Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1890-02-14
THE PATENT OFFICE.
How Uncle Sam Passes on the
Claims of Inventors. e
The Routine Through Which an
Application Goes. e..

f ~ 80 J 45N
: Applications for the issue of letter.
patent como in 10 the commiss oner by
tho score every day, by mail, by cx-
press. and through attorneys. First Of
all the little bundle upon which so
much thought has bocn given, so much
midnight oil consumed. passes into the
hands of the financial c,crk, whose duty
It is to collect and account for tho en-.
trance fec of SIS. which must in all
cases accompany the application. Then
ho sends the drawings and specifications
TO the application clerk. who makes n
record of the name OF the appl icant. his
residence, the title of tic invention,
name of attorney. day of receipt, and
the name of tho examiner to whom it i,
referred for ac,ioa. Before tho papers
nre forwarded to the examiner the
drawings go to the draftsman's division
for inspection rs to the mechanical cX,-
cution, for n drawing must be clear be-
fore it is acccptc |. Ii upon examina-
ton it is discovered that tho drawing is
defective, the inventor is notified. On
the other hand, if found all right, it
travels back to the application room.
where it is gi7cn serial number and
forwarded to the examiner in whose di-
vision it belongs. rT
A patent examiner has of necessity to
be q man of morc than ordinary acquire
ments. lis is most res ponsiblo posi-
ton and it is his business to make him
self fully acquainted with every appli-
cation that is brought .uader Ills not c,.
To do this requires IA immense amount
of labor, for it i, necessary that ho
study every invention barring upon tho
case under con,i lcrulioa for the pur-
pose of learning whether or no, it coz
il;cts with patent alroaly issucl ciilicr
In this or any other country. S,mc-
times men attempt to seal. other mems
ideas, and the examiner has 10 guard
against this. If he discover, that there
is similarity in the application 10
some other already patented he has to
point out this TO the inventor or his at
tornoy, and thea en'ues an argument
that lasts sometimes for months before
the patent has been sufficiently modified
SO as not to conflt with the previous
one. The position Of patent examiner
is by no means n snacurc. He sits in
the capacity of a ju lyc over the patent
ON trial; he hears the spccchc, of couu-
sci, he looks " his authorities and
then he makes his decision. Whatever
he declares is final. a.thou III there can
be an appeal to the board of examiners.
Should an examiner mako n mistake it
might cause law suits costing thousands
of dollars and extending over period
of years of litigation
Thcre'ar thirty subject, of invention
divided into lightweight clas,c,, and
assigned for examination to the thirty
examining divisions OF the Office.
After examination, if the device is
found patcatalAc, the examiner for.
wards tho papers to the issue division
with his signatur; attached. After all
minor nj stakes hav; been corrected the
papers then go TO the drafting division,
where they are put in nc file and re-
turned to the issue division. The pat
cnt is then allowed aad the inventor is
notified of its allo waac, and issu, upon
the receipt of $2). the final fec. If
the inventor de cidcs TO take the rattnt
out at once he so otiies the office and
the specifications go down to the gov.
eminent printing office, where they are
put in type and printed. The draw.
ings go TO tho photographer, anl after
completion the printed specifications
and drawings arc boaad together and
may be had for ID ccats q copy. Next
tho patent is male out and signed by
the secretary of the interior and Com
missioner Mitchell. The voyage of ap-
plication to the har Dor Of iasuranc, is n
long and tedious one, mc,imes re-
curing years. = Washington Star.