National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1884-01-31
THE PATENT INDUSTRY.
Large Increase in the Number Of Patents Dur
ing the Past Year.
An Analysis Showing tho Extensive
Ground Covered by the Inventions.

The commissioner Of patents yesterday
transmitted to congress his annual report OF
the operations of that Office during the calen-
dar year 1888, which is required by law to be
submitted before the first Of February oil
each year. Ho shows the great increase o!
work in every department of the Office, and
adds an alphabetical list of all tho patents
granted during the year.
The total number of patents issued during
1883, including trademarks and labels, was
"a, 101, which is an increase of II per cent.
over the number issued in 1882.
The cash receipts for last year were 81, 49,
2I0, being an increas of S137, 020.55 over the
preceding year. There is now a cash balance
in the treasury to tho credit of the patent
sum that has accumulated for o number of
years over and above oil the expenses of
operating the office. As an evidence of how
much more than self-sustaining the patent
Office Is, it may DO stated that the excess OF
receipts over and above all expenses during
last year was about 100000.
The number of printed copies of drawings
and specifications of patents selected, exam
ined, delivered, and mailed were 1,10i, 2l5,
from which there was realized tho sum of
$110,421S3. Tho number of thick drawings
and tracings made to fill orders was 1864, for
which was received $5,20i.
The patents issued of course, cover every
variety and class of inventions, and an analy-
sis of the different inventions has been made,
from which the following is presented: In
regard to agriculture. first come the imple-
ments used for breaking and preparing the
ground, such as plows cultivators, sod cover
ers, subsoilers, weed turner's, harrows, &C.,
and for these there were issued last
year 452 patents Next come the machines
lu;l
fertiI ger distributors, corn, cotton, and po-
tato planters, &c. for which 532 patents were
issued Then come things used for gathering
the crops including mowers, harvesters, grain
binders, corn shuckers, &c, which show q
record of 2s5 patents.
There were 40 patents issued for articles
relating to propagation, such as plant and
tree protectors, grating trellises, and for
| preparing the products of tho soil,
such as materials used in the dairy,
in the threshing and winnowing Of
grain, and in the butchery Of stock and
the utilization of the meat there were granted
| 751 patents. For tho accessories to agri
| culture, among which are classed bee culture
moth exterminators, bare, wood, and iron
fences, there were issued 225 patents. Fol
appliances and supplies OF the printing Office,
including addressing machines, stamps, fur
niture, chases, blankets, paging and number
| ing machines, type setting and distributing
machines, type writers, beds, cases, and
presses, 215 patents were granted.
The class of civil engineering, which
includes bridges, arch, draw, truss, floating
and suspension piers, &c. only "a patents.
The largest number of patents ISIS ued II
any one class was in that OF electricity
which received 1,151 patents, covering
alarms, annunciators, batteries, conductors
insulators, lights, magnets, motors, tele
graphs, telephones transmitters, underground
lines, and in fact everything 20 which thu
| electric current can be practically applied.
The inventions relating to railways, those
covering the way, such as trucks, rails
frogs, switches, &C., received PSI patents
| while for cars, including fittings and mount
ings, there were 665 patents.
| 1t will be surprise to many to know that
during last year alone there were issued PA
were applied for just after the horrible hote
fire in Milwaukee, when there was so great q
loss of life.
In the class of metallury. covering fur
naces, operations, processes, &C., for the re-
duction and manufacture of metals there
were 1877 patents.
Household articles claim good share o
| the attention of inventive genius, as for fur
niture of every kind, from pillow spring W
to O convertible bedstead, there were 447
patents, while for the appliances Of the laun
dry. from a clothes pin to washing machine
there were 1876, and for stoves 437 patents
| For processes. machinery, and appliances TO
the manufacture and use of tobacco, Their
were 60 patents; "a tor glass, including pro
cesses of manufacture; 80 for machines TO
the treatment of raw flax, hemp, and cotton
hair packers, &C.; 30 for explosives; 155 70
firearms; SO for projectiles; 80 for ordnance
and for packing and storing vessels, 1874.
In the class OF textiles, including appliance
for working silk looms, their mechanism an
products; knitting machines, the preparation
of cotton and wool for spinning the dress
ing and finishing of woven fabrics, manu-
facture of cOrdage and spinning their wer
granted 276 patents, while for Improvement
in sewing machines there were issued 20
patents.
In the reports of the chiefs of the differen
divisions, from which the data for the CON
missioner's report is obtained, tn ere 10 a gen
eral complaint as to tho insufficiency of tn
clerical force aud want Of adequate room i
which to perform effectively the necessar
work of the divisions.
The examination Of the applications for pal
ents is attended with considerable labor an
necessarily occupies considerable time No
only must it be ascertained that the inven
ton for which a patent Is claimed has nc
been covered by some previous patent, but a
foreign patents referring to the subject mus
also BIO examined, and some idea may
formed of the extent Of tho examination
these foreign patents by the statement tha
during last year the n lumber of drawings
foreign patents mounted, pressed and deliy
cred to examiners was $3.50.
The business of the patent Office has great
increased within the last three years, and
estimating the per cent. of increase in lSS
over 1858 at low average of that for tn
three preceding years-l5 per ccnt.-it wi
be seen that at the end of this year the wor
will nearly have doubled since 1850, when tn
issue was l4,1i9.