The earliest patents for reservoir or fountain pens were taken out in 1809. The problem with these first pens was that the ink could not flow freely. The user had to start the flow of ink by pushing down on a plunger, which they then had to press periodically in order to maintain the flow of ink.
A satisfactory substitute was not developed until 1884, when an American, Lewis Edson Waterman, devised a capillary feed pen. His pen could be unscrewed at one end and the ink could be squirted in with an eye-dropper. The early 20th century saw the introduction of self-filling pens. A piston was utilised to draw up the ink. With the adoption of the rubber sac, a coin was used to squeeze into a slot, press the sac, and therefore suck up the ink. The idea of using a lever soon followed in 1908.
Dating from 1952, the Schnorkel pen started to be employed. It utilised a tube that extended right into the ink. The capillary pen came into use from 1956.
The modern version of the fountain pen usually utilises a plastic self-contained cartridge of ink (hence the term cartridge pen). This is screwed onto a joint in the pen which pierces the cartridge and allows the ink to flow to the nib.
