The Camden weekly journal. [volume] (Camden, South-Carolina) 1853-1861, 1854-11-07
The American Patent system.
BY DR.. L. d: GALE.

BY DIR. L. ID: GALE.Es.
1t gives to inventors monopoly or the prof
its of their invention for fourteen years: Mere
discovery does not entite apaa to patent
Galvani could not have patented his great dis,
tNery nor the, discoverer of potassium his,
though he might have patented his apparatus
for making it. IF a maniearns law or a prin-
ciple of nature, he cannot get patent for it /;
bat he caf patent his application oft to some
useful or mechanical end. Our Patent System
was not much calculated to promote Science,
before its reorganization in 1885. Up to that
time, it was not very improperly said to be "a
museum of rat.traps, churns, and qpack med-
icines" There was no thorough examination
of the claims presented for a patent; the oath
of tho inventor, as to originality, was taken
and that was about all. Now, a thorough ex-
animation of, every article presented, is gone
through with, and the PATENTS only granted
when there is entire satisfaction that no article
of the sort has existed, capitalization of tile i'll
venlion ever been described. Our country is
the onl one where so thorough.a system of
examination is carried out And one OF our
patents now is of great value. 1t is very
small matter, indeed, if it is not worth $4,000
the medium ones are worth from $4,000, to
$4,000 each, and many are, worth not less
than from 100000 to S5O0OOO each. Even
avalueless article if a patent is obtained upon
it, becomes valuable property, and hence ayar-
ice is continually besieging the Office for pa
tents of unworthy inventions. Z
7. Our first patent system was startedain 1870,
and made to include under its objects all that
it ever has, in. 1898. Under it, hundreds OF
nostrums we're patented: H. 1886 the: present
improved system was organized. The. only
medicine that has RECEIVED a patent since its
enactment, was the Letheon of .Drs, Jackson
and Morton. veneights of;all the patents
now granted, are for mechanical and :physlcail
purposes; Of these, one-eighth are for rschemlcal
inyentions. The applicant must describe his.
invention. a permanent record of this descr'p-s
ton is confdeutiallY kept, and whether or not
the application is granted these described facts
can be used. .-,..,, 81 81 ~ -.
The law of 1886 had been long time in
operation, of course, before it became OF much
use But it begins to tell we'll upon the {. arts
and sciences, the necessities and comforts OF
mankind. Up to 1853 there was not grain
or grass harvester in this or any other country.
But the great wheatfelds Of Illinois demanded
too much hand labor at harvest time, and "a
Dor was too expensive. for our people. Our
necessity compelled invention to relieve US and
now we have grain, grass and maize haryesters
in general use. England has not as many
such assistants and substitutes for manual la
Dor as we and all Continental Europe there
are not over three or four kinds of harvesters in
use, while we patent twenty notifications q,
year. In most European countries they use
the same scythe now that they used one hum.
our forms of the scythe to gain strength, pow
er and lightness. There is no branch Of me-
chanical ingenuity that has not been almost
revoutionized by the Patent Office. 1t makes
fortunes for successful inventors and furnishes
cheaper implements to laborers, since the in
ventor is enabled to sell large numbers of his
articles at very small profits on each:
The chemical arts are yet far in advance of
the mechanical they must be, for facts must
be accumulated before they can be arranged
and applied. Hosts of these unapplied facts
are stored in the Patent Office, which, in the
hands of scientific men, would speedily be turn
ed to good account.