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Show m me patent office contain con-tain the graphic story of the prog- ress of America and the achievements achieve-ments of the men who helped build this great country of ours. In these files are the "birth certificates" of the hundreds of thousands of inventions inven-tions that have placed America away out in front in scientific and industrial achievement. Every week every day in fact, these files grow bigger. For Americans are still inventing, in-venting, even though most of their brain children will not see the light of day until the war is over. The institution of patenting is provided pro-vided for in article I. section 8 of the constitution of the United States which states that congress shall have the power "to promote the progress of science and useful arts by securing for limited times to au thors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries." To date, the U. S. patent office has issued nearly 2.500,- I 000 patents, some of which marked turning points in the history of the world. The steam engine, telephone electric light and airplane are onlv a few of the more obvious ones, lne others are broken down into 310 classifications, under which there are some 50.000 sub-classifications I A patent gives the owner the ex- ' elusive right to make, use or sell 1 his invention or discovery through- ' out the United States and its terri- tones for period of 17 years. |