Improvements in Pencils.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Feb., 1896-Accepted, 18th Apr., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Pencils.
I, HERBERT HENDERSON SEAMAN, of No. 43 Vernon Avenue, in the City of
Brooklyn, County of Kings, and State of New York, in the United States of
America, Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention aud in what
manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
n and by the following statement:-
My invention has for one object to provide an improved construction of self-
sharpening pencils, that is to say, pencils in which successive portions of the lead
may be exposed for use by removing from time to time, as required, the separable
portions comprising the sheath or holder which contains and supports the lead,
crayon, or other analogous device; and my invention consists in certain features
of construction and combinations of devices all as will be hereinafter more fully
described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
In carrying out my invention, I employ a series of hollow conical devices which
nest together or intermatch and surround or encase a preferably continuous or
unbroken stick of lead, crayon, or other marking device. Around the series of
conical devices is wrapped a piece or sheet of paper or other suitable material to
bind the said series of conical devices together. Between successive conical
devices is formed a circular indentation or groove to facilitate the cutting or
breakage of the outside sheath or wrapper and the removal of the conical
sections.
In order to aid or guide the user in the removal of the conical sections, the
outside wrapper or sheath is slotted or perforated in such a manner that the said
circumferential notches or grooves may be readily observed from the outside of
the pencil. One end of the lead or crayon is cemented or otherwise secured to a
conical base-piece, and at the other end the pencil is preferably provided with a
conical cap.
Between these two devices the removable conical sections are strung
upon the lead and nested together, and over or around the whole is secured the
retaining wrapper.
In the accompanying drawings:-
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a lead pencil embodying my improvements.
Figure 2 is an enlarged central vertical section thereof broken away at its
middle to condense the view, and to afford a better illustration of the construction.
Figure 3 is an enlarged side elevation with a large portion of the wrapper
removed to show several of the conical members in side elevation, and to show also
the mode of forming the pencil, the lead being broken away between its ends to
condense the view.
Figure 4 is a plan of the wrapper, detached.
Figure 5 is a longitudinal section of one of the conical members, and
Figures 6, 7 and 8 are similar views of slightly modified forms thereof.
In the various views the same part will be designated by the same numeral of
reference.
1 designates a continuous stick of lead, crayon, or the like, which is preferably
cemented at one end in a cylindrical aperture 2 formed in a base-piece 3, which
at its forward or inner end is made conical or tapering as at 4, and which at its
opposite outer end is made cylindrical as at 5. 6, 6, designate a series of conical
devices, sections, or members, all of the same size, shape and construction, and
These conical
arranged to surround and support the lead and nest together.
sections 6 may be made of any suitable material, as paper, compressed paper

page_text: pulp, compressed wood pulp, papier maché, card or pasteboard, wood or metal, or
any other suitable substance or material. Each individual section or member 6
may be made of any desired or suitable thickness of stock, for example, one-
sixteenth of an inch. Each is made hollow to encompass the lead and to receive
its adjacent section. At the base of each conical section is formed or provided a
circumferential notch or indentation 7.
At the forward or lower end of the lead is preferably provided a cap-piece 8,
having a cylindrical aperture 9 to receive the end of the lead, and having also
a conical scat 10 to receive the foremost conical section 6, and the said cap-piece
is formed cylindrical exteriorly, as at 11.
Surrounding the base-piece, cap-piece, and the series of individual nested lead-
supporting conical sections or members is a wrapper or cover 12, which is preferably
of paper and which is glued or otherwise secured to the said several devices, and
by which, more especially, the plurality of conical sections 6 are maintained firmly in
their nested condition upon the centrally-disposed lead.
The said wrapper or cover is preferably provided for substantially its whole
length with a series of slots or openings 13, which may be obliquely arranged as
shown at Figures 1. and 3, so that one slot or opening overlaps the next adjacent
slot or opening, considered circumferentially of the pencil.. By this construction
and arrangement of slots or openings in the wrapper, it is insured that all of the
circumferential notches or indentations 7 are exposed to view, and hence little or
no care need be taken in the application of the wrapper. If the slots or
openings 13 extended circumferentially of the wrapper or at right angles to its
axis or length, it might be difficult to so apply the wrapper as that such slots or
openings would register exactly with the notches or indentations formed by the
overlapping series of conical sections. While this difficulty would be presented
with the slots formed as last described, it would not be impossible to employ such
circumferential slots in the wrapper in place of the parallel oblique overlapping
slots preferred, and for this reason I do not wish to be limited, so far as this
feature of my invention is concerned, unless specifically recited in the claims; to any
particular form or arrangement of slots or openings in the wrapper.
From the foregoing and from the drawings it will be plain that the pencil as a
whole is formed or constructed by first inserting the upper or rear end of the lead
into the opening in the base-piece, and by then slipping the conical sections 6, one
after the other or, in the series, down upon the lead and causing them to seat one
upon the other or nest together as shown, until the required number of conical
sections have been so applied. After this operation, if the cap-piece is to be
employed it is slipped upon the lower or foremost end of the lead and upon the
outermost conical member. After this step the sheath or strip of paper or other
material, constituting the wrapper, of a length equal to that of the pencil to be
formed, and of a width sufficient to surround the sectional devices and to slightly
overlap at its edges, is then applied and secured to the several devices, preferably
by means of glue or some other adhesive substance. This completes the making
of the pencil, and when finished, it will present the appearance shown at Figure 1
of the drawings.
While I prefer to make pencils of this appearance and supply them in this
manner to consumers, it will be understood, of course, that so far as some of the
features of my invention are concerned, the cap-piece 8 and the wrapping portion
therefor may be omitted, and the pencil supplied with the front end of the lead
exposed for immediate use.
Pencils having the cap-piece 8 require of course the removal of the same before
the pencil can be used, but this may be readily accomplished by cutting or
otherwise breaking the wrapper at the circumferential notch 14, whereupon the
said cap-piece may be readily slipped off or detached. As the projecting end of
the lead wears away and it becomes necessary to expose more lead for use, the
first or foremost conical section 6 is then removed by running a knife or the finger
nail or any sharp instrument around the wrapper at the first notch 7, thus rupturing

page_text: he paper and freeing said conical section from the main body of the pencil, and
enabling its ready removal by a mere end wise sliding movement in the direction
of the point of the pencil. In this manner the remaining conical sections are
successively removed as required, such removal being greatly facilitated by reason
of the circumferential notches or grooves and the slotted or perforated wrapper,
the perforations in the wrapper enabling the user to locate the circumferential
notch at a glance, and the notch itself permitting the wrapper to be readily cut or
broken, the presence of the notch leaving the paper unsupported at this locality,
and hence easily severed or disjoined.
Referring now more particularly to Figures 1 to 5 inclusive, it will be observed
that each conical section or member is peculiarly made, that is to say, it is formed
or provided at its apex or pointed end with a cylindrical or parallel sided bore 15
for about one-third of its length, and that the remainder of the interior of the
section is tapering or frusto-conical, as shown at 16. The cylindrical portion 15 is
provided more especially to afford to the member a comparatively long bearing
upon or about the lead, while the flared or tapering portion 16 is provided to
permit the insertion of an adjacent section, which likewise affords an extended
It will be observed that the cylindrical
bearing for the preceding section.
portions. 15 form a practically continuous or uninterrupted bearing for the whole
length of the pencil, and hence that the lead is supported for substantially its
whole length, whereby a structure of great strength is consequently produced. In
these views it will be also observed that the outside of the conical section tapers
down to substantially a knife or thin edge as at 17, while the base or rear end of
the conical section is formed or provided with a cylindrical portion 18; or in other
words, this end of the conical device for an appreciable distance is cut away
parallel with its axis to produce a cylindrical or parallel sided portion 18, and by
But a still
reason of which the diameter of the pencil as a whole may be reduced.
more important function is performed by this portion 18, to wit:-it serves to
afford a wide or extended surface for the support of the wrapper and for its firm
adhesion to the conical sections as a whole, so that there is no liability whatsoever
of any of the members of the series becoming loose or of rotating or moving
longitudinally during use of the pencil. The large pasting surfaces afforded by
the series of cylindrical portions 18 are therefore useful, not only to reduce the
diameter of the pencil and enable the formation of pencils of practically continuous
cylindrical form, but to also enable the wrapper to be firmly pasted to the conical
sections for practically its whole length, and in consequence keep the series of
nested conical sections firmly down one upon the other, so that there will be no
break in the continuity of the structure, and so that it will be rendered as rigid
and as solid practically as the ordinary wood encased lead pencil of commerce.
It will also be observed in these views that the base or rear end of each
cylindrical portion 18 is bevelled or chamfered inwardly as at 19, and that this
portion assists in the formation of the circular notch or indentation 7, the remaining
portion of the notch or indentation being formed by the beveled or tapering
exterior of the adjacent conical member.
While I prefer to make the conical sections or members in the specific manner
shown in Figures 1 to 5 inclusive, I do not, however, wish to be limited
altogether to this particular construction or formation, inasmuch as the main
features of my improvements may be employed with conical sections differing
some in details of construction, as shown for example in the remaining figures of
the drawings.
Referring now to Figure 6, the conical section there shown is substantially the
same as that exhibited in the previous views, the only difference being that the
smaller end of the section does not taper to a knife or sharp edge, but to a thicker
or duller edge, and in consequence thereof the circular shoulder 20 is provided at
5 the junction of the cylindrical portion. 15 and tapering portion 16 for the
abutment thereagainst of the thickened end of the corresponding conical member
to be associated therewith.

page_text: Referring now to Figure 7, it will be seen that the conical section is provided
with the cylindrical portion 15 tapering to a knife edge, but that the base or wider
end of the structure is unprovided with a cylindrical portion corresponding to 18
in the previous views, and likewise lacks the beveled or chamfered end 19.
Referring now to Figure 8, the device there exhibited will be found to consist of
a frusto-conical section purely; and of uniform thickness of stock.
The wrapper or envelope may be made of paper, vellum, cloth, or any other
pliable and frangible substance, which is thin and strong, and it may be polished,
glazed, varnished, or painted either before or after its application to the conical
sections. The lead or marking crayon may be such as is commonly used in pencils
of commerce, or the marking substance may be of slate or soapstone, or any
material used by architects, artists,. draughtsmen, painters, or artisans. The
enclosed substance may also be a caustic, drug, or chemical, for use by physicians,
surgeons, &c., and in the subjoined claims I desire to be understood as covering the
use of any marking material, or substance used for purposes other than marking,
so long as the same is contained in. a structure embodying my improvements.
From the foregoing it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the
details of construction of the conical sections or members and in the wrappers or
envelopes without departing from the spirit of my invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
. claim is :-
1. A pencil or the like consisting of a continuous lead, etc., a block or base-piece
to which the lead or the like is secured, a series of individual, nested conical
members, and an outside wrapper or covering; substantially as set forth.
2: A pencil or the like consisting of a marking or other substance, a block or
base-piece to which the lead or the like is attached, a series of individual, nested
conical members, a cylindrical cap-piece having a tapering interior and a cylindrical
bore, and an outside wrapper or covering; substantially as set forth.
3: In a pencil or the like, the combination with the lead, etc., of a. base-piece to
which one end of the lead is secured, a series of conical members surrounding and
supporting the lead longitudinally and entering one another, and a longitudinal
wrapping strip pasted or gummed to said base-piece and to said series of conical_
members; substantially as set forth.
4. In a pencil or the like, the combination with the lead, etc., of a base-piece to
which one end of the lead is secured, a cap fitted over the other end thereof, an
intermediate series of individual, conical members, and a longitudinal wrapping
strip pasted or gummed around the base-piece, cap-piece, and the series of conical
'members; substantially as set forth.
5. A pencil or the like comprising a continuous central marking or other device,
a series of individual; nested conical members, a series of circumferential grooves
or indentations, and a longitudinal, wrapping strip secured to said members and
bridging over the said series of circumferential grooves or indentations, whereby
the wrapping strip is left unsupported at these localities and hence may be easily
. severed; substantially as set forth.
6. A pencil or the like consisting of a central marking or other device, a series
of individual, nested conical members; a series of circumferential grooves: or
indentations, and a perforated wrapper or covering secured to said members
and adapted to disclose the series of grooves or indentations; substantially as
.set forth.
7. A pencil or the like. consisting of a central marking or other device, a series
of individual, nested conical members, a series of circumferential grooves or
indentations, and a wrapper or covering having a series of oblique or diagonal
· perforations; substantially as set forth..
8. A pencil or the like consisting of a base-piece to which one end of the lead' or
other device is secured, a series of individual, conical members supported upon said

page_text: base-piece and within one another, and surrounding said lead, etc., a cap-piece
embracing the point of the lead, and seated upon the foremost conical member, a
series of circumferential grooves or indentations, and a slotted or perforated
wrapper pasted or gummed to said cap and base-piece, and to said series of
individual conical members; substantially as set forth.
9. In a pencil or the like, a series of individual, nested conical members having
a practically continuous cylindrical bore throughout the series and supporting
therein the continuous lead or other material, and having a practically continuous
cylindrical exterior, with a series of narrow intervening circumferential grooves or
indentations, and a wrapping strip pasted or gummed around and to said practically
continuous cylindrical exterior and bridging over the said series of grooves or
indentations, and thereby leaving a series of circular spaces beneath said strip to
enable it to be readily severed, substantially as set forth.
Dated this 10th day of February 1896.
HERBERT HENDERSON SEAMAN.