Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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The present invention relates to styles, that is,
writing instruments, engraving tools and like hand tools~
and more particularly to the handles Eor such styles
which are specially formed to facilitate gripping the same.
As such, the invention will be hereinafter called a "style
handle", and sometimes, simply a "handle".
The use of styles for writing, engraving and similar
manual operations extends to antiquity. The several
instruments and tools which are technically referred to as
styles are all constructed in a similar manner with an
elongated handle holding the stylus, a pen, pencil or
other tool, at one end of the handle. While individual
writers and artisans may grip the handle in somewhat
different ways, the grippiny is nevertheless essentially
similar in that the handle will usually be gripped between
the thumb and the index finger with the side of the
individual's third finger forming a base against which the
thumb and index finger press.
Often, because of a nervous disposition of a writer
or artisan, or because the style handle is slippery, the
writer or artisan will grip the handle so tightly that he
can create a strain in his hand, especially if he is using
the style over a long period of time. The result is a
writer's cramp or finger bump. Perhaps the main reason
` 25 for gripping the handle with too tight a pressure resides
in the fact that this handle, ordinarily a cylindrical
rod, can easily slip and in the case of an ordinary pencil,
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there is no provision to inhibit this slipping action.
Thus, style handles are sometimes formed with an enlarge
ment at their base to provide an abutment wherea~ainst the
end of the index finger may rest. Some types of engraving
-tools are manufactured in an even more elaborate manner
by providing an actual shelf-li]~e abutment about the base
of the handle. ~Iowever, elaborations of a pencil or pen
handle are usually missing on conventional, commercial pens
and pencils, simply as an economy in production~ For
example, many types of ball point pens are manufactured
by extruding a thick-walled tube to form the handle of
the pen.
; Another problem that exists in the provision of a
style handle, and especially -the handles of engraving tools,
resides in the need to prevent rotation of the style while
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it is being used. Many common pens and pencils are hexa-
gonal in section to provide for flat surfaces which may be
more easily grippèd, and often, a pen, pencil or engraving
tool may even be fluted for this purpose so that it will
not rotate when being gripped.
The expedients hereinabove set forth point up the
fact that there is a need for an improvecl style handle for
pens, pencils and engraving tools which is contoured to be
; most effectively held by the writer or art1san in a
relaxed, natural manner ancl without the necessity of
- squeezing the handle to avoid unwanted sliding or
rotation or the style while he is using the same. A
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number of pen handles, or "skyle handles7l ha~e been pro-
posed for this purpose, but heretofore, the desiyns have
either been ineffective or too compllcated.
The present invention was conceived and developed
with the foregoing and other considerations in view ancl
comprises, in essence, a style handle of an exceedingly
simple form, a triad of spiraled edges at the grlpping
section of the handle. These edges may be called
l'arrises" since the trough portions between them are
flute-like. These flute-like trough portions between the
- ridges are essentially flat. However, these so-called
"flats" may be either crowned or dished a slight amount.
This spiral is at a long pitch so that there is only a
partial rotation about the handle at the designated
gripping sectlon of the handle. The pitch is such as to
permit the flats between the spiral edges to lie snugly
against the user's fingers and thurnbs with the arrises
lying in the grooves between the writer's fingers and
thumb. It was discovered that this sirnple arrangement,
the long-pitch arrises, presented curves, gripping surfaces
which conform to the natural form of an individual's thurnb
and fingers when holding a pen or other tool. Thus, the
writer is encouraged to write in a rela~ed mannerO
It follows that an object of the present invention is
to provide a novel and improved style handle which provides
a spiraled gripping surface conforming to the hand of a
writer or artisan so that he may ho]d the style handle in
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a relaxecl, natural manner conducive of good penmanship and
workmanship.
Another object of the invention is to provide a novel
and improved style handle having a triad of unique,
. 5 spiraled gripping surfaces arranged in an essentially
symmetrical manner, permitting the handle to be held at any
-~ of several p~sitions, or by providing a slight emphasis on
: one of the spirals which may perm.it the handle to be held
at only a single position as is necessary with some types
of pens and engraving tools.
Another object of the invention is to provide a novel :~
: and improved style handle for writing instruments and
: engraving tools which permits a writer or artisan to grip
: the handle with no more pressure than is necessary to press
a stylus against a sheet or work piece. For example, the
handle of a pen may be held with a very light pressure when ~;
writing upon a tablet while the handle of an engravins tool ~;
: may be held with a greater, but not an excessive pressure,
as when an artisan is cuttlng into the surface being '`
engraved.
Another object of the invention is to provide a novel
and improved style handle having a natural, strain-free,
gripping surface which will naturally improve the quality
of an individua1's writing or engraving skills.
Another object of the invention is to provide a novel ..
and improved style handle with a strain-free, gripping
surface at its base, which is a simple, neat-appearing, ~::
~; versatile, low-cost unit.
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Consistent with the foregoincl objects, my invention
consists of a style handle adapted to be gripped by a normal
finger grip at a gripping portion adjacen-t to the scribing
point at the base end of the handle, and including a haft
portion extending beyond the gripping portion, said haft
portion being essentially circular in cross-section, wherein
the gripping portion has substantially trifold axial symmetry
about its longi.tudinal axis, and comprises:
(a) three substantially identical uniformly varying
twisting grip surfaces defining a continuous triadic spiral
commencing at the base end of the handle and rotating axially
to the haft portion, and wherein:
(b) the edges of said apiral, where the grip surfaces
join, are spaced at said base end of the handle at a lateral
spacing which is greater than the haft diameter and the
spacing of these edges decreases toward the haft to merge
into the surface of the haft, and wherein: `
(c) the grip surfaces are widest adjacent to said ~ :
baser narrow towards the haft and merqe into the surface
of the haft as -the edges merge into the surface of the haft.
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With the foregoillg and other objects in vie~, my
` present invention comprises certain constructions,
combinations and arrangements of parts and elements as
hereinafter described, defined in the appended claims, and
illustrated in pre~erred embodiment by the accom~anying
drawing in which:
Figure 1 is a plan view of a style, depicted with a
scribing point formed according to the present invention.
Figure 2 is a sectional view as taken from the
indicated line 2-2 at Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a sectional view as taken from the
indicated line 3-3 at Figure 1.
Figure 4 is a sectional view as taken from the
indicated line 4-4 at Figure 1, and with dotted lines ~`
indicating the thumb and finger positions upon the handle.
~ Figure 5 is a perspective view of a person's hand
-~ holding the style in a natural manner, in accordance with
the principles of the invention.
igure 6 is a perspective view of a person holding
the style, as at Figure 4, but tucked under his fingers to `~
illustrate the manner in which the pen is held between the
index and third ingers.
Figure 7 is a sectional view simllar to Figure 2, but
showing a slightly modified construction where the flutes
are not in proportion.
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Referring more particularly to the drawing, the style
handle H is an elongated, essentially-straight member
having a spiraling, triangular gripping section 10 adjacent
to the base end 11 and a cylindrical, haft section 12
adjacent to the opposi-te upper tip 13 of the handle and
with the two sectionis merging near the center of the
handle H. This handle is formed of any suitable, rigid
material such as wood, metal or plastic, such as is used
in the manufacture of pencils, pens and the like. Prefer-
ably, it will be made of a selected, high quality plasticmaterial by injection molding since the spiraled form of
the gripping section, hereinafter described, is more easily
manufactured by injection molding than by turning or
extrusion operations commonly used in the manufacture of
handles for pencils, pens and the like. I~owever, the mode
of manufacture and the material selected is not critical
insofar as the present invention is concerned.
In accordance with conventional arran~ements, a
scribing point 14 extends from the base end of the handle
E and is mounted in a convenient socket 15 extending into
the body of the handle. It is to be understood that the
scribing point 14 and the manner in which it is mounted
within a socket 15 in the handle is representative of any
of several types of marking and engraving devices, such as
pens, pencils, ballpoint cartridges and engraving tools,
all of which are commonly mounted upon the base end of a
handle, such as the handle H herein illustrated. As a
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matter of convenience, the same will sometimes be
hereinafter referred to as a "scribing tool".
In ~ccordance with the present invention, the
gripping section 10 of ~e handle is formed as a triad of
spiraled edges, that is, arrises 16a, 16b and 16c with
spiraled flats 17a, 17b and 17c between these arrises,
thus producing twisting rod-like form, triangular in
section, and with the diameter defined by the arrises 16ar
16b and 16c tapering from a maximum at the base 11 to
reduce to the diameter of the haft section 12 and merge
thereinto as at a junction 18. The resulting gripping
section twists clockwise where the handle is viewed from
the haft end 13, as illustrated, and the clockwise twist
is advantageous whenever the handle is to be used for ~;
right~handed persons. A counter-clockwise twist is
preferable when the handle is to be used ~or left-handed
persons. However, for certain purposes, and by certain
individuals, the opposite may be true. The arrises are
blunted, smooth edges, which lie between a user's ingers,
as hereinafter described. The flats 17a, 17b and 17c of
this twisted holding section are illustrated as being
slightly convex in section, but they may be flat or
slightly convex or concave and function equally as well
when used as hereinafter described.
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In the construction best shown at Fiqures 2, 3 and ~,
each arris 16a, 16b and 16c, and each flat 17a, 17b and
17c may be identical to the others in a symmetrical
arrangement so that the handle may be described as having
three-fold sy~etry about its longitudinal axis. With
such symmetry, the handle may be rotated so that it can
.be held at three different positions, which is advantageous
when using certain types of scribing tools such as, for .
~` example, ballpoint pens. This simple, symmetrical
arrangement may be modified by enlarging one arris 16c
as shown at Figure 7. When so enlarged, the handle can be
comfortable in only one position. This .is advantageous
when the scribing tool is a quill pen or an engraving
chisel.
As indicated in the drawing, the pitch of the spiral :~
or twist of the triangular gripping section 10, compared :~
~: with the diameter of the handle ~, is ~uite long~ The
gripping section 10 is to be held within the embrace of
an artisan's or writer's fingers as illustrated, and is,
thus, approxlmately two to three inches long. The twist
in this reach is approximately 90 to 120; thus, the
pitch of the spiral, for a 360 twist, will be between
6 and 12 inches, and thus, may even exceed the length of
:~` the entire handle. This is in contrast with some types
.: 25 of spiral handles where the pitch is comparatively short.
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The ha.t section 12 o this handle H is illustrated
as being cylindrlcal with a flat tip end 13. IIowever,
this construc-tion may be variecl to provide any desired
form such as a taper or even an enlarged head adjacent to
the end. ~his haf-t 12 may also be of any suitable length,
short or comparatively long, according to the desires of
the manufacturer, but it should be long enough to fit
comfortably in an artisan's or wxiter's hand and long
enough to be easily balanced when being used.
Figures 5 and 6 illustrate the manner in which the
handle H will normally be held by an artisan or writer.
It is gripped in the same manner as a conventional pen or
pencil, with the yripping section 10 lying between the
individual's thumb, index finger and the third flnger. The
three flat, spiraled surfaces 17a, 17b and 17c are held by
the individual's thumb and fingers while the arrlses 16a,
16b and 16c lie in the grooves where the individual's
thumb and fingers touch each other. For example, referring
to Figure 4, the arris 16a may lie in the groove where the
individual's index finger i and the third finger f come
together; the arris 16b will lie in the groove where the
index finger i and hls thumb t come together; and the
arris 16c will lie in the groove where the thumb t and
his third finger f come together.
~ Whenever a normal individual holds his hand in a
writing position with his thumb, index finger and third
~inger together, the grooves between these fingers form a
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natural twist, or spiral, which will, essenti~lly, match
the spiral of the yrippiny section 10. Thus, the handle
will na-turally fit the individual's grip upon the
yrippiny section of the handle. The third Ein~er ~ Eorms
a base whereagains-t one flat surface 17c lies when the
stylus handle is held in a writiny position as illustrated,
with the haft section laying against the indlvidual's hand
near the knuckle of his index finger as illustrated. The
tip of the individual's index finyer i and the tip of the
thumb t will then rest against the other two flat surfaces
of the handle, 17a and 17b respectively. The twistiny
arrises will lie in the groove betwe~n the individual's
thumb and finyers. This will prevent unwanted rotation of
the handle while it is being held and used. The spiral
form also minimizes any tendency to slip in his hand when ?
the scribiny tool 14 is being pressed ayainst a workpiece
surface. The spiralled surface actually forms abutments,
anyled with respect to the handle axis, to provide a
lonyitudinal component of thrust when gripping and pressing
against the handle. Not only will the individual discover
a maximum deyree of comfort and control when holdiny the
handle, he will find that the spiraled gripping section
naturally forces him to hold the handle in a proper manner
for good, effective engraving and penmanship.
I have now described my invention in considerable
detail. ~Iowever, it is obvious that others skilled in the
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art can arrange and devise al-ternate and equivalent
constructions which are nevertheless within the spirit
and scope of my invention. Hence, I desire that my
. pro-tection be limitecl, not by the constructions
illustrated and described, but only by the proper scope
of the appended claims.
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