The Fountain Pen Patent Archive

The instruments that put ink under pressure

19th century writing instrument

Technical patent drawing showing five magnified views of pen nibs, some assembled from separate pieces labeled A and B, with curved points marked C illustrating a rightward deflection near the tip.METALLIC PEN.William Fife · August 29, 1848Three technical line drawings of an elongated pointed metallic pen shaft attached to a holder, with one view sliced open to reveal an internal spiral spring and plates, and small projecting lips labeled c near the tip.PEN.W. R. Glover · August 1, 1854Three line drawings of a metal dip pen: a top view showing a bent-over spring tab forming an ink reservoir near the split nib, an unfolded version of the same pen blank with the tab still projecting outward, and a side profile view of the finished pen showing its slight upward curve.METALLIC PENMyer Phineas · February 5, 1856Two hand-drawn diagrams of a curved metallic pen nib: Fig. 1 shows a full perspective view with an inserted plate labeled B projecting from the slit, and Fig. 2 shows a detached side view of the same plate with its slot labeled b.IMPROVEMENT IN METALLIC PENS.Richard Griswold · May 20, 1862A diagonal cross-section drawing of an antique fountain pen showing internal parts labeled A through M, including an ink chamber, spring valve, rod, and pen point.FOUNTAIN-PEN.M. Klein and Henry W. Wynne · September 3, 1867Patent drawing of a 19th-century fountain pen showing an assembled exterior view, an internal cross-section revealing a bristle-filled ink channel, and separated parts including a metal sheath, winged bristle socket, and pen nib.IMPROVEMENT IN FOUNTAIN-PENS.Michael Wagner · November 12, 1867Technical patent drawing showing six figures of a dip pen holder with two nibs joined back to back to form a small ink reservoir between them, alongside a single ordinary pen nib for comparison.Pen-HolderD. D. Foley · December 17, 1867A patent drawing of a dip pen and holder with a small spring-clip ink reservoir attachment fitted near the nib, shown in full length view and in a separate close-up back-end view labeled Fig. 2.IMPROVEMENT IN INK-RETAINING ATTACHMENT FOR PENSAlbert G. Brown · January 25, 1870Patent drawing showing a slender cylindrical fountain pen holder with a pointed nib assembly at one end featuring a small hinged flap and spring mechanism labeled with letters A, B, C, and E, shown in five different views including full-length side views and close-up details of the nib and flap components.IMPROVEMENT IN PENSE. Palmer Tiffany · March 1, 1870Line drawing of a pen-holder with a nib and triangular wire ink-retainer, shown whole and in cross-section revealing an internal rubber cushion band labeled b.IMPROVEMENT IN PEN-HOLDERSRobert B. Lawrence · August 23, 1870Technical patent drawing showing a fountain pen in longitudinal section with labeled parts including tube A, tongue B, nib C, holder D, and ring E, alongside a front view and a small circular cross-section diagram.IMPROVEMENT IN FOUNTAIN-PENSHenry N. Hamilton · July 4, 1876Patent drawing of a slender tapered pen holder with a nib at one end, a thumb-catch slot along its side, a hand gripping it in writing position, and a cutaway sectional view revealing an internal ink rod and sliding tube mechanism.IMPROVEMENT IN SOLUBLE-INK PENSJoseph Perkins · January 1, 1878Patent drawing of a dip pen with a triangular metal plate clipped beneath the nib to form a small ink reservoir, shown in several perspective and sectional views labeled Fig. I through Fig. VI.IMPROVEMENT IN FOUNTAIN-PENSWilliam Andrews Somers · January 21, 1879Patent drawing showing a fountain pen in full elevation and in cross-section, revealing an internal tube-and-valve mechanism with a spiral spring, a spoon-shaped ink bowl, and a metal nib point.IMPROVEMENT IN FOUNTAIN-PENSThéophile Prioux · March 25, 1879Patent drawing of a stylographic fountain pen showing a long cylindrical barrel with a screw-on cap, an internal needle-valve point section, and enlarged cross-sectional views of the air-duct and valve components labeled A through H.Stylographic Fountain-Pen.Alexander M. Sutherland and Francis C. Brown · March 22, 1881Patent drawing of a cylindrical stylographic pen shown whole and in two cutaway sections revealing an internal spring-loaded needle stylus running through a central air-tube to a tapering ink-discharge point.STYLOGRAPHIC PEN.Frederick J. Seybold · February 13, 1883Patent drawing showing a hand holding a corrugated metal pen while writing, with detailed close-up views of the pen's W-shaped folded tip and cross-sections showing the corrugations and ink passages.PEN.Addis Morgan Henry · May 15, 1894Patent drawing showing a hand writing with a dip pen above four detailed close-up views of the pen-point nib labeled A through F, illustrating a rolled metal tongue forming a small ink reservoir near the tip.PEN.William T. Keefer · March 23, 1897Patent drawing of a fountain pen shown in longitudinal cross-section with a tapered cap, hard rubber body, and a detailed feed-bar containing a grooved ink duct, alongside five smaller circular cross-sections labeled Fig. 3 through Fig. 6 illustrating variations of the feed duct with tiny conical storage pits.FOUNTAIN-PENArthur A. Waterman · February 14, 1899