US2021657A

US2021657A - Pencil

Info

Publication number: US2021657A
Application number: US731170A
Authority: US
Inventors: William B Lynch; Elmer E Frey
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1934-06-18
Filing date: 1934-06-18
Publication date: 1935-11-19
Anticipated expiration: 1952-11-19

Description

Nov. 19, 1935. w. B. LYNCH ET AL PENCIL Filed June 18, 1954 lNvENToRs u/f/.L/AM LYNCH BY ELMER E. FREY ma. @um J /3 ATTORNEYS.

Patented Nov. 19, 1935 UNITED STATES `PATENT OFFICE PENCIL Application June 18, 1934, Serial No. 731,170 claims.' (C1. 12o-1s) This invention relates to lead pencils, and particularly to those of the magazine type.

An object of the invention residesin the employment of more simple and positively acting 5 means for feeding the leads from the magazine than heretofore provided and for establishing .with more positive assurance true alinement of the lead with the conductor tube between the magazine and the tip end of the pencil.

A further important object is to provide a novel magazine assembly consisting of a very minimum of co-operable parts which can be readily inserted into the shell or removed therefrom and whose form and construction are otherwise such that the work of assembling the pencil will be greatly simplified.

A still further object is to provide a magazine of large lead capacity and in which, through the provision of a no-vel form of feeder or lead pusher,

will enable the leads to be successively discharged into a conduit or conductor tube, in which latter a plurality of ordinarily equal length leads can be disposed in endwise relationship to each other so that by the intended functional action of the aforestated pusher or feeder, all of theleads in said conduit will be moved to effect the requiredv feed o-f one thereof from the tip of the pencil and wherein the said pusheror feeder operates in conjunction with the clutch of the tip to prevent the leads from slipping axially of the conduit.

A further object is directed to the novel form and construction of the parts and the Yco--ordinated relationship of one to the other, whereby vto secure the magazine assembly operatively applied within the shell of the pencil. I Another feature of patentable novelty is directed to the form and design'of a magazine which 'will hold a reasonably large number of leads Vand Whose overall-length is such that vit -will occupy approximately'one-third the length of a shell of average length, say one which measures about ve and a half` or six inches and whose external diameter is between a quarter and a half inch. Other objects and advantages will appear and be more fully understood as the description proceeds.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure l is a vertical section through the pencil with parts in full lines;

Figure 2 is a vertical section on an enlarged I scale through a portion of the pencil; Y K

Figure 3 is a view in side elevation of a portion of the pencil;

Figure 4 is a transverse section on line 4-4 of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a section on line 5 5 of Figure 2;

Figure 6 is a section on line 6 6 of Figure 2.

In carrying the invention into practice, use is 5 made of a hollow shell or casing I0 of suitable length and diameter, the same having a conventional clutch tip II formed with an axial bore I2 from which latter a lead can be fed as use thereof is desired. l0

Within the upper section of the shell is tted a magazine and lead pusher assembly of the construction clearly illustrated in Figure 2 of the drawing. It includes a plug-like body I3 having an annular flat 1edge'I3a on which latter the 15 lower ends of the leads are adapted to freely rest so that a series of leads can readily move around the course defined by said ledge. Secured in the shell is a lead-conducting tube I4 of a form and' of such internal diameter to enable leads to pass 20 therethrough without any material resistance being offered thereto. Its upper end passes into a bore I5 in the body I3 so as to hold the latter against rotary movement and its lower end opens to the bore I2 of the aforementioned tip II as 25 shown in Figure 1, whereby'one lead after another can be fed from the said tip as required.

The magazine and lead pusher assembly further embodies a rotary shell-like lead holder I6, the same having an annular series of grooves I'I 30 for the accommodation of a like number of leads, so that the lower endsof said leads can rest on the ledge ISa. The overall length of the entire magazine and pusher assembly is approximately equal to one-third the length of the shell IIJ, and 35 yas illustrated, the lower end of the holder I6 has free rotary contact with said ledge. The upper end of the holder is offset laterally at I8 at the upper edge of the shellr ID and same is provided with an annular enlargement I9 which is milled 40 at 2B to enable same to be securely grasped ybetween the fingers and the holder rotated.

A tube 2| passes through the lead holder I6 so that an intervening annular lead race is formed 45 between the two. Its lower end is fxedly mounted in the body I3 and its opposite end 2Ia comes flush with the upper edge walls of the enlargement I9. Mounted to rotate in the body I3 axially of the tube 2| is a feed screw 22, the 50 upper end of which is fitted with an eraser sleeve 23, whereby the screw can be manually rotated. The screw is formed with a coarse spiral groove 24 in which the lug 25 of a feed nut or pusher 26 is adapted to travel as the screw is turned. Said 55 nut or pusher is provided with a radial pusher lug 2l which is adapted to travel in the longitudinal guide slot 28 in the tube 2|. Here, it will be observed that the upper end of the tube 2| is disposed in the enlargement I9 so that in one possible position of the nut, the lug 21 thereof will be above the adjacent groove I'I in said holder, thus enabling the lug to be fed against the adjacent end of the particular lead to be ejected from the magazine and fed through the conduit I 4. A closure sleeve 29 is fixed to and extends about the upper end of the tube 2| and has a ilange 33 which extends over the adjacent ends of the grooves Il' as shown in Figure 2, excepting, of course, a single one of said grooves, namely, the one from which the particular lead is being fed. It follows that when the nut 26 is in the position shown in Figure 2, the holder I6 can be turned to establish registration or alinement of a groove I'I with the bore 3| in the body I3 and the upper end of the conduit I4, preparatory to feeding the lead through said conduit.

Carried by the sleeve 29 is a spring dog 32 whose outer end is adapted to engage with the ratchet teeth 33 formed on the inner walls of the enlargement I9 of the lead holder. As the sleeve 29 is stationary on the tube 2|, it follows that on turning the holder, the dog will yieldingly engage the said teeth so as to co-act with each thereof and thus constitute, in part, a means for determining the number of leads in the holder at any time. The teeth 33 are positioned so that there is one thereof for each of the grooves I'I, as shown in Figure 4, and they are also correlated to the annular indicating markings 34 exteriorly formed on the said shell I0. A pointer 35 on the portion I9 of the holder co-acts with the markings 34 and with the indicating letters E and F on the shell, so that one may readily determine at a glance the exact number of leads in the magazine.

From the foregoing, it follows that means are provided for delivering a single lead from the magazine and for feeding same through the conduit I4. The conduit I4 always remains full, regardless of whether the magazine is full or empty. The pusher lug 21 serves as a constant abutment for the lead column so that the leads in said column cannot be pushed back or upwardlyin the conduit. This, in combination with any well known form of friction means at the tip I2, insures a perfect feeding of the leads at all times. When it is -desired to supply the magazine with leads, the cap 36 is removed from the eraser sleeve 23 and the holder is successively rotated to enable one lead at a time to be placed in the holder and the lower ends of the leads brought into resting engagement with the supporting ledge I3a.

The mechanism is exceedingly simple and a positive end--to-end engagement of the leads can be effected from a point starting at the lea-d holder to a point ending some place in the conduit M. By means of the described relationship of the parts and the construction thereof, the magazine and lead pusher assembly can be compactly positioned in a pencil shell or casing of average length and the capacity for the leads Will be quite large.

What is claimed is:

i. A lead magazine and lead pusher assembiy for pencils comprising means having a ledge on which the adjacent ends of an annular series of leads are adapted to freely rest, the said ledge having a lead discharge passage, a rotary lead 2. A lead magazine and lead pusher assembly for lead pencils comprising a body having an annular ledge on which the adjacent ends of leads can rest so as to move annularly on the ledge, the body having a passage through which a single one of the leads can pass, a pair of con- Y centrically positioned spaced tubes betwee'- which the leads can be placed in an annular series, the outer one of the tubes having longitudinal spaced-apart grooves in each of which a lead can be accommodated with its lower end resting upon the ledge as aforementioned, and the said outer tube being mounted for rotation, means for turning the outer tube to establish successive registration of the grooves with said passage, and slidably mounted lead pushing means contained in the inner tube and having a lug engageable against the opposite end of each lead as the leads are successively registered with the passage and adapted, during sliding movement in one direction of the pushing means, to push the lead through said passage.

3. A lead magazine and lead pusher assembly for lead pencils comprising a body having an annular ledge on which the adjacent ends of leads can rest so as to move annularly on the ledge, the body having a passage through which a single one of the leads can pass, a pair of concentrically positioned spaced tubes between which the leads can be placed in an annular series, the outer one of the tubes having longitudinal spaced-apart grooves in each of which a lead can be accommodated with its lower end resting upon the ledge as aforestated, and the said outer tube being mounted for rotation, means for turning the outer tube to establish successive registration of the grooves with said passage, slidably mounted lead-pushing means contained in the inner tube and having a lug engageable against the opposite end of each lead as the leads are successively registered with the passage and adapted, during sliding movement in one direction of the pushing means, to push the lead through said passage, means carried by the inner tube, means carried by the outer tube, the latter co-operable with the former to determine operative registration of a lead with said passage.

4. A lead magazine and lead pusher assembly for lead pencils comprising a body having an annular ledge on which the adjacent ends of leads can rest so as to move annularly on the ledge, the body having a passage through which a single one of the leads can pass, a pair of concentrically positioned spaced tubes between which the leads can be placed in an annular series, the outer one of the tubes having longitudinal spaced-apart grooves in each of which a lead can be accommodated with its lower end resting upon the ledge as aforestated, and the said outer tube being mounted for rotation, means for turning the outer tube to establish successive registration of the grooves, with said passage, slidably mounted lead-pushing means contained in the inner tube and having a lug engageable against the opposite end of each lead as the leads are successively registered with the passage and adapted, during sliding movement in one direction of the pushing means, to push the lead ,through the said passage, means carried by the inner tube, means carried by the outer tube, the latter co-operable with the former to determine operative registration of a lead with said passage, the said outer tube having a pointer thereon exteriorly thereof, and a shell in which the magazine is mounted, the said shell having markings thereon with which the pointer is adapted to coincide.

5. A lead pencil comprising a shell having a lead feeding conduit contained therein, one end of which opens directly to the lead bore of the tip of the shell, the opposite end of the conduit being positioned a considerable distance inwardly of the opposite end of the shell, and a lead magazine contained in that portion of the shell between said opposite end of the shell and the second mentioned end of the conduit, and including means for alining a lead with the conduit, means for pushing the lead from the magazine and for feeding same through the conduit, the magazine including a xed ledge upon which the lower ends of leads can freely rest so as to move thereover, an inner stationary tube having a laterally opening longitudinal slot, an outer rotary tube between which and the inner tube the leads can be placed in an annular series, the

rotary tube functioning, when rotated a limited distance, to register a lead With the conduit, as aforestated, and means contained in the inner tube and including a lug extending through said lateral slot and into the space between both tubes for engaging against a lead to push same as aforementioned.

WILLIAM B. LYNCH. ELMER E. FREY.