US2190942A - Protective covering for crayons - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 20, 1940. E. s. GARVEY PROTECTIVE COVERING FOR CRAYONS Filed Dec. 13, 1937 Patented Feb. 20, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT FFECE 1. Claim.

This invention relates to protective coverings prevent breakage of the weak crayons, and havfor crayons and more particularly to a device for reinforcing and protecting crayons.

Prior to this invention, the objections to crayons have been partly overcome by firmly wrapping the crayon material with paper which is cemented to the crayon, so as to reinforce the weak, brittle crayon material at the same time forming a protective covering around the crayon. However, this ordinary practice of separately wrapping each individual crayon requires expensive manufacturing operations, and the paper does not always provide the desired reinforcement.

Furthermore, various dyes and the like are used to color the smudgy crayon material, and even when suchmaterial is uncolored, its chalky composition is an objectionable contaminative material. The ordinary paper wrappings separate the hand of the userfrom the crayon, but i the objection to soiling or staining the hands is often aggravated by the necessity of removing the paper from unused portions of the crayon. This paper wrapping is firmly secured by an adhesive, and it is usually removed by forciby using the finger nails and tips of the fingers to loosen and tear the paper from the crayon material, all of which results in the smearing or staining at the finger tips, so the ordinary paper wrapping is not a satisfactory protective covermg. l

Nevertheless, despite the cost of the paper ,wrappings, the lack of adequate reinforcement therein, and the objections to the labor and soiling of the fingers in removing the adhering paper, this old practice has been rather generally adopted. It, therefore, appears that this unsatisfactory manner of. reinforcing and protecting crayons may be regarded as the most desirable practice existing before the present invention.

One of my objects is to overcome all these objections through the medium of a simple and inexpensive covering device which more effectively reinforces the weak, brittle crayon material, and practically eliminates the staining and soiling heretofore incurred in the use of such material. A further object is to provide foractual use of almost all of the crayon material, instead of immediately discarding the crayons when they are too short for convenient writing while held directly by the fingers.

More specifically stated, an object is to produce a protective covering :for crayons comprising a stiff reinforcing tube, well adapted to ing a combination of strong and simple clamping elements which firmly secure the reinforcing tube to the crayon.

In a very simple form of the invention, the reinforcing tube is provided with an inner friction surface conforming to and frictionally engaging the outer face of the weak crayon, and one end of this tube is tapered and slotted longitudinally to produce yieldable gripping ele- 10 ments. This tapering slotted end portion of the reinforcing tube is relatively thin and corre-. spondingly weak, but it is amply reinforced by a surrounding band or sleeve, which frictionally engages the outer face of the tapered gripping elements, so as to firmly force them onto the crayon. This reinforcing band is removable from the relatively weak end portion of the tube to permit adjustment of the crayon, but when the device is in service, said detachable band is firmly seated on saidend portion to perform its function as a reinforcing element while preventing displacement of the crayon.

The stiff reinforcing tube herein disclosed can be made of thin material to provide a light handle for the crayon without objcctionably increasing the diameter of the article. In this respect it resembles the old paper wrappers. However, it is not cemented to the crayon, and as a reinforcing element, it positively preventsbreakage of the weak crayon material, and it can be used indefinitely to hold an extremely large number of crayons. It also eliminates the manufacturing cost involved in separately wrapping each crayon, and entirely overcomes the several objections which heretofore appeared in forcibly removing the adhering paper from the crayon material. Furthermore, the simple reinforcing device has a desirable neat appearance, and it provides the desired firm wrapper or covering which separates the fingers from the smeary crayon and can be most conveniently grasped in using the crayon, regardless of the length of the crayon material.

With the foregoing and other objects in View, the invention comprises the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more specifically described and shown in the accompanying drawing, which illustrates one form of the invention. However, it is to be understood that the invention comprehends changes, variations and modifications within the scope of the claim hereunto appended.

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a device embodying the features of this invention.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through the reinforcing tube, the crayon being shown in elevation.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged section on the line 3-3 in Fig. 1, showing the relatively thin tapered portion of the tube and the clamping ring which reinforces the tube and crayon at this portion of the device. p

In this simple form of the invention, the stiff reinforcing tube 4 is made of a single piece of thin material, for example, thin fiber, or the like. It has an inner friction surface conforming to and frictionally engaging the outer face of a brittle crayon 5. The outer face of said tube is exposed to provide a firm handle for the reinforced crayon, and said tube may be open at both ends to receive and discharge the crayon.

Inv the manufacture and use of crayons, it is economical and otherwise advantageous to mold the crayon material into the form of relatively long sticks, and the present invention provides for the most desirable increase in the lengths of the crayons. It will be observed that the unused crayon may extend from both ends of the tube i, and that regardless of the length of the crayon, the tube will cover and reinforce the portions of the crayon material which are ordinarily grasped in using the crayon.

I will now refer to the means for securing the tube to the crayon. The discharge end of the tube is tapered and slotted longitudinally to produce an annular series of yieldable, tapering gripping members 6 integral with but of less thickness than the reinforcing tube, said gripping members having tapered outer faces. A clamping ring or band I surrounds said annular series of gripping members. The band I is slidable on the gripping members 6, and it can 'be readily removed from the discharge end of extending longitudinally of the slotted end of the tube, and when this elongated band is frictionallyunited with the gripping members 6, it is practically a continuation of the reinforcing tube in the areas which are subjected to severe bending stresses.

The external diameter of the clamping band 1 is preferably larger than that of the body portion of the reinforcing tube, and the outer face of said band may be non-circular, preferably polygonal, to prevent accidental rolling of the device. However, the more important functions of this detachable band I are to firmly secure the reinforcing tube to the crayon, and at the same time reinforce the weak portion of the tube.

I claim:

In a device for reinforcing and covering brittle crayons, a reinforcing tube made of a single piece of thin fiber having an inner friction surface conforming to and frictionally engaging the outer face of the brittle crayon, the internal diameter of said fiber tube being uniform throughout the length of the tube, the outer face of said fiber reinforcing tube being exposed to provide a protective covering for the reinforced crayon, said tube being open at both ends to receive a crayon longer than the tube, the discharge end of said thin fiber tube being tapered atits outer face only and slotted longitudinally to produce an annular series of yieldable, tapering gripping members integral with but of less thickness than the body portion of the fiber reinforcing tube, said tube being otherwise uniform in thickness throughout its length, and a detachable clamping band surrounding and slidable longitudinally of said annular series of yieldable gripping members, said clamping band having a tapered inner face frictionally united with said tapered outer face, so as to reinforce the tapering gripping members While securing the reinforced crayon to the tube, the outer face of said detachable clamping band being polygonal and larger in diameter than the outer face of the body portion of said reinforcing tube.

' EDWARD S. GARVEY.

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