US2038248A - Refillable pencil - Google Patents

Description

s. STEUER REFILLABLE PENCIL Filed Nov. 15, 1935 April 21, 1936.

named Apr. 21, 193e UNITEDsrATEs,

REFILLABLE rENcn.

Stefan Steuer, BohnLLBndweis, Czechoslovakia,

*assignor to firm ofYKoh-inoor Bleistii'tiabriir L. if` C., Hardtmuth, ohm.udweis, Czeelarni 1 Slovakia e Applicationnvember 13,1935, serial N01. 49,587 y In Czechoslovakia Decemberzi, 1933 Y s canne (01.120422) y f This invention relates to rellable pencils in which the point, section of the pencil is movable longitudinally inrelation to the main portion or stem ofthe same', the leady passing with friction 5 through the pencil lpoint and being merelyheld in place by a clamping device but not propelled. According to the invention, in order that the 'length of lead exposed for writing purposes may always be keptY constant, the clamping device is l l located in the immediate vicinity of the bore of the pencil point and the point section is drawn up, together with.' the lsaid clamping device in such a way as to assist the clampingaction of the latter.

l Refillable pencils are'already .known'whichhave a longitudinally movable point section and 4a. clamping device, which serves only to hold the lead in, place but lin these known pencils the* clamping device is arranged insuch. away as to leave room for freely movable leads between such device and the bore of the pencil point,

the latter carryingsuch leads with it whenjit moves` downwards. In contradistinction hereto, in the pencil of the present invention, the clamping devicel isintentionally brought so close to the.

bore of the pencil point that-there kare no freely movable leads between it and-the said pencil point, withv theresult that when the point descends the leads rare not ycarriedA down .with it. On the contrary the point section, in its descent, moves away from the lead and only then is the latter released-by the clamping means. Thus,

each time the lead is-released it can only drop far enough for its lower end to meet the bore .35 of the point; in other words, it always 'drops by a denite amount. If the point section and the clamping device then return to their posi` tions of rest, the lead will project a deilnite dis-l clamping device, which is made like a pin chuck f device 3 also partake of the downward movement and so presses the jawsof the chuck together.

Finally, the pencil according to this invention has the great advantage'that upon unscrewing the movable point section, the clamping device "am, exposed so thatthis clamping device and the bore of `the. point section can` easily be cleaned when fouled by leaddust, which might prevent them from functioning in'a satisfactory manner.

One constructional embodiment of the invention is shown in the ,accompanying drawing, in 5 which:

,'Flg. 1y shows the whole `pencil 11n longitudinal section,. y

Fig. 2 is a section on'the line II-II of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a section on the line III--g-IlIof Fig. 1, 104

Fig. 4 is a detail in'elevation and'` Fig. 5 is a section'on the line V--V ofFig. 4. In the stem l of the pencil the part compris ving theytube 2,` designed to hold leads. andthe clampingr device v3 which embraces the lead 15 onall sides is' arranged for` longitudinal movei ment, while the clamping sleeve I is xedly se# cured in the said' stem.`- jA spring 5 serves merely as a closing spring for "the, clamping device 3 and ensures retraction of the latter into the 20 clamping sleeve i, thus causing the jaws of the clamping devicel to be pressed together so.l that a lead gripped therein 'cannot move longitudirially. The longitudinally"movableI` tube "2 fis surrounded by a l.wider and' likewise longituf' 25 dinally movable tube 6, provided at-its lower end with two or more ilnger-likehextensionsz6*'(see Figs. 4 and 5)` which pass through corresponding apertures or channels in the clamping ring 'l v (see Figs. 1 and 2). The point section 8y is at- 30 tached to these extensions Si, so `that it is inov-v able with the tube 6, and it has alborey 9", through which the lead passes with friction. A spring 1,y independent of the clamp closing lspring y5, normally holds the tube 8 and consequently the point 35 section 8 in their upper terminal position. On le upper end of the tube 0 is mounted a cap If the pencil :be held bythe stem I'with the: point 8 pointingl vertically downwards, and if t0 pressurebe then applied to the cap I0,'so that it moves downwards, against the pressureof the spring 1, the point section 8 (with its bore 9), being attached to the tube C, will also be moved downwards vihlle the tube 2 with the clamping 45 dence a and zh lead damped therein at met remains at rest. Thus the point is forced off from' the writing end of the lead. 'Only after aclearance d (Fig. 1)- 'has been takenA up in the descent of the cap I0 will the tube 2, with the clamping 60 Assuming the downward movement of thecap 55 I to be continued, the clamping device 3 will now open, because it is pushed out of the clamping sleeve I, and thus it frees a passage for the lead. A lead now feeds out of the tube 2 through the clamping device 3 until it reaches the bore 9, which has also moved further down with the opening of the clamping device 3 and is, therefore, separated from the clamping device l by the normal distance plus the clearance d.

If the cap I0 be slowly released, both the clamping device 3 and the bore 9 move towards their positions of rest under the action of the springs I and 1. 'I'he lead which has fallenfdown as far as the bore 9 takes part in this rearward movement up to the moment 4at which the clamping device closes. From this moment the clamping device 3 and the firmly lclamped lead remain stationary and only the point section 8 with its bore 0 continues its return movement under the action of the spring 1. In doing this the bore 9 pushes On the repetition of the above described cycle of operations without any alteration of the length of the protruding piece of lead pressure on the cap does not 4produce any change in the position of the lead, this being one feature which distinguishes the pencil of the present invention from known constructions. Only when the length of lead which projects from the bore 8 has been reduced (for instance, by snapping it off or wearing it down by writing) does any advance of the lead take place in response to the described lead adjusting operation. lFurther when an advance of the lead does take place it can only be such that,l at the conclusion of the lead adjusting operation, the leadprotrudes by the same amount d from the bore 9.

Variation o f the clearance d may, for instance, be effected by turning the cap I0 on the screw thread Il, which the tube 6 carries at its upper end. Accidental rotation of the cap I0 can be prevented by any convenient means as by a close frictional engagement between the cap and the tube 8.

what I claim is:

l. A reflllable pencil..comprising a stem, a

' point section longitudinally movable relatively to s said stem and having a bore through which passes the lead with friction, a likewise movable lead clamping device, an adjusting device cooperating with said point section and with the clamping device'so as to move, when operated, first, only lo the point section and thereafter also the clamping device in the same direction, means movable relatively to and cooperating with the clamping device so as to make it operative, and spring means to return the clamping device and the point l section to their original position.

2. A renllable pencil, as claimed in lclaim l, wherein the clamping device is arranged in the vicinity of the point section.

3. A reflllable pencil, comprising a stem, a point section longitudinally movable relatively to said stem and having a bore through which passes the lead with friction, a likewise movable lead clampingdevice, a tube carrying said point section, a further tube concentrically arranged to the first named tube and 'carrying said clamping device, a cap-like adjusting member cooperating with both tubes so as to move, when operated, first only the ilrst named tube and thereafter also the last named tube in the same direction, means secured to said stem, cooperating with said clamping device to make it operative, and spring means to return both tubes to their original position.

4. A refillable pencil, comprising a stem, a point section Vlongitudinally movable relatively to said stem and having a bore through which passes the lead with friction, a likewise movable lead'clamping device arranged in the vicinity of said point K section, an adjusting device cooperating with the point section and with the clamping device so as 40 to move, when operated, ilrst only the point section and thereafter also the clamping device, a sleeve-like member secured to said stem and embracing said clamping device to actuate the latter, when being displaced relatively to the same. and spring means toreturn the clamping device and the point section in their original position.

5. A reilllable pencil as claimed in claim 4, wherein the point section and the clamping device are provided with corresponding cam surfaces cooperating when being displaced relatively to each other.

STEFAN STEUER.

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