Mechanical pencil

A mechanical pencil comprising an elongated housing having a pair of opposed flat rectangular front and rear walls tapering at one end and defining an opening, the walls further defining an elongated chamber having flat parallel spaced-apart surfaces therein, the chamber including an elongated lead path spaced from the surfaces for accommodating a flat graphite lead member and extending axially of the elongated housing which communicates at one end of the housing with said opening in line with the lead path;

• at least a linear rack means within the elongated chamber extending parallel to and along one edge of the lead path and an elongated slot defined in the flat front wall parallel with the lead path;
• a manually engageable slider movable longitudinally on the front wall exteriorly of the housing, the slider including a stem extending through the elongated slot and connected to a lead gripper means slidable in the elongated chamber along the lead path, the lead gripper means including anchor means for engaging the linear rack means;
• the slider having a bowed shape with the ends of the bow engaged against the front wall to provide spring action to retain the anchor means engaged in the rack means to prevent axial movement of the gripper means and thus the lead, whereby pressure exerted against the slider sufficient to overcome the spring action of the slider will disengage the anchor means from the rack means, allowing the slider and lead gripper means to slide in unison longitudinally of the housing for advancing or retracting the lead in the housing through the opening in the end of the housing.