US718548A - Pencil-sharpener. - Google Patents

Description

-PATENTED JAN. 13, 1903. R. G. UECKE.

PENCIL 'SHARPENER APPLIUATION'PILED MAR. a, 1902.

N0 MODEL.

Bow a ma@ f MVM ad fw@ Tu: News Fsrsnso., pHoro-nwo., WASHINGTON, n. c.

Nirnn STATES .ar-ENT OFFICE.

ROBERT O. UEOKE, OF HARVARD, ILLINOIS.

PENCIL-smentita.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.'71`8,548, dated January 13, 1903.

Application filed March 3, 1902. Serial No.'96,389. (No model.) Y

T0 all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT O. UECKE', of Harvard, in the county of McHenry and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pencil-Sharpeners; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in pencil-Sharpeners of that class embracing an annular part provided with an abrasive surface adapted to act on the pencil either through the rotation of said annular part or by the movement of the pencil around the annular part, i whereby both the wooden sheath and the lead or core of the pencil are simultaneously cut or Worn away to give conical form to the pencil-point.

The invention consists in the matters hereinafter set forth, and more particularly pointed ont in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure lis a top plan view, partially in section, of a pencil-Sharpener embodying the improvements constituting my invention, the same having a rotative annular abrasive shell and a stationary pencilholder. Fig. 2 is a front elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the principal parts lof a form of the Sharpener having an annular abrasive shell of cylindric form. Fig. et is a plan view, partially broken away, of the form .of the Sharpener shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a sectional View of a Sharpener embracing a stationary annular abrasive shell and a rotative pencil-holder.

As shown in the drawings, Figs. l and 2, A designates an annular sheet-metal shell,which is perforated and provided on one of its surfaces with abrasive prongs or burs a, formed by bending or punching outwardly the metal around the perforations. The abrasive surface may be formed on either the inner or outer surface of the sheet-metal shell; but as shown in Figs. l and 2 it is formed on the inside of the same. Said shell A is made of thin sheet metal and is supported from outward flexure by means of an annular concentric wall B, which surrounds and engages said shell. Said annular Wall B is formed integral with an end wall B', the Whole constituting, in e1`1ect,a cup-shaped support which contains lthe annular sheet-metal shell A. The position of the shell and support may be reversed-that is to say, the support may be located within the abrasive shell-as will hereinafter more fully appear. Ashellprovided with an abrasive surface made as described may be arranged to act on the pencil either by giving rotative movement to the shell and holding the pencil against it or by attaching the shell to a stationary support and moving the pencil around the same. In the construction shown in Figs. l and 2 the shell and its annular support are adapted to rotate, and the same are supported and operated as follows: To the inner face of said end wall of the cupshaped support is attached a concentric hub Breand extending through said hub and affixed 'non-rotatively therein is a shaft C, which is journaled at its ends in 'upright standards D D, attached at their bases to a base-'plate D'. Said shaft is provided at one end with a crank C', by which the shaft and parts carried thereby may be rotated.

The prongs or burs constituting the abrasive surface of the shell A are made relatively short and are provided with sharp angular edges, which are so located with respect to each other as to produce a smooth cut on the pencil. A convenient manner of forming said prongs or burs is to punch the sheet metal of the shell outwardly therefrom to form three or more prongs around each perforation formed by the punch, whereby a number of prongs or burs are arranged in groups around each perforation. Preferably the annular sheet-metal shell and the support B therefor are made inwardly tapering, whereby the pencil may be inserted into the shell parallel with the axis .thereof and its end presented at an angle tothe abrasive surface of said shell. As shown in Figs. l, 2, and 5, said shell and support have the form of the frustum of a cone.

The annular wall or support B, as shown in the drawings, is constructed to provide between the same and the perforated shell a clearance space or spaces, which permit the escape of chips and dust from the pencil that may pass through the perforations in the IOO shell A. Such clearance space or spaces may be made in a variety of ways. As shown in Figs. l and 2, the annular Wall B is provided With an interior spiral groove ZJ, which extends from one end to the other of the shell A. When said support is formed of sheet metal, as is herein shown, said Wall will be corrugated to produce said spiral groove. The corrugated form of the support is of advantage, as it enables the support to be made of relatively light or thin material without sacrificing strength, and the spiral form of the corrugated groove is the preferable form, as it may be made deeper than parallel grooves Without weakening the body.

For holding the pencil in proper position for the action of the abrasive shell thereon the form of Sharpener shown in Figs. l and 2 is provided with a stationary tubular support or holder E, located just outside the open end of the shell. The holder E consists of a short tube open at both ends and preferably made fiaring at its receiving end, and is located with its central axis parallel With the axis of rotation of the Sharpener. The holder is supported on the outer end of an arm D2, which extends laterally from the adjacent bearing-standard D.

In the use of the device shown in Figs. l and 2 the pencil is inserted through the holder E into the interior of the shell A with its end in contact With the abrasive surface thereof, and said shell is turned by the use of the crank, While the pencil is turned by the hand to bring all sides of its point into position to be acted on by the abrasive surface of the shell.

As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the abrasive shell A is made cylindrical, and the support B3 therefor is made of corresponding shape. Moreover, the abrasive surface of the shell A is shown in Figs. 3 and 4 as formed on the outer surface of said shell, and the support is contained Within the abrasive shell. In this construction also the clearan ce-spaces b3 between said abrasive body and its support are parallel and extend in a direction parallel with the axis of the cylindric abrasive shell, and said spaces are formed by corrugating the support in the manner shown in said figures. The operation of this form of the device is substantially the same as the form shown in Figs. 1 and 2. In case a holder be provided for the pencil, performing the function of the holder E, before described, said holder will be located at an angle to the axis of the shell A@ In Fig. 5 is shown a form of device in which the abrasive shell is stationary and acts on the pencil by moving the latter around the shell in a path concentric with the axis of the shell, While at the same time turning the pencil to bring all parts of its point into contact with the abrasive surface of the shell. In this instance the perforated abrasive shell A2 is of conical form and is supported Within an annular supporting-WallB4, which forms With a flat end Wall B5 a cup-shaped body which is either held firmly in the hand or is attached by screws b to a base D2. The wall B5 has a rigid standard F, on the upper end of which is sWiveled an arm G, carrying at its outer end a tubular pencil-holder G. The pencil in this case is sharpened by revolving the holder G and the pencil therein and at the same time turning the penciliu the holder. Manifestly in a construction like that shown in Fig. 5 the perforated metal abrasive shell may be placed outside of its support and have its abrasive surface on its outer face, as in the construction shown in Figs. 3 and 4:.

The employment in a pencil-sharpener of a sheet-metal annular shell provided with perforations and with abrasive prongs or bu rs formed by bending up the metal around the perforations has the important advantage of affording an abrasive means which may be very cheaply and easily made and which is at the same time durable and effective for its purpose. The use of cuttingblades in pencil-sharpeners has been found objectionable because of the fact that the grit in the pencil-lead soon dulls the blade and renders it useless. The employment of sandpaper is objectionable, because it soon becomes Worn out, and a file-cut abrasive surface is expensive to make. A sheet-metal shell made as described has the advantage over all of the devices described of being very cheaply made and at the same time of being efficient in action and possessing ample durability.

The employment in connection with the sheet-metal shelldcscribed of anannularsupport for the same, inside or outside which the shell is placed, has the advantage of enabling sheet metal to be used in the construction of the shell, which is so thin that if unsupported it would not be capable of retaining its circular form when in use. The employment of such thin sheet metal is required for the best results in a Sharpener `of the kind herein described, for the reason that it would not be practicable to make the prongs or burs on a thicker shell fine or small enough to give a suitably-smooth surface on the pencil. By the use of an annular support in addition to the shell the latter may be easily and cheaply made with closely-spaced small perforations, affording small and fine burs, While at the same time the thin shell will be properly supported or held in its circular form While inuse.

I claim as my inventionl. A pencil-Sharpener comprising an annular sheet-metal shell which is perforated and provided with abrasive burs formed by the bending or punching outwardly of the metal around the perforations therein, and a concentric support engaging said shell.

2. A pencil-Sharpener comprising an annular sheet-metal shell, which is perforated and provided With abrasive burs formed by the bending or punching outwardly of the metal IOO IIO

around the perforations therein, and a com centric annular support forsaid shell between which and the shell are clearance-spaces.

3. A pencil-Sharpener comprisingan annular sheet-metal shell which is perforated and provided with abrasive burs formed by the bending or punching outwardly of the metall around the perforations therein, and an annular concentric sheet-metal support engaging said shell and provided With corrngations to afford clearance-spaces between the same and the said shell.

4. A pencil-Sharpener comprising an annular sheet-metal shell which is perforated and provided with abrasive bnrs formed by the ROBERT C. UECKE.

Witnesses:

SAML. RICHARDSON, J. C. BLAKE.

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