Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1869-10-22
PATENTS.


THE follow inq are tho remarks OF HON.
s. s. Fisher, Commissioner Of Patents, |
madnrpcentlv atltir fair Of tie American
Institute, in New York, upon the patent
system; Ha- @
II has occurred to me, that, sianding
here tonight rs the oillciai representative |
of this system, Il would not be innppro.
pirate for me to say few words in its he |
half In the first place no comparison can |
properly he made between our system |
and that Of other countries In England |
and on the Continent all applications are |
patented without examination into the |
novelty of the inventions claimed. In
some instances the instrument is scanned
to ascertain if It covers patentahlc sub
icct.matter, and, in Prussia, some slight
examination is matte into the character of
the new idea hut IN no case are such ap.
pliances provided, such corps of skilled
examiners, such provision or drawings
models, and books, such n collection OF
foreign patents, and such checks 10 pre-
vent and review error as with us ASS
result, an American patent has, in our
courts, n value that no foreign patent can
acquire in the courts of It's own country.
This has rendered property in foreign
patents exceedingly preCarious. Such as
are granted have not been subjected To eX.
animation they have no pifna fdcie
weight Yet they mag be valid 1t is true
that no one knows this, not even the in.
ventor; but the possibility that they may
prove so makes them weapons in the
hands of INSCRIPTIONS men to frightcn
and cocrcc manufacturers who have very
imperfect means, short of litigation, of mr.
irving at the truth or falschood of the
,l,I 4
On the other hand, the inventor is In as
much doubt as the manufactures. lie does
not know what to claim rs his invention
AS he alone Is to fix the limit, rs there Is
to be no revision, he may claim much or
little, how much or how little he must al
ways doubt As \ consequence, foreign
patents are of doubtful value, and the
whole system has fallen into some disrc-
pute.
| suppose that the foreign patents of
American inventors, that hnyc been copies
of patents previously granted in this c0un-
try, are the best that are granted abroad,
aud | know that many an English or
French invention that has been patented
without difficulty there, has been stopped
in its passage tlr ugh our office by n refer.
cnCc to some patent previously granted
in this country, or perhaps in the very
country of its origin In spite of our OK
animation, which rejects over onc.third of
all the applications that are made, or, more
properly, because of ii, invention has been
stimulated by the hope of protection;
and nearly as many patents will issue i'm
the United States this year as in the whole
of Europe put together, including the
British isles. But few days ago / took
up volume of Italian patents TO see what
progress the new Kingdom was making in
invention, when | was amused and graft.
fled to find ON every page the name of the
universal Yankee, re-patentiug there his
American invention, and, | suspect much
the best customer IN the Patent Office of
united Italy. The truth is, we are an in-
vcntive people.
Invention Is by no means confined to
our mechanics. Our merchants invent,
our soldiers and our Slilors invent,
our Schoolmasters invent, our pro.
icssional men invent, aye, and our
women and our children Invent. Cheap
protection has been n fertilizer that has
produced much growth of brain and much
fruit of discovery. One man lately wished
10 patent the application of the Lords
Prayer, repeated in u loud voice, to pre-.
vent stammering; another claimed the
new and useful attachment of weight
or othur article possessing gravity, 60 n
cows tail to prevent her from switching IL
while milking; another proposed to cure
worms by, extracting them by delicate
line and tiny hook bated with u seductive
pill; while "A lady patented II Crmping
pin, which she declared might also he used
as a papcr'cuttcr, rs u skirt supporter, as
paper file, as u child's pin, as bouquet
holder, as a shawl fastener, or ms n book.
mark. DO not suppose that this is the
highest flight which the gcnucr sex has
achieved IL has obtained many other
patents, some of which have no relation
70 wearing apparel, and are of considcra.
bic value.
But, am asked, what proportion of all
patented inventions proVc To be valuable
to Their projectors or to the public! One
tcnthg Probably not much more than
that; but, let It be remembered, there are
tow failures so harmless ms that of a use.
less invention. The patent gives Il Il
chance 10 prove itself worthy of the pub.
lie patronage, II simply declares that il
1t be good ii shall not be stolen; hut il il
be useless nobody will want TO steal 1t.
But nj all those who enter upon any ouCu,
patton of liie, how many succeed and how
many failg How many vnunr men have
entered the bar, and have failed to take
rank with EVarts O'Connor or Brady =
How many have launched their bark laden
with mercantile ventures, and have been
stranded, while Clailn and Stewart were
sailing into port How many have been
moved To "start paper who have lived
us long, but not To as much purpose, rs
raymond, Bennett, or Greeley | sun.
pose that nine failures to one success is n
very fair proportion for the professions of
the world, including that of Tia; inventor
ar, ut all events, do not suppose the fail
urcs among inventors are more numerous
than among every other class of working.
men, As TO property i'm inventions, /
shall not stop 10 discuss It, That a man
having, by long experiment by patient
thought-bY brilliant genius-hv the cN.
pendlture OF time and Of means conceived
and brought TO perfection aud embodiment
some new idea, having created some new
substance put IN motion some new ma.
chlne, put some old force To new work, OF
given To some new force field for labor
Is not entitled to call this which he has
done his own and 20 set his price upon II
need not, think, be argued before honest
meny If we owe nothing TO the men
who have made this century so ilmstrou,
ny their great conceptions, then we owe
nothing To anybody, ami rcpudiatinn
ought to be the watchword of the age.
We do owe them much, not merely a
debt OF sentimental gratitude, but Il debt
payable in cash, which shall lin them
above want, and place them upon such a
pinnacle of happiness that the world shall
say "Thus shall it be done unto the man
whom the nation delighted to honor -
How shall we give poemiary consideration
for inyentiOnsy There are two ways i'm
which this might he done. One is 6y tn,
purchase, for cash, by the Government o
all inventions for the use of the nation
This plan Is met at The outset by the i'm
possibility ofdetermining the value. Ever,
inventor Supposes himself TO have a for
tune in every conception that he puts int,
wood and iron Stealing trembling an,
iuruyely up the steps of the Patent OAicc
with his model carefully concealed unde
his opsh lest some sharper shall see il an,
rob HIM of his darling thought, he hope,
10 come down those steps with the pre
clQus parchment that shall insure him ,
present competency and that shall enricl
his-ohildNalg l should think ii ha Ner,