Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1880-01-14
LETTERS PATENT.
HOW AND IN WHAT MANNER THEY CAN
be TAKEN OUT

In this age of improvements and in
vcntions the subject of patents is Of
great interest The laws which gov
ern patents are among the most i'm
portant on the statute books looking to
the protection of industries, as they
grant inventors, their heirs and as
signs, the exclusive right for speci-
fed period to new discoveries and in
ventions of novel and useful charac-
ter Every invention or discovery, to
be patentable, must possess the merit
of either novelty or utility. A patent
will not be granted to an applicant for
an article discovered and invented by
another, but inventors will not preju-
dice their rights by allowing public
sale of that invention for two years
before applying for patent, and
valid patent will not be issued in case
this use extends over longer period.
A ''prior invention" does not hold good
if the party has simply conceived the
idea Of the thing patented it is neces-
sary that it should be reduced to
practical form or complete invention
".
Whoever restores an abandoned or lost
art or invention may obtain patent
for it,
An invention patented in q foreign
country can receive patent in the
United States, if it has not been in
public use two years prior TO the appl-
cation, but the American patent will
not continue beyond the time granted
by the foreign patent. In determining
whether an invention is new il is only
necessary To ascertain if it IL different
from anything previously patented. In
deciding the question of novelty il is
necessary to decide whether an inven-
tion is really novel, or whether il con-
sists in double or analogous use of
something already known. For in
stance, patent will not be issued to
person who first applies to railroad ears
kind Of wheel previously used for
other convcyances Neither can the
discovery Of n principle, n natural law,
scientific truth, or property of matter
be subject of patent But whoever
makes new and useful application of
any Of these things by cmbodying the
principle Of the law in mechanism, or
describing new process by which the
discovery may be of practical utility,
may obtain patent for his invention,
which consists not in the abstract prin-
ciplc, but in its practical application.
Persons wishing to obtain letters
patent usually apply to n solicitor of
patents or attorney, and furnish him
with model Of the invention desired
to be patented, except in cases of de-
signs, compositions, and processes.
The petitioner takes oath that he be-
licvcs himself to be the original and
first inventor Of the invention, and
that, to his knowledge, il has not been
known or used before. accompanying
this petition aud oath must be model
of the invention If the case will admit
Of it, with drawings and specifications.
The application must be signed by the
inventor unless he IL dead, when IL
must be signed by his executor or adj
ministrntor. The specification is n full
description of the invention, in writing,
and tho manner and process of making
and using IL. The description is fol-
lowed by tho claim. in which the mp
plicant must particularly specify the
part, Improvement, or combination
which hc claims as his own invention
and discovery. Where there are draw
in9s the specification must refer by let
tcrs and figures TO the different parts.
In the ease Of the composition Of mat
ter, specimens Of the composition and
of the ingredients sufficient in quaa-
tity for the purpose Of experiment must
accompany the application.
The chief objects Of the spcciica-
tions are TO make known the precise
nature of the invention, aud To en-
able the public from the specification
itself to practice the invention after
the expiration Of the patent. The OBJ
jcct of the claim Is 10 fix with accuracy
the extent Of what Is claimed as new.
IL is sometimes fatal TO claim to call
an invention n machine when il IN "a
process, aud il IL of the utmost i'm
portanco To the inventors that the
specifications are plain The petition,
oath, model, specification, drawing,
etc, are forwarded TO the Patent OF
fec ut Washington by the solicitor or
attorney The Pateut Office, ny those