New-York tribune., 1877-09-29
TIE MopEL SYSTEM FOR PATENTS.

THE NODEL SYSTEM FOX PATENTS.
ExPrNsE AND INCONvENIENcE or IT-sPEcTlcA-
TIoNs AND DRAWINGS MORE EFFIClEST-rHE
ABOLITION or THE SYSTEM FAVORED.
TO the EdftOr Of The Tribune.
SIR: There appears 70 be no doubt that the
burning Of the Patent Office the accumulation
o. models aud paragraph in your full and COM
ploe account strikes the keynote Of long needed re-
form. Your correspondent says:
There is one benefit kcIy 10 result however. namely.
that b VII he likely 10 inangraie an eaDorate system oi
without reference 10 - distinctive model - Ia
addition 90 the increased security that would be created
hv having the drawings elaborate and completed would
be the economy IN room, and security against nre
All this true, and there much more to be said n
the behalf The g. stem Of requiring models with
applications for patents Is peculiar to this country. Ii
was adopted in the first Federal patent law in 1890
when mechanical education slight compared TO its
depth and diffusion now, and when necessity
ieyen that time more apparent than ever could be
plausiby alleged for requiring model TO assist drawng
and written description. But during the past thirty
years. requirement ot models has been useless tax
on inventors and uncaedfor expense to the Govern
ment Year by year the examining and clerical force OF
the Patent Olce has required for the actual
routine work OF the bureau and ali this time the best
portion of the building has been devoted TO showroom
very fine and very notable, IL is true,-but
simply for the few hundreds OF sight-seers that
annually visit II, and kept up at the
of country Nor IL the amount paid out direct for
the Of these models to be dsregarded. While the
appropriations down TO such extent that the
force OF examiners. well as clerks, reduced not
wthstanding that the business OF the Office was and isl
continually increasing, portion of the funds were OF
necessity devoted TO this mammoth museum OF Curios
ties. Requiring models moreover, has been a drag
upon the development OF invention, and many
useful improvements have remained undeveloped
because models often coating hundreds Of dollars
cannot be furnished by poor inventors and II an nven-
himself ought to be tO the labor anxiety aud cost OF
developing an improvements which as soon AS s utility
IS demonstrated, would II unprotected, De tiheh away
from him. Furthermore the model forms no part OF the
patent and while frequently resOried u III nugauoh
as explanatory " tie specincatlon ana oraWiugs,
it forms species Of cXtraue0us evidence per
peNhE ana mlilcle' ahu oI ~ is- "ulln SO lLI u
the evolution OF trut Is concerned INC drawings care
fully and elahOratey prepared to show the invention IN
It's various details and notifications
And there would be another advantage In this, that
while a model remaug shut mp with tens ~ thousands Oh
others IN the conhnea cases OF the fdeht oul le uW-
ngs would display the entTe invention 70 "AoeVer was
willing pay the price twcnY Yye cents dcmauicdby tie
Patent once for uncered copy OF patent issued
that provision of the law whicn provides
for publication forthwith OF the current Issues.
Models being expensive, there is every motive for an IN
ventOr 10 omit much ne without losing hls
claim drawings being comparatively cheap, the in
explanation OF his invention rs lie could. aud The
pubic. wei as the inventor would be tie
gamer. This ~ the sy stem adopted IN other coun-
tries aud personal examination Of the actual
and practical working OF the Patent Offices OF
cility for obtaining information the spot. las con-
that hey yOnd All question patent system may
administered with far less expense and far grca
eieieucy with greater cement 10 industries,
and less Liability yexatiOn and unnecessary litigation.
when. in the countries named, no models are re-
quired and the inventor supplies simpy what
enr courts las distinguished from the Patent Oncci
demand VIZ a specification (nciuding drawings so iu
clear complete as 10 explain the invention 40 mat
the Improvement be pu, II practice by any person
skilled the whlch II relates. and so exact as
clearly distinguish between what If new and what Is
old The system requiring models has outvedits use
fulnese. any Iad. It AaH laid useless Tax on
the inventive talent OF the country, ana de-
mauded from inventors for models the money
that otherw sc would. thousands OF instances nave
expended IL the construction OF workng machipes
And a. error always accumulaes ana prOpagates ITSELF
this system culuuated IN the destruction OF nun
dreds thousands Of dollars of National property and
brought 10 verge OF 6uuihliaou the all important
records OF department dt 30 Tar "a concerns the ma
ter.a affairs country OF more importance than
any other.
i rrust that THE TRIBUNE VIII continue 70 enforce
attention OF the public and Of The Government
the reform clearly indicated ~ tie paragraph Whlcu
have from its columns and 70 which nave here re-
Ierred JAMES A. Whitney.
Ne,r- York Citg sept. %, 1877.