IMPROVEMENTS IN METALLIC PENS AND PENHOLDERS
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Hezekiah Hewitt of the Firm of Hewitt and Company
of Birmingham in the County of Warwick Manufacturers for an Invention of
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Hezekiah Hewitt at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 26th January 1883.
HEZEKIAH HEWITT of the firm of Hewitt and Company of Birmingham in the
County of Warwick Manufacturers "IMPROVEMENTS IN METALLIC PENS AND
PENHOLDERS
"
My improvements in metallic pens are as follows:-
For the purpose of enabling the pens to take up and retain a greater quantity of
ink than ordinary pens I form on the underside of the nibs of the pen projections
or flaps. These projections or flaps are either flat that is situated in a plane
crossing the concave or underside of the pen or they are bent inwards or slightly
outwards. Or the said projections or flaps instead of being situated along the
edges of the pen may be made by cutting them from the body of the pen. The
projections or flaps described are perforated so that the ink held between them and
the underside of the pen flows readily to the point of the pen when pressure is put
upon the pen in writing. I also make at the point end of the pen a channel. The
convex side of this channel is situated on the under or concave side of the pen and
is presented to the paper in writing. The inner end of the said channel opens into
the ink reservoir or apace between the flaps described and the concave side of the
pen and the ink held in the said space flows through the said channel to the point
of the pen in writing.
I also make the extreme point of the pen of the form of a minute cup with its
convex side downwards the said cup being divided by the slit in the pen. This
construction increases the thickness of the point and gives to it in writing a

page_text: smooth gliding action on the paper. The said cup like point also increases its
durability.
The improvements described may be used in combination or separately.
My improvement in penholders consists in making the middle portion of the
metallic part or tip of the penholder of greater diameter than the parts on either
side of the middle portion. This enlargement at the middle of the metallic tip
ensures a much firmer grip of the fingers and thumb upon it than when the
metallic tip is made of the same diameter throughout as usual. The said enlarged
part of the metallic tip may be indented or roughened to increase the grip of the
fingers and thumb upon it
Besides serving for the purpose described the enlarged part of the metallic tip
of the penholder prevents the pen end of the tip when the penholder is laid
upon a table or other surface from coming into contact with and inking the said
table or surface.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Hezekiah Hewitt in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 17th July
1883.
HEZEKIAH HEWITT of the firm of Hewitt and Company of Birmingham in the
County of Warwick Manufacturers "IMPROVEMENTS IN METALLIC PENS AND
PENHOLDERS"
My improvements in metallic pens are as follows:―
For the purpose of enabling the pens to take up and retain a greater quantity
of ink than ordinary pens I form on the underside of the nibs of the pen projections
or flaps. These projections or flaps are either flat, that is, situated in a plane
crossing the concave or underside of the pen or they are bent inwards or slightly
outwards. Or the said projections or flaps instead of being situated along the
edges of the pen may be made by cutting them from the body of the pen. The
projections or flaps described are perforated so that the ink held between them and
the underside of the pen flows readily to the point of the pen when pressure is
put upon the pen in writing. I also make at the point end of the pen a channel.
The convex side of this channel is situated on the under or concave side of the
pen and is presented to the paper in writing. The inner end of the said channel
opens into the ink reservoir or space between the flaps described and the concave
side of the pen and the ink held in the said space flows through the said channel
to the point of the pen in writing.
I also make the extreme point of the pen of the form of a minute cup with its
convex side downwards, the said cup being divided by the slit in the pen. This
construction increases the thickness of the point and gives to it in writing a
smooth gliding action on the paper. The said cup like point also increases its
durability.
The improvements described may be used in combination or separately.
My improvement in penholders consists in making the middle portion of the
metallic part or tip of the penholder of greater diameter than the parts on either
side the middle portion. This enlargement at the middle of the metallic tip
ensures a much firmer grip of the fingers and thumb upon it than when the
metallic tip is made of the same diameter throughout as usual. The said enlarged
part of the metallic tip may be indented or roughened to increase the grip of the
fingers and thumb upon it.
Besides serving for the purpose described the enlarged part of the metallic tip of
the penholder prevents the pen end of the tip when the penholder is laid upon &
table or other surface from coming into contact with and inking the said table or
surface.
I will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying Drawing the
manner in which my invention is to be performed.
Figure 1 represents in plan of upperside; side elevation; plan of underside and
longitudinal section, a metallic pen constructed according to my invention for
taking up and retaining a large quantity of ink the pen being otherwise improved
as hereinafter explained: Figure 2 is a cross section of the pen taken on the dotted
line a, a Figure 1.
b, b are the projections or flaps on the underside of the nibs of the pen. The
shape of these projections or flaps is best seen in the upper and under views
Figure 1 and the cross section Figure 2. In the said Figures it will be seen that
the said flaps overhang or partially cover the concave or underside of the pen and
are slightly bent downwards, but the said flaps may be situated in the same plane

page_text: or be bent slightly inwards or upwards with the same or nearly the same effect.
The blank from which the pen is made has ear pieces on its sides from which the
projections or flaps b, b are made by bending the said ear pieces.
The flaps or
projections b, b are slit or divided or they may be otherwise perforated so that the
ink held between them and the underside of the pen flows readily to the point of
the pen when pressure is put upon the pen in writing.
In order to facilitate the passage of the ink to the point of the pen and to give
to the point a smooth action on the paper I make at the point end of the pen, a
channel c the convex side of which is situated on the under or concave side of the
pen (see the cross section Figure, 2) and is presented to the paper in writing. The
said channel is divided by the slit in the pen and its inner end. opens into the ink
'reservoir or space between the flaps b, b and the concave side of the pen and the
ink held in the said space flows through the said channel to the point of the pen in
writing.
:
I prefer to slightly curve upwards the extreme end of the channel c at the point
of the pen as seen in the longitudinal sectional view of the pen Figure 1, the
projecting part of the pen coming into contact with the paper in writing.
I do not limit myself to the sectional figure represented of the channel c as it
may be made of other sectional figures.
Instead of making the flaps b, b by which the pen is enabled to take up a large
quantity of ink from ear pieces left at the sides of the pen as represented in Figures
1 and 2, one or more flaps may be made by cutting it or them from the body of
the pen.
Figure 3 represents in plan of upperside and longitudinal section a pen in which
a single flap made as last described is used the said flap being marked d. This flap
is cut from the part e of the back of the pen and is bent forwards towards the
point and under the concave side of the pen and has the trough or spoon form
represented in the section given to it so as to enable it readily to retain a large
quantity of ink between it and the concave side of the pen. Instead of the large
single flap d Figure 3 two or more smaller flaps may be employed.
The construction of channel c described and represented in Figures 1 and 2 in
conjunction with the flaps b, b may be used apart from the said flaps as illustrated
in the pen shown in plan of upper side and longitudinal section in Figuro 4 the
said channel being marked c. Or the point end of the pen may be modified in the
manner represented in plan of upper side and longitudinal section in Figure 5;
that is to say, the edges of the point part are turned up as shown at ff so as to
form raised or thickened edges at the point part and point of the pen the said
raised edges coming in contact with each other at the extreme point of the pen.
A channel is thereby formed similar to but shorter than the channel of the pen
Figures 1 and 2 and a smooth action of the point upon the paper is obtained.
Figure 6 represents in plan of upper side and longitudinal section a metallic
pen constructed according to my invention in which the extreme point of the pen
is made in the form of a minute cup marked g the said cup being divided by the
slit of the pen. The convex side of the cup g is situated downwards and comes in
contact with the paper in writing. Or instead of the cup form represented at ga
solid rounded projection of the same external configuration as the cup g may be
made on the underside of the point with the same or nearly the same effect. This
construction gives to the point of the pen a smooth gliding action upon the paper
in writing and increases the durability of the point.
Figure 7 represents in elevation a penholder constructed according to my inven-
tion; h, i, h is the metallic part or tip of the penholder the middle portion i being
of greater diameter than the end parts h, has represented. The middle part i may be
left smooth or it may be roughened either by projections as shown in the drawing or
by indentations. By means of the middle enlargement i a firmer grip of the fingers
and thumb upon the tip of the penholder can be obtained than in metallic penholder
tips of the ordinary kind.
The enlargement i of the metallic tip prevents the pen when the penholder is

page_text: laid upon a table or surface from coming into contact with and inking the said
table or surface.
"
In order that my improvements may be the better exhibited I have drawn the
pens and penholder made according to my invention to a large scale.
Having now described the nature of my invention and the manner in which the
same is to be performed I wish it to be understood that I claim as my invention of
Improvements in pens and penholders":
First The combination with the underside of the nibs of metallic pens of the
projections or flaps b, b Figures 1 and 2, or one or more of the projections or flaps d
Figure 3 constructed as described and illustrated, for enabling the pens to take up
and retain a greater quantity of ink than ordinary pens.
Secondly Making at the point end of metallic pens a channel c preferably
having its end curved upwards, the convex side of the said channel being situated
on the underside of the pen and presented to the paper in writing substantially as
herein before described and illustrated in Figures 1. 2 and 4 of the accompanying
Drawing.
Thirdly Constructing the point end of metallic pens in the manner and for the
purposes herein before described and illustrated in Figure 5 of the accompanying
Drawing.
Fourthly Making the extreme point of metallic pens with a cup shaped or
rounded projection either hollow or solid on the underside of the said point for the
purpose and substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in Figure 6 of
the accompanying Drawing.
Lastly Making the metallic part or tip of penholders of greater diameter at its
middle than at the parts on either side the middle portion for the purposes and
substantially as herein before described and illustrated in Figure 7 of the accoin-
panying Drawing.
In witness whereof I the said Hezekiah Hewitt have hereunto set my hand
and seal this thirteenth day of July in the year of our Lord one thousand eight
hundred and eighty three.
Witness, ARTHUR J. POWELL
Clerk to Mr. George Shaw
Birmingham.
HEZEKIAH HEWITT (L.S.)