 Chancery Lane London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
FOUNTAIN PEN HOLDERS." A communication from abroad by William Washington
Stewart of Brooklyn in the County of Kings State of New York United States of
North America.
This Invention relates to that class of penholders wherein a supply of ink is
contained in the holder and is delivered therefrom to the pen to compensate the
discharge from the pen to the paper in writing.
In this class of pens the delivery of ink from the reservoir to the pen has been
effected by the gravity of the ink alone. If not restrained, the gravity of the ink
would cause it to escape in a steady stream without reference to the quantity
required by the pen. It has therefore, been necessary to control said escape and to
limit it to the varying quantities required. To do this various expedients have
been resorted to but they all may be classed under a single designation as baro-
metric because the flow is controlled by atmospheric pressure, the pen holder
being a sealed tube; and the escape of the ink being resisted by the external
pressure until said pressure is neutralized by the entrance of air therefore, for each
drop of ink delivered, a corresponding volume of air was admitted.
In the present Invention I have invoked a physical principle never before utilized
for any similar purpose, and by it, the delivery of ink from the fountain holder is
rendered positive independent of gravity and independent of atmospheric pressure.
That physical principle is capillary attraction, and by means of it the ink is carried
out of the reservoir and delivered to the pen. The vehicle or medium whereby the
capillary action is made effective, is a perineable strand or cord which is caused to

page_text: extend from the ink within the reservoir to the pen. This strand may be of
natural or woody fibre such as broom straw &c, or of fabric such as loosely twisted
or braided thread or cord. This permeable substance becomes saturated with the
ink, and thereafter will form a duct for the passage of the same, and a nucleus to
connect the flow of an additional quantity which will flow along the wetted surface
of the conductor.
In addition to the capillary action of the permeable thread or cord, I employ as
an auxilliary the allied force derived from the quality of certain surfaces to attract
or repel fluid contact. Thus a roughened surface will, as it were, attract fluids, that
is to say, it enables them to cling and augments the capillary action; whereas,
smooth and glazed surfaces have the contrary effect.
I therefore introduce within the reservoir, roughened or capillary surfaces to
which the ink will cling at the exterior, and in the central part, smooth glazed or
repellant surfaces along which the air, as it enters, will move to escape to the upper
part of the reservoir.
The gravity of the ink is diminished by capillary adherence to the roughened or
capillary walls and the escape of the entering bubbles of air is facilitated by the
repellant or glazed surfaces, while the permeable cord or strand and the capillary
force acting in the same cause a forced and positive flow of the ink to the pen
under all circumstances.
The glazed surfaces may be metallic vitrious or animal, and among animal
substances suitable quill has been found to be very satisfactory.
The permeable strand or cord is placed in connection with the pen so that the
movements of the pen in writing will move said strand and thereby cause sufficient
agitation of the ink to prevent clogging by bubbles or sediment.
That others may fully understand my Invention, I will now particularly describe
it having reference to the accompanying Drawings, wherein
Fig. 1. is a longitudinal section of a pen holder provided with my improvements
as described herein.
Fig. 2. represents the same applied to a stylograph.
Figs: 3, 4, 5, and 6, represent modifications in the structure useful to adapt the
Invention to different conditions or purposes.
It is to be understood that the structure shown in Fig. 1. is typical of my
Invention, and that I do not propose to limit myself to the details shown and
described, but only to limit myself to the features essential to the results described
as set forth above.
The barrel or reservoir A may be made of any suitable material, but for this
purpose vulcanite or celluloid is preferred. Its upper end is closed by a head B
which for convenience in manufacture, and for convenience in cleaning and repair
is made removable. The lower end of the barrel A is partly closed by a point
or pen section C which carries the ink chamber together with the pen and
devices which contribute to the proper flow and distribution of the ink. The point
section C contains the immediate delivery ink chamber I and the exterior protector
or jacket E.
The ink descends from the larger reservoir in the barrel A to the smaller reservoir
ink chamber I and thence to the pen.
As the ink is discharged from the reservoir its place is filled by equal volumes of
atmospheric air from outside. The interference of the outflowing fluid and inflowing
air cause the flow of ink to be uncertain and more or less intermittent and to
In this
overcome this practical difficulty many devices have been resorted to.
Invention the force of the capillary attraction is employed in a way which gives it
a positive action to control and compel the desired flow of fluid notwithstanding
the opposition of air bubbles passing in an opposite direction. The vehicle for the
exercise of the capillary force is a permeable strand fibre or cord, a, which is
extended through the ink chamber, d, and to and in contact with the pen.
This
strand or cord becomes saturated with ink and is capable of constituting a duct
through which the ink will flow even though surrounded by air. In practice I

page_text: employ a small strand of broom corn or other similar woody substance represented
by b Fig. 1. or it may be vegetable fibre, such as cotton as at, a, Fig. 4. preferably
lightly twisted and when the latter is employed it may be stretched through the
ink space, being secured at both ends or it may be wound around a wire or other
rigid support.
This latter is the preferred mode. The part, b, may be a light spring of gold or
other noncorrodable metal and be wound from end to end with the fine fibre or
thread, said spring is fastened at its point to the point of the ink tube or gutter, g,
whence it curves upward so as to be in contact with the pen F and thence down-
ward over a supporting pin, e, and in through the ink tube or chamber d. Each
movement of the pen in writing causes the spring to flex, and its forward end
being fixed in the end of the gutter, the motion occasioned by the flexure of the
spring is resolved into a longitudinal motion of that part which is within the ink
tube and chamber d.
The permeable strand above described has the capillary effect described but this
effect is facilitated by the employment in connection therewith of vitrious or other-
wise glazed surfaces to which the bubbles of entering air will not cling therefore
they pass rapidly away to the upper end of the chamber or reservoir. For this
purpose pieces of quill seem to be well adapted and I have used a slender cutting
of quill inserted in the chamber d with excellent results. I also employ plates of
quill or of glass or other artificial glazed material in the body of the reservoir as
shown at G, and I have also employed the glazed surface in the form of a tube, as
shown at A Fig. 4.
A pen as shown in Figs 2 and 5 it is advantageous to connect said stylus at its
upper end with a coiled spring m of fine noncorrodable wire as shown in said Figs,
and said spring may be made of thin flat wire covered with a fibrous material as
shown in Fig. 5. whereby the capillary surface is composed of a fibrous permeable
material. The capillary and repellant effect may also be in a large measure
effected by roughened and polished surfaces, i, k, on the interior of the barrel and
these surfaces will to the best advantage be arranged in alternate strips as shown
in Fig. 6.
The rings or ribs 2 are placed in the reservoir to assist the ink to cling to the
wall.
As hereinbefore stated the structures shown in the accompanying Drawings are
merely typical of the Invention and designed to illustrate the Invention and its
mode of operation.-Hence in Figs: 2, 5, 6, a stylographic needle q is repre-
sented instead of a pen and in Fig. 3. a permanently fixed tube, 1, is substituted
for a pen. This latter will serve for coarse writing such as is done in directing
tags, packages &c, but the instrument for final delivery of the ink to the paper or
othor surfaces is not material to the subject matter of this Invention. For the
purpose of certainty, I will recapitulate that the entering bubbles of air are the
obstructors of the ink flow, and that the fibrous or permeable strand by capillary
action forces a downward flow of ink past said obstructing bubbles, and that the
glased surface by a species of repellant action facilitates the upward movement of
the air bubbles.
It will be apparent also that the capillary and repellant forces may be graduated
and adjusted as to each other so as to adapt the flow to any defined requirement
either as to use or quality of ink.
Having described my Invention what I claim as new is.
1st A holder with its interior made of vulcanite or other material and provided
substantially as described with capillary and glazed surfaces whereby the capillary
surfaces will co-operate with the gravity of the fluid, and the glazed surfaces will
facilitate the movement of the entering bubbles of air.
2 A holder portions of the interior surfaces whereof are made dissimilar viz.
roughened and glazed and so arranged that capillary attraction of the one and the
non capillary action of the other will be graduated with relation to each other for
the purpose of regulating the flow.

page_text: 3. A permeable strand or cord arranged to be moved by the pen as a pipe to
draw off the ink from the reservoir combined with said pen and a trough or bath
under the same.
4. A fountain pen holder provided with an ink tube or gutter, g, and a pen F
combined with a permeable elastic band b, at its end secured to the point of the
ink gutter, g, and maintained in contact with the pen by a pin, e, substantially as
set forth.
5 In combination with a fountain pen holder provided with interior smooth or
glazed surfaces, a permeable fibrous covering for a part of said glazed surface
substantially as set forth.
6 A reservoir pen holder, a pen and a permeable spring, b, resting against the
underside of the pen and extending through the ink tube combined with a
permeable strand or cord within the ink tube and attached to said spring so as to
be moved by the same substantially as set forth.
In witness whereof I the said Martin Benson have hereunto set my hand
and seal this 20th day of February in the year of our Lord 1882.