US2503007A - Mechanical pencil of the selective plural instrument type - Google Patents

Description

April 4, 1950 D. F. sTEUcK MECHANICAL PENCIL CF THE sELECTIvE PLURAL INSTRUMENT TYPE Filed Feb. 4, 1949 E MANWAAL/,T' nM/Mm/ L 5 5 O 2 2 3 m f .y

O f 2 fllll INVENTOR. DONALD FSTEUCK Patented Apr. 4, 1956 MECHANICAL PENCIL OF THE SELECTIVE PLURAL'INSTRUMENT TYPE Donald F. Steuck, West Allis, Wis.

Application February 4, 1949, Serial No. 74,630

4 claims. 1

' My invention relates to mechanical pencils and more particularly to pencils which incorporate a plurality of rells to be selected one at a time.

The object of my invention is to provide a mechanical pencil that supports refills of varied color or consistencies, lthat may be adjusted in the position and the individual refill expelled and retracted mechanically.-

-Another object of my invention is to provide a device in which the individual rells are supported individually.

Still another object of my invention is to providea device in which the refills are aligned in a manner to permit their selection for use, and in which the selection may be easily accomplished.

A further object of my invention is to provide a device in which the individual selected rells may be expelled or retracted manually.

It is manifest to any one familiar with the art that quite frequently it is desirable to have a plurality of colored crayons or varied grades of lead available, the device described and claimed herein would permit a plurality of rells to be incorporated into a single barrel and arranged in a vmanner in which they may be selected by the user and expelled and retracted one at a time. I Other and further objects of my invention will `become more apparent as the description proceeds when taken in conjunction with the drawing, in which Figure 1 is a fragmentary cross sectional View of the entire assembled mechanical pencil.

Figure 2 is a cross sectional view ofthe pencil taken at the line 2-2 in Fig. 1. Figure 3 is a similar cross sectional View of the mechanical pencil taken at the line 3-3 in Fig. l. Figure 4 is a cross sectional view of the pencil taken at the line 4-4 in Fig. 1. f Figure 5 is a bottom view of the pointed end portion of the pencil. Figure 6 is a fragmentary cross sectional view of the selection assembly for selecting the refills by revolving the cap. y Figure 7 is a fragmentary cross sectional vie oi the barrel showing the means of expelling and repelling the individual refills selected, and

' Figure 8 is a fragmentary cross sectional modi-v f led view of the refill clamp. v

The same characters of reference indicate the same parts throughout the several views and referring now to the same, the character Ill shows a barrel constituting the body of the device. There is a cap II rotatably mounted onto the barrel I0 and held in engagement with the barrel IU by frictional contact. The cap I I has internal (Cl. 1Z0-14.5)

teeth or serrations shown as I2 and the bottom of the barrel II) is provided with a tip portion indicated by the character I3 and shown attached to the barrel IIJ by means of a thread I4. However, the tip may be maintained on the barrel in any convenient manner and the cap II maybe attached to the barrel Ill in any convenient manner but is shown as being supported by frictional engagement at I5.

There is a selection gear I 6 having external teeth shown as I'I. This gear I6 is supported by means of a shaft I8 longitudinally disposed within the barrel I0 and attached to the selection gear I3 at I9 and supported at its lower end at 20 to a bottom plate 2i, which acts as an enclosure for the end of the barrel I. e

There are threaded insert supports 22 which are equipped with revolving members 23, threadedly engaging the outer threaded periphery of the supports 22. In my drawing I show four threaded inserts engaging the selection gear I6, and I show the revolving members 23 supported between a pair of retaining plates 24 and 24 which are spaced apart from one another and are attached to the inside of the barrel I0 at 25. These retaining plates 24 and 24 also act as a bearing for the shaft I3, and are provided with elongated apertures shown as 26. An aperture 21 is shown disposed through the side of the bar rel I0, to accommodate a narrow actuating wheel 28, and permits the wheel 28 to extend outward from the` peripheral surface of the barrel I. The actuating wheel 28 is supported by means of a shaft 29 which is journaled within the elon,4

' gated apertures 26 in the retaining plates 24 and 24', and leaf springs 3l) which are attached at one of their ends at 3l to the inside of the barrel I0, act as' a resilient means to contact the ends ofthe shaft 29 and force them toward the outer end'` By this resilient' of the elongated apertures 26. means the springs 36 will move the shaft 29 within the slots 26 forcing the periphery of the wheel 28` out of engagement with the revolving members 23. e 1

The rells are indicated by the character 32 and may be of varied colors of crayon, or variedy consistencies of graphite, depending on the purpose to which the device is to be used. The re" fills are retained on the end of the threaded reiill supports 22 by means of a spring ferrule shown asv 33. The end of the threaded insert' supports may also be threaded as shown at 34- in Fig. 8, and the extreme end of the tpportion I3 attached tothe barrel I0 is provided with an aperture shown `as-f35 to permit the refill 32 tobe expelled or retracted, while the threaded refill supports 22 pass through the aperture 36 shown in the bottom plate 2l of the barrel l0.

In operation the tip portion I3 would be removed, and the threaded refill supports 22 would be extended through the aperture 36 by applying pressure to the narrow actuating wheel 28 which pressure brought against the resilient members 30, will bring the wheel 28 into engagement with the revolving members 23 which threadedly engage the threaded rell supports 22. The rei-ill 32 is then placed within the spring ferrule 33 and the threaded insert support is again repelled in the opposite direction, so as to bring the end of the refill 32 inside of the barrel Il) above the plate 2|. It is then merely necessary to turn the cap H bringing the teeth l2 within the cap Il. Which are in engagement with the selection gear I 6 to revolve the selection gear I6 and bring the next threaded insert support into position so that it may be brought out of the barrel l at the bottom for inserting the rei-ill 32. After all of the threaded insert supports are provided with rells a selection may be made by turning the cap ll within the barrel l0 and by turning the actuating Wheel 28 to revolve the members 23, thereby bringing the threaded rell supports 22 downward so that the rell 32 projects out of the aperture 35 when the tip portion I3 is applied to the bottom of the barrel I0.

Obviously, the device may be used for many purposes, and although I have shown a specific arrangement of the component parts I am fully cognizant of the fact that many changes may be made in their form and coniiguration without effecting their operativeness, and I reserve the right to make such changes without departing from the spirit of my invention of the scope of the appendent claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent in the United States is:

l. A device of the character described to be used with refills, said device comprising a cylindrical barrel open at one end and closed at the other end, a cap member frictionally engaging the open end of said barrel, said cap closed at one end and provided with an internal serrated portion at its open end, a conical tip portion engaging the closed end of said barrel, said tip portion provided with an aperture at its apex, a. selection gear, a vertical shaft longitudinally disposed off center within said barrel, a pair of retaining plates supported within said barrel, said shaft journaled Within said retaining plates and supported on its lower end by the closed end of said barrel, said selection gear mounted on the upper end of said shaft, a plurality of refill supports disposed longitudinally within said barrel, said rell supports threaded on their outer periphery and slidably journaled within said selection gear and retaining plate, revolving members threadedly engaging the outer surface, of said rell supports, said revolving members disposed between said retaining plates, an actuating Wheel, said actuating wheel partially extending outward through the wall of said barrel, a vertical auxiliary shaft supporting said actuating wheel, said retaining plates provided with elongated apertures acting as bearings for supporting the vertical auxiliary shaft, said apertures registering with and in alignment with one another, said actuating wheel and revolving members provided with serrations on their outer peripheral surface, resilient means attached to the inside of said barrel for urging the auxiliary shaft toward the outer end of said elongated aperture, thereby normally bringing said actuating Wheel out of engagement with the said revolving members, said refill supports arranged to extend through the closed end of said barrel one at a time and provided with adapters at their depending ends for retaining the rells in longitudinal alignment with the aperture at the apex of the tip portion.

2. A device of the character described to be used in combination with rells, said device comprising, a hollow enclosure forming a barrel open at one end, a cylindrical cap engaging the barrel at its open end, said cap provided with inwardly extending serrations at its open end, said barrel provided with a conical tip member removably engaging its closed end, said tip member provided with an aperture at its apex, a selection gear, a vertical shaft longitudinally disposed off center within said barrel, a pair of retaining plates spaced apart from one another, said plates supported by the face of the inner wall of said barrel, said shaft journaled Within said retaining .plates and supported on its lower end by the closed end of said barrel, the said selection gear mounted on the upper end of said shaft, a plurality of threaded refill supports, said rell supports slidably mounted through said selection gear and retaining plates, revolving members threadedly engaging the outer surface of said refill supports, said revolving members disposed between said retaining plates, an actuating wheel, said actuatingv wheel partially extending outward from the wall o said barrel, a vertical auxiliary shaft supporting said actuating wheel, said retaining plates provided with elongated apertures for supporting the vertical auxiliary shaft, said apertures registering With and placed in alignment with one another, said actuating Wheel and revolving members provided with serrations on their outer peripheral surface for engagement with one another, resilient means within said barrel for urging the auxiliary shaft toward the outer end of the elongated apertures thereby normally bringing said actuating Wheel out of engagement with the surface of said revolving member, said refill supports arranged to extend through the closed end of said barrel one at a time and provided with adapters at one end for retaining the rells in longitudinal alignment with the center aperture in the apex of the tip member.

3. A device of the character described to be used in combination with a plurality of rells, said device comprising, a hollow cylindrical enclosure forming a barrel open at one end and closed at its. other end, a cap member frictionally engaging the open end of said barrel, said cap member provided with inwardly extending serrations at its open end, said barrel provided with a conical tip member arranged for frictionally engagingl the closed end of said barrel, said tip member having an aperture at its apex, a selection gear, a vertical shaft: longitudinally disposed oir center within said barrel, a pair of retaining plates supported by the inner face of the wall of said barrel, said shaft journaled oli center within said retaining plates and supported on its lower end by the closed portion of said barrel, said selection gear mounted on the upwardly extending end of ,said shaft, a plurality of rell supports, disposed longitudinally within said barrel, said rell supports threaded on their outer peripheral surface and supported slidably through said selection gear and retaining plates, revolving members threadedly engaging the outer surface of said refill suD- ports, said revolving members disposed and retained between said retaining plates, an actuating wheel, said actuating wheel partially extending outward from said barrel, said actuating wheel provided with an auxiliary shaft extending therethrough, said retaining plates provided with elongated apertures acting as bearings for supporting the vertical auxiliary shaft, said apertures registering with and in direct alignment with one another, said actuating wheel and revolving members provided with serrations on their outer .peripheral surface for engagement with one another, resilient means disposed within said barrel for urging the auxiliary shaft towards the outer end of said elongated apertures thereby bringing the actuating wheel out of engagement with the revolving member, said rell supports permitted to extend through the closed end of said barrel one at a time and being provided with adapters at their lower end, said adapters arranged to frictionally support said rell in longitudinal alignment with the aperture in the apex of said tip member.

4. A device of the character described to be used with refills, said device comprising, in combination a cylindrical barrel open at one end and provided with a centrally disposed aperture in its closed end, a cylindrical cap engaging the open end oi said barrel, said cap closed at one end and provided with an internal serrated portion at its open ends, a conical tip member engaging the closed end of said barrel, said tip member provided with an aperture at its conical apex, a selection gear, a vertical shaft longitudinally disposed olf center within said barrel, a pair of retaining plates spaced apart from one another within said barrel and supported by the inner face of the walls of said barrel, said shaft journaled within said retaining plates and supported at its lower end by the closed portion of said barrel, said selection gear mounted on the upper end of the shaft, a plurality of threaded rell supports, said rell supports slidably journaled within said selection gear and within said retaining plates, revolving members threadedly engaging the outer surface of said rell supports, said revolving members disposed between said retaining plates, an actuating wheel, said actuating wheel partially extending outward through the wall of said barrel, said actuating wheel provided with an auxiliary shaft extending therethrough, said retaining 4plate lprovided with elongated apertures for supporting the vertical auxiliary shaft, said elongated apertures registering with and in direct alignment with one another, said actuating Wheel and revolving member provided with serrations on their outer peripheral surfaces, resilient means for urging said auxiliary shaft toward the outer end of said elongated apertures thereby bringing said actuating wheel out of engagement with said revolving member, said rell support arranged to extend through the aperture in the closed end of said barrel one at a time and provided with adapters at their lower end for frictionally retaining refills in longitudinal alignment with the center of the barrel and the aperture in the apex of said tip member.

DONALD F. STEUCK.

No references cited.

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