The Fountain Pen Patent Archive

The instruments that put ink under pressure

Capillary feed

Patent drawing sheet showing a hinged rectangular writing-guide frame with glass panel, a spherical sponge holder, a cylindrical roller drier, and several quill and metallic fountain pens with folded sheath plates and nibs.ART OF WRITING BY A CONSTRUCTION OF FOUNTAIN-PEN ADAPTED TO WRITING ON A GUIDE FORMED OF GROUND GLASS, &c.William Davison · October 9, 1841Patent drawing of an 1861 fountain pen showing an external perspective view with a pointed nib and threaded grip attached to a small funnel, alongside a longitudinal cross-section revealing an internal conducting rod, valve, and piston mechanism running the length of the pen holder.IMPROVEMENT IN FOUNTAIN-PENSP. C. Clark · February 5, 1861Patent drawing showing a pen nib with an attached perforated metal ink reservoir, including a top view, a cross-section, and a plan view of the detached reservoir.IMPROVEMENT IN PENSE. L. Pratt · February 18, 1868Patent drawing showing six figures of a steel dip pen nib with an attached spoon-shaped metal reservoir on its back, including plan and side views, a detached spoon piece, and cross-sectional details of the sliding attachment mechanism.IMPROVEMENT IN PENSHenry S. Goodspeed · March 9, 1869Patent drawing of a 19th-century fountain pen showing a glass ink-fountain handle screwed to a tubular base with a nib, feed tube, wick, and adjustable cap, alongside cross-sections labeled with reference letters A through N.IMPROVEMENT IN FOUNTAIN-PENSDavid L. Latourette · February 10, 1874Technical 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 showing four figures of a fountain pen: a full longitudinal cross-section labeled Fig.1 with threaded cap, needle, valve, and tapering writing tube; a similar full pen view labeled Fig.2 showing the internal rod and needle; an enlarged detail of the tubular point and valve seat labeled Fig.3; and a side view labeled Fig.4 showing the needle and capillary tube feeding an ordinary pen nib.IMPROVEMENT IN FOUNTAIN-PENSAlonzo T. Cross · April 10, 1877Patent drawing of a Victorian-era fountain pen showing the barrel, sliding tubes, internal valve mechanism, nib assembly, and a curved metal fountain attachment clipped beneath the pen point, with cross-sectional detail views of the pump and valve components.IMPROVEMENT IN FOUNTAIN-PENSGeorge Wells · May 27, 1879Patent drawing of a slender cylindrical stylographic pen shown whole and in cross-section, revealing an internal needle, agitator plates, and a slit rubber disk covering the ink reservoir outlet near the tapered writing tip.STYLOGRAPHIC PENEdward B. Nimmo · September 4, 1883Patent drawing of a 19th-century fountain pen shown in cross-section (Fig. I) with labeled parts a, b, c, d, i, j, k, l, m, an enlarged detail of the plug and tip (Fig. II), and a cross-sectional end view of the collar (Fig. 3).FOUNTAIN-PEN.Noyes F. Palmer · March 9, 1886Patent drawing showing two long fountain pen assemblies with labeled parts (barrel A, tube B, cap D, feeder F, pen E) alongside small cross-sectional diagrams of the feeder bar showing spiral and straight ink grooves.FOUNTAIN-PEN.Theodore Frederick Bourne · February 5, 1889Patent drawing showing a hard rubber fountain pen holder in longitudinal section with a removable pen-holding plug, bifurcated pen nib, bent ink-feeder stem, and a separate screw cap, alongside detailed cross-sections and end views of the plug and feeder mechanism.FOUNTAIN-PEN.Dewitt C. Demarest · July 30, 1889Technical patent drawing of a fountain pen's feed-bar mechanism, showing longitudinal and cross-sectional views labeled with letters D, E, F, N, O, P, R marking the duct, capillary fissure, reservoir, nozzle, and nib, with the inventor's signature 'Lewis E. Waterman' at bottom.FOUNTAIN-PEN.Lewis E. Waterman · May 5, 1896Patent drawing of a hard rubber fountain pen shown in longitudinal section, revealing an internal piston-and-valve pump within the barrel, a threaded end plug, a feed bar leading to the nib, and several detail views of the valve, piston, and pump-actuator mechanisms.FOUNTAIN-PENArthur A. Waterman & Frederick W. Stevens · September 19, 1899