New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-05-05
NespVprk Daily Griba,se
THE UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE


building and the two wings the fourth eide being open.
At the present time Of the wings is not entirely
completed and part Of the rest is used for the Office
of the Secretary Of the Interior and for very utter
e.pg museum which has no sort Of relation to pstens
This museum will soon be removed 70 the Smithsonian,
and the room used BY the other Offices will, q. ne
distant tine, be needed for the increasing number Of
models. Every application for patent has to be
companied by working model less than cubic foot
in size and in every the model remaining ct the
Office so tina, there two classes of modesthose of
patented and those of rejected inventions For those Of
the frst-clsss fine room, two stories high, runnng
the whole length Of the eastern wing has been sppro
psiated The models are placed in large show in
such manner as TO be easily seen; those referring to
the same object are side by side, and there
stantly in the several officers ready to open the
cases persons DESTROYS of closer examination Great
care is taken that no model be injured by un-kful
handling while, at the same time, every reasonable
facility for research is courteously afforded The ar
engagements Of this museum are in all things
uneIceptionabe and is by far the first of its kind in
the world, and Of ell museums it certainly is the most
interesting and Of the greatest benefit to the human
race.
The fate Of the rejected models Is very differenti
where they form museum also but their arrangement
ia such that visitor would suppose them to have been
tossed there by centrifugal thrsshiBg machine.
Some are huddled on shelves, others TANNED into ten
foot boxes hundreds strewed the floors Of the
passages and the stairs where they are daily tram
pied upon there is certainly little respect paid these
unfortunate candidates 1t would be, however, great
mistake to conclude from this unceremonious treat
ment that they Of value far from it; If care
fully arranged they would form collection more
interesting and useful than the rst for among the
patented models are many Of crude, though original
devices while on the other hand, among the rejected
are many complete well finished machines, which,
although rejected for want of novelty in the main OBJ
iect are still far superior in details and proportions 70
many Of the accepted. There also would be found
thousands of absurd attempts at impossbties, which
would serve to dssuade from the similar expe-
rmens others hopelessly pursuing the same idea. To
understand fully the importance of the collection in
this respect it is necessary to know that nearly one
half of the inventions Matched every year have al
ready more than once been condemned to the cellars.
Az coon as patent is granted the specification is
copied on large foo and the name Of the inventor is
entered on the index the folios are bound uniformly
dated on the back and kept in room open to the
fed in large portfolios according to their subjects 80
that when person wishes to know what has been
patented in any particular br aneh, thA first step to
obt the drawings on the subject, then from their
dat s find the corresponding specifications. When he
has made list of the patentees names, he Will inquire
for the models in the model rooms. If the number
and the names Of the models correspond the number
and the names of the drawings he may be toiesably
cure Of having seen all he required. The specihca-
tions themselves kept in another room to which
the general public have no access. BY one of the
rules of the Patent Office persons may inspect the
drawings and specifications, and even write memo
rsnda on the subject, but forbidden making any
copies, as the Office claims the privilege OF furnishing
them charging so much for the drawings and SO much
line for specifications.
This regulation is mean unrepublcan, and, for
pstry return tends defeat the object for which she
Patent Office is intended. II said that this rule Is
common to all patent-ofces in the world, but TINS Is
only apparently the case. In foreign countries the
rule intended for the protection OF spechcaons ana
drawings and all facilities consistent with that oDJe0
are extended
In France the drawings not handled by the pup
lie; they are presented to inqurers IN glass frame
with paddock to it. American patentees wiz GER
tanly petition for the same protection al washington
when they learn from these lines the ease with which
rival patentee, under pretense OF examining draw
| ing, may deface or even abstract IT.
In England every patent il published, drawing ano
description, in pamphlet form, which may os Pur'
chased at price from sxpeIce up, according 70 si]ei
these pamphlets bound in volumes, aud form COL
lection which is found in public Libraries all over the
world and from which the poorest inventor may tahs
the necessary copies. There is reason 10 nope 'na'
the ZANE arrangement will be adopted ere long IN the
United States several steps having already been taken
in that direction Formerly the Annual Report oil the
| Commissioner was q dry account book. In tna' U,
ls4s the claims of the year published In That Oh
| 1853 imperfect drawings corresponding to eacn
claim printed from the wooden plates originally USED
in the Patent journal Of Msssrs. Page & Greenough
were added. Since thst time the plates have oeen
expressly made for the purpose BY Mr. Grtsner, ana
| they are improved in finish every succeeding year
The value of the Report has increased Accordingly,
and while formerly il only lined the shelves % s"e''
book-sts,s where il could be bought for few cents
in s improved state it readily commands as many ao''
lar. Since Judge Mafon was appointed Nonln|
sioDsr, copy has been sent TO every Pa'sn'' Y, '
ysar The hall Immediately under the inoae' saA'i!
is divided into rooms which are the examiners oi'
| 6ces. Each examiner has charge oi eAS
| of invention. When the inventions OF any elaS'
| are numerous the examiner has an ASSISTANT VI INC
class itself is subdiyided. 1t Is gensrany suPpo''"
| that tlese officers are professional men whose
education and occupations qualify them TOR Inc IN
portant functions they are called 10 oiscnAg'' ",
nothing is further from the truth they are men oi 1H
trades and nothing but the PROMINENT american
f,cul,v ~ sdsnta,ion enable them to fallhi Their
| du,;.s Ths r.,r,.l consequence is want of