US2206525A - Method of manufacturing pen points - Google Patents

Description

Patented July 2, 1940 PATENT OFFICE z.2os.525 Mnrnon or mnumoruamo run rom'rs George E. Bartol, Jr., Wynnewood, Pa., asslgnor to 0. Howard Hunt Pen Company, Camden,

N. 1., a corporation of New Jersey Application February a, 1938, Serial No. 188,467

4 clam. 113-32) This invention relates to an improved pen Point and method of manufacture thereof. invention is especially concerned with that general type of pen point in which the writing tip is folded or provided with bent tabs forming a rounded and smooth ball at the tip.

More specifically, the invention provides for a writing tip of this general nature which is capable of producing very fine lines on upward and downward strokes as well as on transverse strokes of the pen. In this respect the pen of this invention is an improvement over .prior pens of this general type in which the bent tabs heretofore presented a relatively broad or transversely thick .writing tip (because of the thickness of the metal from which the pen blank has been stamped in order to provide the required or desirable resistance to bending).

The present invention provides a pen of the type having bent tabs at the tip formed integrally with the body of the pen but at the same time of less thickness than the pen body. The invention further has as a major object the provision of an effective method for producing this article. I

The manner in which the improvements of the invention are effected will appear more fully in the following description of the preferred embodiment of the method and article, as illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a bottom face view of a pen blank as stamped from sheet metal stock in accordance with the preferred practice of this invention; 7

' Figures 2 and 3 are bottom plan views of the blank following certain manufacturing steps hereinafter described;

Figures 4 and 5 are end views of the blank after additional steps in the process of manu-' facture, the views being taken from the writing tip end of the pen;

Figures ,6 and 7 are bottom face views of the blank after two additional process steps;

Figure 8 is a side elevational view of the completed pen; and

Figures 9 and 10 showmodifled ways for producing pen blanks having tip parts of reduced thickness.

In accordance with Figures 1 to 8, the pen blank is stamped out of sheet metal stock, preferably stainless steel, and comprises a heel part 9 and a toe part III. A pierce hole ll adjacent the junction of the toe and heel parts may be provided, and the writing tip end of the toe part In has laterally extending ears or tabs l2-I2 extended beyond the marginal outline of the pen to be formed.

. In carrying out this method of making the pen,

after formationof' the blank, the tip part in- Y I cluding the tabs 12-42 is swaged to thin the metal of the tip, this thinning being accompanied by spreading of the tabs l2|2'to form the somewhat larger tabs indicated at In in Figure 2.

Following this-operation, the tabs l2a are preferably trimmed to provide uniformly rounded edges of quite small radius especially at the tip end, as is-indicated at l2b in Figure 3. I

The pairof tabs is then bent toward the under side of the pen, the bending being effected pref- 1 erably in two stages as is indicated by Figures 4 and 5 at I20 and [212.

The metal at the junction between the bent tabs which lies in the original plane of the blank is then slit as shown at IS in Figure 6. Where a pierce hole H is provided, the slit extends up to this hole so as to provide effective delivery of ink therefrom downwardly to the writing surface. In accordance with my preferred method, the slit is formed by a shearing operation and thereafter the slit is opened to form a slot 13a. (see Figure 7 this being accomplished by swaging the metal of the pen in regions such as indicated at M and Na in Figure '7, region 14 lying adjacent the pierce hole or the inner end of the slit and the two regions Ma. lying one on each of the nib parts. In carrying out this operation the swaging is preferably done in a manner to open the slit at its inner end but maintain the extensions of the tips adjacent to or in contact with each other. This general type of opening of a slit to form a slot is not a part of the present invention per se, the same being described and claimed in copending applications Serial No. 4,813, filed February 4,1935, and Serial No. 118,464 filed December 31, 1936, of Lloyd S. Hen- 1 wood and George E. Bartol, Jr., respectively, said applications having issued as Patents Nos. 2,121,541 and 2,121,542, respectively.

Following opening of the slot lea, the pen is raised or brought to rounded configuration as in Figure 8. other process steps common in this art may also be employed for various purposes, such as smoothing the tip by a running" operation, polishing, gold plating, etc.

In connection with the process of manufacture as outlined above, it should be noted that certain variations may be adopted. For example,

it may not in all instances be necessary to initially stamp the pen with laterally projecting tabs l2-l2. In this event, the swaging of the tip would be relied upon to spread the metal and provide the tabs. Furthermore, in proceeding in this manner it may not be necessary to effect the same degree of trimming of the tip as suggested in Figure 3, or the trimming might possibly be entirely dispensed with.

In addition to the above the slitting and opening of the slit may be effected in ways different from that described or at different points in the process. By way of illustration, the slitting may be effected prior to some or all of the bending of the tabs and may be accomplished by a thin abrasive wheel instead of by a shear.

A further modification of the method is also illustrated in Figure 9, in which the strip stock it is swaged to provide thinned areas. as at IS. The pens are blanked from this strip stock with the tip tabs l1 overlying the thinned area, as is clearly indicated in dot and dash lines. In proceeding according to this method, the individual thinned areas may be swaged by means of appropriate tools arranged in the blanking machine itself.

Still another modification is shown in Figure 10, in accordance with which the strip stock i8 has one complete side edge thereof of reduced thickness, provided either by rolling or swaging, as shown at IS, the tips of the pens again being blanked from the region of reduced thickness.

In accordance with both of the arrangements of Figures 9 and 10, the bending of the tabs (see Figure 4) may take place immediately following the blanking operation, thus eliminating the steps shown in Figures 2 and 3. a

The most important characteristic of the inventiorr is involved in the provision of bent tabs at the writing tip of a pen, which tabs are thinher than the adjacent nib parts or than the entire body of the pen. This provides for the production of fine lines on the upward and downward strokes of the pen and the shaping of the' tabs to uniform curvature of small radius provides for the production of fine lines on the transverse strokes of the pen.

An important point to consider in connection with the foregoing is that the use of thin metal throughout the entire body of the pen in an efiort to produce a narrow tip (providing for production of fine lines on the upward and downward strokes) would not accomplish the desired purpose because of the fact that the thinner metal is more flexible and, therefore, gives under writ-- ing pressure to such an extent that the nib parts spread, particularly on the down stroke and produce a heavy instead of a thin line. Thus it is of importance that the body of the pen be made of metal of substantial thickness but that the tabs at the tip should be reduced in thickness.

I claim:

1. In the manufacture of a pen point, the steps of forming a sheet metal blank having a toe part, swaging the writing tip to decrease the thickness thereof as compared with that of adjacent metal in the toe part of the pen, and bending side edge portions of the writing tip downwardly to lie in approximately parallel planes, and slitting the toe part between said side edge portions to provide a pair of nib parts.

2. In the manufacture of a pen point from a sheet metal blank having laterally projecting tabs adjacent the writing tip, the steps of swaging the tip portion including said tabs to decrease the thickness thereof as compared with that of adjacent metal in the toe part of the pen, cutting on portions of said thinned tabs to provide substantially uniformly rounded edges thereon of small radius, bending said tabs in a direction toward the under side of the blank into approximately parallel relationship, and providing a slit between said tabs.

3. In the manufacture of pens from flat sheet metal stock, the method which includes swaging the metal forming the writing tip of the pen to decrease the thickness thereof as compared with that of adjacent metal forming the toe of the pen, bending side edge portions of the writing tip downwardly into approximately parallel relationship, and slitting the toe part between said side edge portions to provide a pair of nib parts.

4. In the manufacture of pens from flat sheet metal stock, the method which includes swaging an area of said stock ultimately forming the writing tip of the pen to decrease the thickness thereof as compared with that of adjacent metal ultimately forming the toe of the pen, stamping a pen blank from the stock with the writing tip portion out from the swaged area, bending side edge portions of the writing tip downwardly into approximately parallel relationship, and slitting the toe part between said side edge portions to provide a pair of nib parts.

GEORGE E. BARTOL, JR.

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