To STEPHEN PERRY, of Wilmington-square, in the county of Middlesex, gentleman; EDWARD MASSEY, senior, of King-street, Clerkenwell, in the same county, watch-maker; and PAUL JOSEPH GAUCE, of Northcrescent, Bedford-square, also in the same county, artist, for their invention of certain improvements in pens and pen-holders. [Sealed 20th September, 1834.]

THIS invention, as regards pens, consists in the following improvements; that is to say, first, in a new additional side cut or cuts, slit or slits, which give great additional elasticity, or, as we technically call it, relief, to the pen; for, inasmuch as all metal pens are subject to a certain degree of rigidity, the object of the manufacturer should always be to relieve them as much as possible from that quality; secondly, in an adjustable or sliding spring, acting downward, but not laterally, upon the nibs, and increasing or diminishing the resistance and consequent hardness of the pen, according as the said spring is advanced towards or caused to recede from the point of the pen; thirdly, in so forming the pen as to leave a spring from the upper side of which the shoulders and nibs of the pen are projected, as hereinafter more particularly described; fourthly, in making the shank or tail of the pen elastic, in which case the pen is held at a given part, or point, or fulcrum, somewhere between the two extreme ends.

And further, as regards pen-holders, the said invention consists in the following improvements; that is to say, first, attaching the pen to a stick by means of an Indian-rubber band, or Indian-rubber bands; secondly, in making the tube at the end of the stick which holds the pen of spiral wire, one coil orturn being so closely wound upon the other, as not to allow any action of the pen in a direct line to or from the end of the fingers, or in that direction which has been termed by some longitudinal elasticity, but admitting of every requisite variety of lateral eccentric action; thirdly, in a flat, arched, or other spring at the end of the stick, having a crimped cap as the receptacle for the shank or tail of the pen. in which case the shank or tail of the pen must be crimped to fit the holder, which said crimping will be found greatly to steady the pen in the holder; and, lastly, in a screw-pin and fulcrum, applicable to our aforesaid elastic-tailed pen.

In Plate VIII. fig. 1, is a pen classed under our first head of improvement, and represents by the black line our said additional side cut or slit, which it will be observed passes beyond the centre of the back of the pen, and thus destroys the resistance offered at that part by its arched form. This cut may either enter another cut or an aperture just beyond the centre of the back; and we prefer it to be in the left side, but it may be in the right side, as shown in fig. 2.

Fig. 3, is a pen classed under our second head of improvement, and is furnished with one of our said adjustable or sliding springs, in which it will be observed that there is a slit in the spring corresponding with the slit in the pen; and the spring may be slided towards or from the point of the rib by applying the nail to the notch or aperture c. The length of the sliding action is determined by the four shoulders e, e, e, e, formed by diminishing the size of the shank at that part, as shown in the profile view at fig. 4; the spring just hooks or catches over the edge of this diminished part, as shown in the underside view at fig. 5.

Fig. 6, is a pen classed under our third head of improvement: a, is a flat under spring, from the upperside

of which it will be seen the nibs project. Fig. 7, is a view of the underside of the pen, showing that the spring is divided down the middle, and that thus there is an underspring to each side of the pen, as at a, a.

Fig. 8, is a pen classed under our fourth head of improvement: g, being a flat elastic back or tail, shown in plan at fig. 9; fig. 10, is another pen of this class, where the flat elastic back or tail is placed below the nibs and shoulders of the pen; fig. 11, is a plan of the same; fig. 12, is another pen of the same class, having a very thin, flat, elastic tail j.

Fig. 13, is aipen with a crimped shank or tail, to fit a particular kind of holder, which will be hereafter explained; fig. 14, is an end view of the crimp.

Fig. 15, is another variety of our flat elastic back; the parts i, i, being flat and elastic, though at the extreme end there is a small portion of an arched form to set into the ordinary holder; fig. 16, is a side view of fig. 15, and shows the turn-over of the central part to form an ink-holder. These sorts of turns-over of the central part of the metal admit of many varieties, another of which is shown in figs. 17, and 18.

And now of the pen-holders. Fig. 19 is a pen-holder, to which the pen is fastened by means of the Indianrubber band m; fig. 20, is another holder of the same class, the pen being fastened to the holder by two bands of Indian-rubber thread at n, and o. This plan is well adapted for the thin, flat, spring-tailed pen particularly, if the wood of the stick be cut away at p, as here shown.

Fig. 21, is a pen-holder with the spiral wire tube, hereinbefore mentioned, shown at r, to give every required kind of lateral elasticity to the pen, without allowing any of what has been termed longitudinal

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elasticity; fig. 22, is an end view of the spiral tube, showing that it is wound flat at one side; fig. 23, represents our crimped pen-holder, with a crimped-ended pen in it; the crimped end joins on to the tube which fits on to the stick by being made in one piece with a flat elastic spring, shown at s, which gives all the effect of our flat under-spring pens, with the advantage of the pen being more firmly held in the holder, in consequence of the crimping of both; fig. 24, is an end view of the crimped holder.

Fig. 25, is one of our fulcrum pen-holders for spring or elastic-tailed pens, whether such spring or elasticity is obtained by making the tail of flat elastic metal, or of arched elastic metal, or otherwise. Att, there is a space cut in the holder, just to let the substance of the pen pass through; at v, is a screw which screws down on the pen; z, being the fulcrum or point of rest, from which both ends play; w, is a guide pin or stud, which passes up through a hole made in the tail of the pen for the purpose. The effect of this arrangement will be, that when the nib of the pen is pressed upon in the act of writing the tail will rise in proportion, thus giving a delightful elasticity to the pen. Fig. 26, is an end view of fig. 25.

The fulcrum may be obtained generally as well by drawing the pen up at a certain point, as by pressing down upon it at a certain point: the former of which plans is shown in section at fig. 27; x, is a spring; y, a screw passing through it and through the holder (which is here shown as a hollow tube), as also through the pen, below which is a nut to prevent its return.

The pen here used should be a slit-tailed one, such as is shown at fig. 28. By this arrangement the spring x, will always be drawing up the pen to the holder at that point where the nut is placed, and z, will thus become a fulcrum for both ends to play from.

Now, whereas we claim as our invention those improvements in pens comprised under the four heads mentioned in the early part of our specification, and those improvements in pen-holders comprised under the other four heads there also mentioned.---[Inrolled in the Inrolment Office, March, 1835.]

TO DAVID REES, of Brecon, South Wales, woollen-manufacturer, for his invention of improvements on drags or apparatus to be applied to carriages.- [Sealed 7th August, 1833.]

THE drag which forms the subject of this patent is an iron shoe, attached by a joint to a lever or arm suspended under the body of the stage-coach, or other carriage; which shoe may be raised up out of operation, or lowered, to lock the wheel by a string or chain from the coach-box, or from behind, without the necessity of the coachman or guard dismounting, or, indeed, without the carriage stopping its progress.

This invention, we regret to say, appears to possess very slight claims to novelty. Plate VII. fig. 11, represents the manner in which the Patentee proposes to construct his drag: a, is the axletree, the wheel shown by dots being attached in the ordinary way; b, is an arm or lever connected by a joint to the bracket c, affixed to the axletree; d, is the shoe let down under the wheel, and in the act of holding it.

The pivot or fulcrum of the lever b, is placed at a little distance from the centre of the wheel, in order