OCR Text |
Show quired under the law. Until recently, this was not required In Great Britain Bri-tain and the British patents are tho admiration of tho world, because thev protect the relly valuable inventions, fundamental discoveries like wireless telegraphy, from piracy by the hordo of enterprising inventors whose device de-vice has value only becauso of the merit of the original invention Belgium Bel-gium and; France rank almost with Great Britain in this respect. Undo Sam does not yet adequately protect those to whom it issues patents, notwithstanding not-withstanding the Intent of the patent Is protection- The "search for priority'' waa ex-pected ex-pected to accomplish this protection, but the fact must be admitted that piracy by counterfeit inventions anr nually co3ts the public a sum far greater than wildcat mining or other enterprises, which during 1906 and 1907 exchanged dubious share of stock for $50,000,000 of the public's cash. One step forward toward better bet-ter protection is the proposal endorsed by the Amorlo&n Bar association for the creation of a court of patent appeals ap-peals to expedite the decision of Infringement In-fringement cases. However, this is generally . regarded as only one step toward the great Improvements of Uncle Un-cle Sam's patent system which are needed. Goodyear's terrific fight for a patent on vulcanizing rubber that would protect his discovery is repeated repeat-ed every year. He fought for eleven years, his mind giving way several times during that ordeal. He was In and out of asylums repeatedly. In Great Britain the inventor secures se-cures absolute governmental protection protec-tion for nine months, by filing a provisional pro-visional application, setting out clearly but broadly hia claims. In the United States the specifications, even to minute mi-nute details, must be filed. Right here the litigation starts, and here the foes tho patent lawyers have beginning. be-ginning. One case that Is noteworthy is that of an Iowa man who devised a fundamental improvement In washing wash-ing machines, one that has saved millions mil-lions of backaches for women of America, Amer-ica, but other devices that embodied the essentials of the washing machine YANKEE INVENTIVENESS PROSPERITY'S RESCUE Washington, Maroh 1. Yankee ingenuity inge-nuity has turned to with enthusiasm to revive general prosperity, as tho records of the patent office show. Panic and depression proved a stimulus to Inventiveness, is shown by a sudden spurt during 1908 in applications" for patents. The patent office was suddenly sud-denly overwhelemd, and still is. The average number of patents applied ap-plied for each year from 1900 to 1907 was about 62,000; in 1907, as result of the sudden stringency during the last quarter, the number jumped to almost al-most 69,000. But in 1908 the principal Increase waa shown, for the total number num-ber of applications was way above the average. The total for the year Is not yet known. Tho record for the flvo years preceding was as follows:-j follows:-j Patents Patents Applied For. Allowed, 1903 50,213 31.699 1904 52,143 30.934 discovery were at once put forward and years of litigation followed before the meritorious device was given protection, pro-tection, though patented, and the imitations imi-tations shut out A 6tlll more notable case Js that of the ditcoverv bv a German of the thermos method of retaining the temperature tem-perature of solids and liquids unchangedkeeping un-changedkeeping hot things hot for twelve hours or more, and cold things cold for seventy-two hours without fire or ice. Soon afterword it was brought to the TJnited States. Notwithstanding that it was proposed in congress to vote a medal to the inventor, becaute of the multitude of Ita homely benefits to humanttv in the sksk room and the nursery, on shipboard and In the army, including that of keeping babieB' milk warm overnight, Uncle Sam's patent has not protected the discovery from ita counterfeits.' By similar appearance appear-ance and sfcntfar claims the imitations imita-tions were able to . capture part of the enormous sales of socalled thermos ther-mos &Mcob. Several thousand dollars dot month Is the prloe. according, to complaints filed by W. B. Walker of Wow.Tork with the commissioner of patoote, thai this djsoovery pay for the inadequacy of Uncle Sam s patent pwteotion. MWhfle thermoe con-talnere con-talnere which the sclerrftflc world made 1905 64.971 30.379 190G 5C.4S2 31.966 1907 58.7C2 30,620 The percentage of Increase in patents pat-ents applied for in 1908 may be determined deter-mined by the spurt reported in the average number of visitors dally during dur-ing that vear in the patent record room of the Chicago public library, one of the most complete In equipment of any in the country. During the years 1899, 1900, 1901-2-3-4 the average dailv attendance was 229 , and tho av erage number of books called for, 1,-100; 1,-100; in 1908 the daily attendance av-; erage Jumped to 297, and the number of books called for to 1,500. One explanation given by a patent authority was this: "In d"11 times, men are not bo busy and they have more time to put their minds on pat-enti. pat-enti. In dull times, too, people who are manufacturing try to get something some-thing which will sell over their competitors. com-petitors. In hard tlmea they try to get a better article than tholr com-netitar com-netitar has. If everybody it Bellins moch ado about, of course. uJierea in puMlc -esteem hy the counterfeits that were bong and found useless. Buch casaa are numerous and have heen pehnfcteJ owing to the active ef forte of pnt attorneys, whose pleas era-that no reform waa to he de aired bocauo Inventiveness (and Hf fees to patent a4orncys) should I not be restricted no matter how much the failure of XJnehi Sam to reform pres ont csndJtfbna eeneral pub- 5? a ooflt which it Is estimated' imolnteto hodreda of millions oi dollars per annum. A review JUBt.completed of the pat nts ran in 1908 shows that amonf the moat irnvortaut among ttw S-,75. patents Iwued wa the one for puri IvlM water by electricity. The prin ctele involve, the etefltrocntlon of ml- ! ct. Anofber was a cloth cutUn? I macftme. A Vinton yel was Iwued. which It is believed was a milestone In package makln? for the displacement of the tlme-hon ored harrel, of wooden staves, at lasi seems .really probaWo. all they want, there Is no reason wny theyBhould make their Product bet-ter. bet-ter. If they are not, to Increase their sales they must, make their output better." The greatest tatk of the patent office of-fice i the "Bearch for priority, re- |