US880510A - Hand-positioning device for penmen. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED MAR. s, 1908.

w. G. DELASHAW. HAND POSITIONING DEVICE FOR PENMEN.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 21.1907.

1m: mamas versus cn. WASHINGTON, n. c

WILLIAM G. DELASHAW, OF MOULTON, ALABAMA,

HAND-POSITIONING DEVICE FOR PENME1\T.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 3, 1908.

Application filed November 21. 1907- Serial No. 403.110.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM G. DELASHAW, a citizen of the United States, residing at Moulton, county of Lawrence, State of Alabama, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hand-Positioning Devices for Penmen and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descri tion of the invention, such as will enab e others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple and efficient deviceheld in the penhand of the writer and presenting a series of surfaces to be engaged by the palm of the hand, the several fingers and the thumb, a recess below the index finger to receive and support the pen or other writing instrument, to insure a roper position of the various members of t e hand and the pen, in writing, and to prevent the objectionablefingermovements which are conducive to writers cramp, and to require the writing to be effected with the free fore-arm movement found necessary by most penmen for easy, flowing and graceful writing.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved device, the position of the hand and pen being shown in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view thereof.

Referring to the drawing, it will be noted that the device considered as a whole, comprises a shell-like structure or body which fits snugly within the hand when the latter is in correct writing position, and is provided with a sup ort for the pen or pencil which is removab fy and adjustably held in said support in position to be engaged by the thumb and the first and second fingers.

More particularly described, the device consists of the body having a surface a adapted to fit the palm of the hand, and a forward extension b which is provided with surface grooves c, e, f and g, the first two of which are adapted to receive the first and'second fingers and the latter two to receive the third and fourth fingers and maintain all of the said fingers in proper position for writing. To effect this object the grooves c and e are curved forwardly and downwardly from the top surface, and grooves f and g are first curved forwardly and downwardly and then sharply toward the rear, so as to cause the ends of the third and fourth fingers to underlie the palm of the hand, but at some distance from the palm to support the hand.

The thumb side of the body is provided with a groove or recess j, which extends in an easy curve from the palm section a to the groove 0 with which it connects by a lateral opening (1. From the center of the curved section 1, and therefore from the thumb side of the shell-like body, there projects a boss 11 which is adapted to lie snugly within the opening formed between the forefinger, the thumb and the portion of the alm adjacent the fore-finger and the thum so that the thumb enga es the groove and the grooved portion h bel ow said boss, and the end of the thumb extends through the opening d and projects laterally toward the groove 0. The said groove 0 is adapted to receive, and, through the 006 eration of the thumb, forefinger and midd e finger, retain the pen or pencil in writing position. To ermit the re movable and adjustable retentlon of the pen and pencil, the groove 0 is made considerably deeper than the other grooves, so that the pen or pencil may lie in and be supported by the bottom of the groove below the forefinger. In order to permit pens or pencils of different sizes and shapes to be employed, the middle portion of the groove 0 is hollowed out so that a straight pen or pencil rests merely on the up er and lower portions of the bottom of said groove, While a en holder or the like with a swell in the mi dle portion of its length will be readily accommodated by the middle deeper portion of said groove.

The hand positioning device as described may be formed of wood, metal, papier-mach or any other suitable material. When formed of plastic material or metal, it may be made as a relatively thin, shell-like body, as indicated in the figures of the drawing, and when made of wood, the under portion may be hollowed out as much as may be feasible in order to render the whole device light in weight and easily supported by the hand, without requiring undue pressure of the fingers.

The mode of using the device, as described, will be apparent from inspection of the drawing. The pen or pencil is first placed within the groove 0 and the portion a of the body placed within the palm of the hand, after which the fingers are dropped into position to snugly engage the several grooves c, e, f and g, the thumb is then passed under the boss i so that the end engages the side of the pen or pencil, which latter is also engaged by the under surface at the end of the first finger and the lateral surface at the end of the second finger. The pen or pencil is then adjusted up or down in the grooveto permit the proper length of the pen or pencil end to project beyond the fingers to insure the easiest .writing movements. The hand is then laid squarely on the paper with the knuckles of the first two fingers substantially horizontal, and the pen ointed over the right shoulder, and the hand supported by and gliding freely upon the nails of the third and fourth fingers. With the device adjusted and held as described, it will be found that the pen or pencil is held in position so that any tendency of the writer to form his strokes by movement of the fingers instead of the free fore-arm movement will be prevented. In fact, the whole tendency and effect of the device is to retain the hand in what is recognized by most authorities as the proper position for writing, and to prevent the hand assuming any other position.

What I claim is 1. A hand positioning device for penmen, comprising a body portion to fit the palm receive and loosely support the pen or pencil- 2. A hand positioning device for penmen, comprising a shell-like body havlng a superior surface to fit the palm of the hand and fingers, a lateral surface to fit the thumb, and a groove in the portion of the superior sur face underlying the fore-finger to receive and loosely support the pen or pencil.

3. A hand positioning device for pen-men,

comprising a body portion to fit the palm of the hand, a forward extension having grooves therein to receive the fingers, a lateral por tion extending from the body portion having a groove to receive the thumb, and a boss or projection on said lateral portion to lie between the thumb and fore-finger, the groove for the fore-finger being deepened to receive and loosely support the pen or pencil.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

W. G. DELASHAW. Witnesses J. C. KUMPE, B. S. NEELY.

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