US673469A - Helical-grip paper pencil. - Google Patents

Description

No. 673,469. Patented May 7, |90I.

D. M. DIGK'INSON.

HELICAL GRIPPAPER PENCIL;

(Application lediept. 13, 1900.)

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OEETCE.

DVIGHT M. DICKINSON, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO THOMAS J. CARR, OF SAME PLACE.

HELlCAL-GRIP PAPER PENClL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 673,469, dated May i7, 1901.

Application filed September 13, 1900. Serial No. 29,897. (No model.)

To all 1071/0721, t may concern,.-

Be it known that I, DWIGHT M. DIoKrNsoN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bridgeport, county of Fairfield, State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Helical-Grip Paper Pencil, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the class of leadpencils in which independent leads are used, and has for its object to provide a pencil of this character which shall be neat and attractive in appearance, light, thoroughly reliable, able to stand hard usage without injury, and, most important of all, which may be produced at a mere fraction of the cost of any pencil of the class now upon the market.

With these ends in view I have devised the novel pencil I will now describe in which the lead is held in place by a helix of paper through which it passes, the helix forming a grip or clutch which holds the lead firmly in place, but which permits it to be readily adjusted or removed and a new one placed in position at the convenience of the operator.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure l is an elevation of my novel pencil complete; Fig. 2, a longitudinal section corresponding therewith; Fig. 3, an elevation of the helical grip and the lead removed; Fig. 4, a plan View of a blank of paper for the helical grip; and Fig. 5 is a cross-section, on a greatly-enlarged scale, of the helical grip and the lead, showing the coating of size upon the lead.

A denotes the case; B,a rubbereraser,which may or may not be fixed in one end of the oase; C, a lead, and D my novel helical grip.

The case may be made of any suitable material, as metal, Wood, rubber, or paper. A very inexpensive anddurable case and one susceptible of any desired amount of ornamentation may be made from a strip of paper rolled on a mandrel, the outer coils of the strip being glued or cemented together. If the cases are made from separate blanks of paper, a taper, as at l0, may be formed at the open end of each case by tapering that edge of the blank, the end of the blank that forms the inner coil of the helix being made slightly widerthan the other. Ihaveshown thecaseas made with its inner and outer sides parallel.

It should be understood, however, that this is a matter of no consequence whatever so far as the principle of my invention is Concerned. It' preferred, the case may be made to taper from either end toward the other, or it may be made of greatest diameterintermediate the ends and may be made of uniform or varying thickness. The lead may of course be of any size, color, or hardness that may be desired. An important feature of my invention, however, is that I cover the leads with a coating of size, which I have indicated by 11 in Fig. 5 and the purpose of which I shall presently more fully explain.

12 denotes a washer or plug which may or may not be xed at the inner end of the lead and may be formed from a roll of paper or in any suitable and inexpensive manner. This Washer is adapted to pass freely into the case, and when used acts to hold the inner end of .the lead against vibration, so that the pencil may be dropped in use without danger of breaking the lead.

The special shape of the blank of paper from which the helical grip is made is of course not of the essence of my invention, the essential features of which are that the helical grip fit closely enough in the open end of the case so it Will remain firmly in position in use, that it have a longitudinal opening 2O large enough to receive the lead extending through it, that the outer portion only of the blank be glued or cemented, so that all the inner portion of the helix will be unsecured, and that the blank be long enough to form a relatively hard, but at the same time thoroughly elastic helix, so that the lead will be gripped firmly thereby. A blank shaped substantially asin Fig. 4 has been found quite satisfactory in practice, as it provides a portion 13, which is adapted to fit closely Within the open end of the case, a shoulder 14:, which is adapted to rest against the end of the case and serve as a stop to limit the inward movement of the helical grip, as clearly shown in Figs. l and 2, and also a taper l5, which runs out on the surface of the lead. In the blank shown it will be noted that the edges are straight, but not parallel, the blank being relatively Wide at the end which forms the inner coil of the helix and tapering toward the other end, this IOO Vgrip and acting as a lubricant.

taper of the blank forming the taper 15 of the completed helical grip. The shoulder 14 of the completed helical grip is formed by re-v moving a portion of the blank at the end which forms the outer coil of the completed helical grip and on the side opposite the incline. For convenience in illustration l have indicated the inclined edge of the blank in Fig. 4 by 16, the stra-ight edge by 17, the relatively Wide end by 18, and the cut-away portion at .the opposite end by 19.

The operation of my novel pencil is as follows: It-should be borne in mind that the leads are covered with a suitable size or varnish-ol. e.. ,any sol utiou of gelatinous material, as glue, starch, or rosin, that will glaze the surface and prevent the graphite of the lead from rubbing off upon the inner coil of the helical The eifect of the size upon the lead is to produce sufcient friction between the surface of the lead and the inner coil of the helical grip, so that the lead will be held firmly under the ordinary conditions of use. When it is desired to adjust the lead, however- 11. e., provide a longer point-theoperator removes the helical grip from the case, holds the helical grip with the thumb and nger of one hand, and turns the lead backward with the thumb and finger of the other hand, at the same time pushing it forward as far as may be required, or withdrawing itif required. Having adjusted the lead in the helical grip, it is locked in place with ample lirmness for the ordinary conditions of use by giving the lead a slight turn forward, the effect of which is to Wind the inner coil or coils of the helical grip tightly about the lead. If for any reason the lead should `not adhere with sufficient firmness to the inner coil of the helical grip, the di fliculty may be remedied in an instant by removing the lead from the helical grip, wetting it slightly, and again inserting it in the grip, at the same time turning it backward, and then when the lead is at the desired adjustmentv in the helical grip turning it forward again, when it will be firmly locked in place.

I-Iaving thus described my invention, I claim- 1. In a pencil of the character described the combination with a case, of a lead and a holding device for the lead, said holding device being separate from the case and consisting of ahelix of paper by which the lead is gripped and which is itself adapted to engage the case.

2. A grip for pencil-leads consisting of a helix of paper having a central opening to receive a lead, its inner coils loose and its outer coils secured together, and having a stop portion to engage a case to prevent longitudinal movement therein, substantially as shown, for the purpose specified.

A grip for pencil-leads consisting of a helix of paper having a central opening to receive a lead, its inner coils loose, its outer coils secu red together and a shoulder 14, substantially as shown, for the purpose specified.

et. A grip for pencil-leads consisting of a helix of paper having a central opening to receive a lead, its inner coils loose, its outer coils secured together and a taper 15 at one end, and a reduced portion at the other end to fit within acase, substantially as shown, for the purpose specified.

5. A grip for pencil-leads consisting of a helix of paper formed from a blank having an inclined edge, a straight edge, a relatively wide end and a cut-away portion at the opposite end, substantially as shown, for the purpose specified.

6. The combination with a case and a lead having its-surface covered with size, of a grip for the lead consisting of a helix of paper through which the lead is passed, the inner coils of the helix being unsecured and the outer coils being secured together, and having a stop portion to engage the end of said case.

'7. The combination with a case and a lead, of a grip for the lead consisting of a helix of paper through which the lead is passed, said grip having ashoulder adapted to engage the end of the case to limit the inward movement of the grip.

8. The combination with a case and a lead having a Washer upon its inner end which is adapted to pass loosely within the case for the purpose set forth, of a grip for the lead consisting of a helix of paper which holds the lead and itself engages the case, said gripV having a shoulder to engage the end of the case to limit inward movement of the grip and lead.

In testimony whereof I ai'x my signature in presence of two witnesses.

DWIGHT M. DIOKINSON.

Witnesses:

A. M. Woos'rER, S. W. ATHER'roN.

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