Mechanical pencils

Claim 1

A MECHANICAL PENCIL COMPRISING A HOUSING HAVING A FILLER PASSAGE WITH AN OPEN END ADAPTED FOR RECEIVING A FILLER RECIPROCABLY THERETHROUGH, MOVABLE FEEDING MEANS FOR MOVING THE FILLER THROUGH THE PASSAGE AND OUT THE OPEN END, FILLER SHIELD MEANS FREELY RECIPROCABLE IN SAID PASSAGE INDEPENDENT OF THE FEEDING MEANS AND COMPRISING A SLEEVE ELEMENT HAVING AN OUTER PORTION EXTENDABLE OUTWARDLY OF SAID HOUSING AND AN INNER SHOULDER PORTION PROVIDED WITH AN INTERNAL ABUTTING SURFACE ENGAGING WITHIN THE OPEN END OF THE PASSAGE TO PREVENT THE SLEEVE ELEMENT FROM FALLING OUT OF THE PASSAGE, SAID OUTER PORTION OF THE SLEEVE ELEMENT BEING IN THE FORM OF A FILLER PROTECTING AND ENVELOPING TUBE PART DEFINING WITH THE SHOULDER PORTION A CONTINUOUS FILLER BORE, SAID SLEEVE ELEMENT BEING PROVIDED WITH SLOT MEANS INTERSECTING WITH THE BORE AND PROVIDING A SLOTTED BORE PORTION HAVING DIMENSION SLIGHTLY LESS THAN THE CROSS-SECTIONAL DIMENSION OF THE FILLER IN THE UNEXPANDED POSITION OF THE SLOTTED BORE PORTION AND BEING ADAPTED TO BE EXTENDED WHEN PLACED ABOUT THE FILLER TO AN EXPANDED POSITION AND HAVING A DIMENSION SLIGHTLY GREATER THAN THE DIMENSION OF THE FILLER IN THE EXPANDED POSITION, WHEREBY IN SAID EXPANDED POSITION THE SLOTTED BORE PORTION IS ADAPTED TO SNUGLY FRICTIONALLY ENGAGE THE FILLER IN CLUTCHING ACTION IN MOVING THE SLEEVE ELEMENT WITH THE MOVABLE FEEDING MEANS AND WHEREBY THE SLEEVE ELEMENT IS MOVABLE RELATIVE TO THE ASSOCIATED FILLER UPON EXERTION OF SLIGHT PRESSURE ON THE OUTER PORTION OF THE SLEEVE ELEMENT IN A DECLUTCHING ACTION.