Below are the main loading systems used by the various manufacturers throughout the long history of the fountain pen from its origins to the present day. Many of these systems were born as an attempt to circumvent the original patent of [[Sheaffer]], or to find alternatives that could distinguish the pens that used them compared to the competitors. | Below are the main loading systems used by the various manufacturers throughout the long history of the fountain pen from its origins to the present day. Many of these systems were born as an attempt to circumvent the original patent of [[Sheaffer]], or to find alternatives that could distinguish the pens that used them compared to the competitors. |