US2560832A

US2560832A - Multicolor magazine pencil

Info

Publication number: US2560832A
Application number: US757974A
Authority: US
Inventors: Votruba Vojtech
Original assignee: Koh I Noor Pencil Factory L &
Current assignee: Koh I Noor Pencil Factory L &; Koh-I-Noor Pencil Factory L & C Hardtmuth
Priority date: 1942-01-27
Filing date: 1947-06-30
Publication date: 1951-07-17
Anticipated expiration: 1968-07-17
Also published as: NL65684C; GB628558A; CH237015A; BE463117A; FR889723A

Description

July 1711951 v. voTRuBA MULTICOLOR MAGAZINE PENCIL Filed June so, 1947 nven/or:

Va/rfc/f Varel/a.

Patented July 17, 1951 MULTICOLOR. MAGAZINE PENCIL Vojtech Votruba, Ceske Budejovica, Czechoslovakia, assignor toKoh-I-Noor Pencil Factory L. & C. Hardtmuth, Ceske Bu'dejovica, `Czechoslovakia, a Czechoslovakian `company Application June30, 1947, SerialNo. 757,974 In Germany January 42.7, 1942 Section 1, Public Law 690, August 8, .1946 Patent expires January 27, 1962 `6 Claims.

This invention relates` to multi-lead magazine pencils of the type comprising a pressure cap which projects the leads and wherein the magazine tube has guide channels therein for the individual leads and is rotatably mounted within thepencil body so thatby positioning a particular guide channel in alignment with the usual main lead guide tube located in the longitudinal axis of the pencil the appropriate lead will automatically feed from its channel into or out of the main tube. v

Pencil holders for a plurality of leads, in the form of so-calledartists pencils, are known, in which a common magazine tube having partitions for separating the leads is employed, which tube is connected at its rear endby means of thin pinsl to a disc by which the casing of the holder is closed. Owing to these thin pins, the magazine tube can rock laterally to and fro inside the casing of the holder. In the case of these known pencil holders, the desired lead is brought into a position opposite the central Aoutlet aperture in the point of the holderby a corresponding rotation and inclination of the holder, whereupon the lead advances by its own weight, if necessary assisted by a jerk excited on the holder. This method, which is simple but takes time and involves a degree of skill, may be suilicient for artists pencils, although even with these the care and steadiness required in manipulating must constitute a troublesome factor. For magazine pencils in which the leadis fed forward by means of a pressure cap and with which it is desired to save a maximum amount of time and trouble in handling, this method is entirely impracticable since the user who has to exert the pressure on the cap cannot be expected to bring the holder steadily into a predetermined position of rotation and incliniation and to hold it in thisposition.

In order'to eliminate this disadvantage in multicolour magazine pencils of the type hereinbefore described, it is proposed according -to the present invention to arrange special lead tubes which are separately pivotally secured lto the rotatable pressure head and enclosed in a common magazine tube, the free ends of these lead tubesbeing consecutively moved into the axial centre of the 4pencil by-an inwardly projecting portion of a supporting tube which is held fast with respect to the rotatable magazine tube and surrounds Athis magazine, so thatthe desired vadjustment of the leads can be effected with .the aid of a locking device securing the magazine tube, in the individual positions of rotation.

l The construction according. .to the.v invention (Cl. 1Z0-14.3)

afords the advantage that it permits of positively bringing the desired lead into the correct position independently of the inclination of the magazine pencil and without having to rotate the entire holder, while shaking of the magazine pencil does not interfere with its proper functioning.

The invention is applicable to any type of magazine pencil. In view of the fact that coloured leads of small calibre (others hardly come into consideration for multicolour magazine pencils) break comparatively easily, a particular advantage is afforded by the combination of the invention with arrangements Vknown per se which automatically ensure that theportion of lead protruding from the point cannever exceed a certain maximum length even if the pressure cap is most carelessly actuated. For this reason, such a type of magazine pencil has been selected for the diagrammatic illustration of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings: f

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a magazine pencil in accordance with the invention,

Figure 2 is a section along the line II-II of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a section along the line III-III of Figure 1,

Figure 4 is a section along the line IV-IV of Figure 1,

Figure v5 is an elevation of the tube carrying the magazine pencil,

Figure `6 is a section along the line VI--VI of Figure 5,

Figure 7 is an elevation of the magazine tube of the magazine pencil,

Figure 8 is a section along the line VIII--VIII of Figure '7,

Figure 9 is an elevation of the lead tube of the magazine pencil,

Figure 10 shows a part of Figure 5 on an enlarged scale, and

Figure l1 is a section along the line XI-XI of Figure 10. l

The guide tube 2 intended to receive the lead is displaceably mounted together with the gripping-,member 3 embracing the lead in the casing or kshank l vof the magazine pencil, while the clamping ring il is rigidly connected to the shank l. The Vspring 5, between the upper end of ring il and shoulder 2a of tubeil, serves only as a closing spring for the gripping member 3 and causes this gripping member to be drawn into the clamping'ring d and thus always. to be so compressed that the lead held therein cannotshift. The displaceable guide :tube 2 is encircled by a further,

also displaceable tube, theV supporting tube 6,

which has, at its lower end, two or more ngerlike extensions 6a (Figure 6), with which it extends through the clamping ring 4. The pointed portion B is secured to these extensions 6a, so that it can be moved together with the supporting tube 6. The pointed portion 8 has in its forward part a channel 9, through which the lead passes with friction. A spring 'I independent of the closing spring 5, between the upper edge of ring 4 and a shoulder in an upper portion of tube 6 urges the supporting tube and consequently the pointed portion 8 to the rear end'position. A pressure cap I is mounted on the rear end of the supporting tube 6.

The magazine tube I4, rotatably mounted in the upper half of the supporting tube 6, contains, for accommodating and holding apart four different leads (colours), four lead tubes I5a to ld (Figure 9), which extend divergently downward and are resiliently secured at their upper ends by steel `wires I'I in the disk IG and in the mag-azine tube I4. The upper end of the magazine tube I4 is rigidly connected to the pressure head II. lOwing to a flattened portion (if on one side of the supporting tube 6 (Figures 2 and 5), the four lead tubes, `when the magazine tube I4 and supporting tube -B are locked, will be so positioned at their lower free ends that one of them terminates in the axis of the pencil, so that only the selected lead can slide into the guide tube 2.

Ii the pencil is held by the shank l with its pointed portion 8 directed vertically downwards and pressure is exerted on the head II or on the pressure cap l0, so that this cap is moved downwards against the tension of the spring the pointed portion 8 secured to the supporting tube 6 is also pushed down, while the guide tube 2 with the gripping member 3 and the lead situated therein remains stationary. Not until a distance of the length d is covered will the guide tube 2 with the gripping member 3 also participate in the downward movement of the pressure cap I0, the supporting tube 5 and the pointed portion `8, because after this lead has been traversed the supporting tube 6 is applied by the edge 6b (Figures 1 and 5) against the collar 2a of the guide tube 2.

If the downward movement of the pressure head II and of the pressure cap I0 is continued, the gripping member 3 opens because it is forced out of the clamping ring 4 and frees the lead. The lead situated in the guide tube 2 at the time then falls out of this tube through the gripping member 3 to the rear end (the upper end in the drawing) of the channel 9, which has also moved further downwards with the opening gripping member 3 and lies further away from this gripping member by the distance d at the end of the movement. The pointed portion 8 will serve in this completely depressed position of the cap to catch the freely falling lead.

If the pressure cap I0 and the head Il are now slowly released, the gripping member 3 `and. the pointed portion 8 move toward their rearward positions under the influence of the springs 5 and 7. The lead which has advanced to the rear (upper) end of the channel 9 follows this rearward movement until the gripping member 3 is closed. From then on the gripping member 3 and the firmly clamped lead remain stationary and the pointed portion l8 continue-s its rearward movement under the action of the spring 'I. The firmly held lead is at the same time thrust through the channel 19 and, after the rearward movement of the pointed portion 8, remains pr' truding from the pointed portion `3 to the extent of the lead d minus the length of the channel 9.

Upon repetition of the operation already described, no alteration takes place in the position of the lead. Not until the length of the portion of lead extending beyond the channel 9 has been reduced, for example by wear during Writing or by breaking off, does repetition of the aforesaid operation produce an advance of the lead, the lead then being advanced so far that it again extends from the channel 9 to the original length.

When it is desired to change the lead, that is to say, to select another of the four available leads, the head Il and the pressure cap I0 are rst pressed into the terminal position, the pencil being in the vertical position with the point directed upwards, whereby the lead hitherto in use falls out of the gripping member 3 through the guide tube 2 and back into the lead tube the free end of which is at this moment disposed -centrally with respect to the pencil. The path is thus open for the selection of a different lead (colour). With the magazine pencil still in the inverted position, the head II and consequently also the magazine tube I4 with the lead tubes ld to |511 (Figures 7, 8 and 11) mounted and guided therein are turned until the mark of the desired colour i2d to 12d on the head I I lies below the countermark I3 on the cap ID, or until the inner boss 6c of the supporting tube `6, which has in its upper part a resilient section 6e owing to the provision of two longitudinal slots 6d, snaps into the corresponding recess lilla to I4d in the magazine tube I4 (Figures '7 and 11). These recesses distributed symmetrically over the circumference of the magazine tube serve at the same time to guide the four lead tubes I5a to ld.

In order to ll the pencil, the head Il is withdrawn with the magazine tube I4 and the lead tubes I5a to 15d from the body of the pencil, in which operation a small resistance caused by the sliding of the boss 6c of the supporting tube 6 out of a notch in the magazine tube I4 must be overcome. When the lead tubes are free, the leads are inserted in their outlet apertures. Distribution of the leads can be facilitated by corresponding coloured signs on the lead tubes. For the reintroduction of the filled magazine tube I4 into the supporting tube 6, the boss 6c is reengaged in the corresponding recess in the magazine tube. During this operation, the pencil must be held approximately vertical with the point directed upwards, in order that the leads may not fall out of the tubes.

I claim:

1. A multi-lead magazine pencil comprising a tubular casing, a main lead guide tube coaxially disposed within the lower end of the casing, a magazine tube within the casing above the main lead guide tube and adapted for rotation and axial movement relative to the casing, a pressure head carried by and movable with said magazine tube, a plurality of lead tubes Within the magazine tube and individually resiliently secured to the pressure head, a supporting tube within the casing enclosing the magazine tube, and complemental means on the supporting tube and on the magazine tube for successively presenting and holding a lead tube in coaxial alignment with the main lead guide tube.

2. A multi-lead magazine pencil according to claim 1 wherein the supporting tube has a pres S Sure cap against which the pressure head on the magazine tube bears.

3. A multi-lead magazine pencil according to claim 1 wherein the lead tubes at their upper ends are separately attached by means of stili, resilient wires to the pressure head and are so held by the magazine tube, which is connected with the pressure head, that each of the lead tubes has the tendency to pivot itself outwardly into a position in which the lead tubes lie at equal distances from the central axis of the pencil.

4. A multi-lead pencil according to claim 3 wherein the magazine tube is formed for at least part of its length with longitudinally extending channels within which the lead tubes are adapted to be guided.

5. A multi-lead pencil according to claim 3 wherein the lead tubes extend beyond the inner end of the magazine tube and the supporting tube has a attened portion for so positioning the inner end of one of said lead tubes that it will be in axial alignment with the main lead guide tube.

6. A multi-lead magazine pencil according to claim 1 wherein the complemental means for successively presenting and holding the lead tube in alignment with the main lead guide tube com-l prises longitudinally extending channels on the magazine tube and within which channels the lead tubes are adapted to be guided, and a flattened portion on the supporting tube for so positioning the inner end ofthe one of said lead tubes that it will be in axial alignment with the main lead guide tube, and an inwardly projecting, resiliently mounted portion on the supporting tube adapted to engage in the longitudinally extending recesses in the magazine tube formed between adjacent channels in said magazine tube.

VOTRUBA, VOJTECH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the ille of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 256,802 Illfelder Apr. 18, 1882 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 252,695 Italy Apr. 4, 1927