Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1886-02-11
THE PATENT OFFICE.
HOW It Began Life Under the Foster
ing Care of Jeferson-Ets Subse-
QueDt History

American patent office was founded,
writes correspondent 10 the Cincin-
natl Enquirer. Thomas Jefferson in
inspired it, and may be said to have
been the father Of the American pat
ent Office. He took great pride in it,
it is said, and gave personal consider
alton to every application that was
made for patent during the years
between 1890 and 1898, while the
power of revision and rejection grant
ed by that act remained in force. Ii
is related that the granting of pat
ent was held to be in those early times
| quite an event in the ghistory of
the state department, where the cleri-
cal part of the work was then per-
formed.
1t is a matter OF tradition, handed
down from generation 10 generation
by those who love to speak of Mr..
Jefferson and his virtues and eccen-
tricities, that when an application for
patent was made under the first act
he would summon Mr.. Henry Knox,
of Massachusetts, who was secretary
of war, and Mr.. Edmund Randolph,
of Virginia, who was attorney gener-
| al, these officials being designated by
| the act, with the secretary of state, g
tribunal to examine the appl cation.
critically scrutinizing each point of
| the specification and claims carefully
| and vigorously.
The result of this examination was
that during the first year s. majority
of the applications failed to pass the
ordeal, and only three patents were
granted. In those years every step
IN the issuing of a patent was taken
with great care and caution, Mr.. jeff
erson seeking always to impress upon
the minds of his officers and the pub
lie that the granting of patent was
matter of no ordinary Importance
The growth of our patent was mat
ter of no ordinary importance. The
growth of our patent system, it's vast
Importance, its intimate connection
with and direct influence upon the
property of the country, demand
that it shall receive degree of atten-
sion which it cannot and will not re-
ceive while it remains q merely sub
ordinate bureau of the interior de-
partment.
The first patent was granted July 81
1890, to Samuel Hopkins for making
pot and pearl ashes An examination
of the parents granted between 1890
and 1910 shows most surprisingly the
germ of the ideas which by subse-
quent improvements have been in
corporated into an inventive system.
By the act of 1886 q board OF examin.
ers was created. The official system
was not very large one at that time.
The patent office was created, but it
was attached to the department OF
state. There were provided for the
Office, to be appointed by the COM
missioner of patents, with the appro-
val Of the secretary of state. a
chief clerk, an examining clerk, three
clerks maehinist. messenger That
constituted in 1886 the entire force of
the patent office. In 1849 the office
was disconnected from the depart
ment of state and attached to the de-
partment of the interior, which was
then created.
The establishment of the patent
Office marked the commencement of
the marvellous development of the re-
sources OF the country which is the
admiration and wonder of the world,
development which challenges all
history for parallel, and it is not too
much to say that the unexampled
progress has not been only dependent
upon but has been coipcIdent with
the patent system Of this country.
We have had fifty years Of progress,
fifty years of invention applied to the
everyday wants of life; fifty years
Of patent encouragement, and fifty
years in development in wealth, re-
sources, grandeur, culture, power,
which is little short of miraculous.
Population, production, business,
wealth, comfort, culture, power,
grandeur-these have all kept step
with the expansion of the inventive
genius of this country, and this prog
ress has only been made possible by
the inventions of its citizens. Il is
only when the brain evolves and the
cunning hand fashions labor-saving
machines that a nation begins to
throb with new energy and life, and
expands with new growth. It is
only when thought wrings from nat
ure her untold secret resources that
solid wealth and strength are accu-
mulated by a people. Especially is
this true in republic. Under arbi-
trary forms of government kings may
conquer other nations, they may ex-
tort from, Cypress, and degrade the
men who till the soil, and they may
thus acquire wealth; but IN republic
it is only when the citizen conquers
nature, EFFORTS her resources and ap-
propriates her riches that you find
real wealth and power. Women are
among the army of inventors. The
majority of applications filed by wom-
Ell for patents for articles used ia
housekeeping, or for dress, Or toilet.
Several have invented sewing ma
chimes, and others sewing machine
attachments. A great many applica-
tons have been made for patents by
the principles of which have already
been patented. One woman has a
patent for an artificial stone compost
ton, probably for building or paving
purposes. One has received a patent
for disinfectant; one for preserving
eggs. Another, looking to the COM
fort of her children perhaps, has in
vented an ear-muff, for which she has