Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1890-01-10
The Patent Office.

Applications for the issue oi let
tiers patent come in TO the commits
sioner by the score every day, by
mail, by express, and through attor-
news. First of all, the little bundle
upon which so much thought has
been given. so much midnight oil
consumed. passes into the hands of
the financial clerk, whose duty it is
to collect and account for the en-
trance fee of S15, which must in all
cases accompany the application.
Then he sends the drawings and
specifications to the application
clerk, who makes a record OF the
name of the applicant his residence,
the title of his invention, name OF
attorney, day of receipt, and the
name of the examiner TO whom 1t Is
referred for action. Before the pa
pers are forwarded to the examiner
the drawings go to the draftsman's
division for inspection as TO the
tlefIlalllCdl tAtCullOljs iOi u Va a. ~" ihr
must be clear before it is accepted.
If upon examination it is discovered
that the drawing is defective, the in
ventor is notified. On the other
hand, if found all right, it travels
back to the application room, where
it is given a serial number and for
warded to the examiner in whose
division it belongs.
A patent examiner has Of necessity
to be a man of more than ordinary
acouirements. His is most respon
sible position and it is his business
to make himself fully acquainted
with every application that is
brought under his notice. To do
this requires an immense amount OF
labor. for it is necessary that he study
every invention bearing upon the
case under consideration for the
purpose of learning whether or not it
conflicts with a patent already Issued
either in this or any other country.
Sometimes men attempt to steal
other mems ideas, and the examiner
has to guard against this. If he dis
covers that there is a similarity in
the application to some already pat
ented he has to point out this to the
inventor or his attorney, and then
ensues an argument that lasts some
times for months before the patent
has been sufficiently modified so as
not to conflict with the previous one.
The position of patent examiner Is by
no means u sinecure. He sits in the
capacity of judge over the patent
on trial; he hears the speeches of
counsel. he looks up his authorities
and then he makes his decision.
Whatever he declares is final,
although there can be an appeal TO
the board of examiners. Should an
examiner make a mistake it might
cause law suits costing thousands Of
dollars and extending over n period
of years of litigation.
There are thirty subjects of inven-
ton divided into lightweight classes,
and assigned for examination to the
thirty examining divisions Of the
Office.
After examination. if the device is
found patentable, the examiner for
wards the papers to the issue divis-
ion with his signature attached.
After all minor mistakes have been
corrected the papers then go to the
drafting division, where they are put
in the file and returned to the issue
division. The patent is then allowed
and the inventor is notified Of its
allowance and issue upon the re-
ceipt Of $50, the final fee. If the in
ventor decides to take the patent out
at once he so notifies the Office and
the specifications go down to the
government printing Office, where
they are put in type and printed. The
drawings go to the photographer, and
after completion the printed speciti-
cations and drawings are bound to-
gether and may be had for 10 cents a
copy. Next the patent is made out
and signed by the secretary of the in
terror and commissioner Mitchell.
The voyage of application to the har-
Dor of insurance is long and tedious
one, sometimes requiring years.