Sunday History Lesson — How Smart Was Jay Rider, Really?

[Richard]

(Apologies for the lateness of this posting. We had a house full for an early Mardi Gras dinner, and I've just now gotten to sit down and rest.)

 

I've long admired the Rider "Perfection" pen, produced by the J. G. Rider Pen Company of Rockford, Illinois.

 

http://www.richardspens.com/images/coll/rider_5_capped.jpg

http://www.richardspens.com/images/coll/rider_5.jpg

 

Based on U.S. Patent Nº 737,920, awarded to Jay G. Rider on September 22, 1903, the pen was an eyedropper filler without a separate section. Instead, it had a special feed that was notched on the bottom so that you could use your fingernail or the pen's clip to pull the feed out, leaving the nib in place, to fill the pen. Here's the relevant patent drawing.

 

http://www.richardspens.com/images/ref/profiles/rider/ed_filler.png

 

Well, my admiration is a little dimmed these days, I have to say. While I was doing some research this week on the Laughlin Manufacturing Company, I discovered a patent taken out by Joseph F. Betzler and assigned by him to James W. Laughlin. U.S. Patent Nº 686,902, dated November 19, 1901, is in essence identical to Rider's later patent.

 

http://www.richardspens.com/images/ref/profiles/rider/betzler.png

 

Laughlin never made pens to Betzler's patent, and now I wonder whether Rider might have seen it at some point, varying his design just enough that it would pass muster at the patent office.

[Pen Is Mightier]

Interesting history lesson, brings up the old adage that history repeats itself, or at least other people repeat history if only with slight modifications.

[P.A.R.]

There's something beautiful about functional simplicity of design.

[Roger W.]

I've wondered how much of a hustler he was. We live near Rockford and get our groceries there so I know a little about the town. Checking with the Secretary of States office yielded the incorporation papers. While Jay's partners put up money Jay, put up patents however, some of them must have been pending because the number of patents he put up for his share is greater than the number of patents ever issued to him. That he might have cheated on the patents is, well, quite probable.

 

Roger W.

[beak]

That's a very elegant pen. Tell me please, did one merely extract the feed a little way - enough to put ink down its channel and so into the body - or take it out completely? I wonder if that repeated movement of the feed caused any flow problems or undue wear to the alignment of nib and feed.

[Roger W.]

That's a very elegant pen. Tell me please, did one merely extract the feed a little way - enough to put ink down its channel and so into the body - or take it out completely? I wonder if that repeated movement of the feed caused any flow problems or undue wear to the alignment of nib and feed.

 

The feed was taken out completely.

 

Roger W.

[Richard]

That's a very elegant pen. Tell me please, did one merely extract the feed a little way - enough to put ink down its I wonder if that repeated movement of the feed caused any flow problems or undue wear to the alignment of nib and feed.

It seems to have caused no problems. The feed fits into a tapered opening that is shaped so that the feed can go in only one way. Any wear, of which there seems to have been very little, could be accommodated by the taper of the opening.

[sadiemagic]

Interesting and simple way to fill a pen.

 

I rather like the clip, it has a certain elegance and timelessness to its design.

[Richard]

Interesting and simple way to fill a pen.

 

I rather like the clip, it has a certain elegance and timelessness to its design.

You might like to read my profile of the Rider Pen.

[stevlight]

OK I gotta get me one of these. I wonder if any will surface at the LI Pen show??