The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-09-02
PERPETUAL MOTION PATENTS.
Why tho Government stopped TnkinE tho
Fees of the Grants.

Why tho Government stopped TnkinE tho
Fees of the CrnniSs-
The patent Office has recently ceased
to be purity to the fraud of perpetual
motion. Until three years ago 1t was
customary to take ''first fees (ifteol
dollars from the perpetual motion
cranlts us well as from all other would
be inventors. Then, in course of time, u
letter was sent to the perpetual motion
applicant telling him that his cLim
was based upon an irrational principle,
and that he must furnish working
model. OF course, that was tho end Of
the application The model nevcr czIno,
and the fec remained In the treasury.
About three years ago, says tho st.
Louis Globe Democrat, Principal FIX
ainincr William l.. Aughinbaugh wont
to the commissioner ind sug.cstoI
that, as rejection of the perpetual mo-
tlon claim was inevitable, it would bo
faircr to refuse the first fees of such
claimants and to send thon u circular
Immediately upon the filing of their APP
plicatioils telling them that 10 constfl-
Grafton would bc givon their papers un-
til a working model was filed This
course has been pursued ever since
pctual motion has been very Indignant
Mt the rejection of his rendered foe.
Ono way that has been adopted by tho
cranlss to get around tho now rule in
tended for their benefit Is to drop tho
claim of perpetual motion and put In
the drawings for motor" Notwith-
standing the policy of the patont Office
to discourage the perpetual motion
craze and to save time and money fos,
people, at least two or three claims Of
this character are put III ovcry mouth.
Not long ago Kansas man claimed
to have set up tho perpetual motion mu-
chine, and to have 1t i'll operation ut his
homo. lie wrote TO tho patent Office TO
know if the affidavit of Senator Plumb
would be accepted instead of the work.
ing mo,icl ~ the basis for patont
The examiner felt Obliged to refuse.
Sometimes the perpetual motion in
vcntor appears with y pocket full OF
bearings and connections which he
asks tic examiner to accept as evidence
that he has solved the problem. But
the examiner insists that he must see
Che perpetual motion before he grant,
the pntcnt
lSuSI SulilIR'I NEW 1OFK l0WJGP
named Todd came nll tho way to Wash
in9ton with parts Of machine, and had
quite n controversy with the Office DO
cause the patent was refused. Tie in
sisted that he had seen tho machine IN
operation, that 1t was running day
after day, and keeping cider press go
ing to boot. There was no dcviatlng
from the rulo. The lawyer went back
to New York, saying that he would pro-
ducc The machine. lie was not seen
again until the centennial cclcbra-
ton, when he reminded the cx-
nnincr Of the case and told how no Ind
been fooled At the time of making al>-
plication the lawyer really believed
that his client had discovered the long
sought principle. But when nc got
back to New York and told that the
patent had been refused the client COM
fcsscd. Tho perpetual motion was no
motion Mt all Power was concealed III
the cider press. 1t ran the pres, and the
press made the perpetual motion ma
chine 60 too The inventor had been
charging ten cents admission to see
perpetual motion IIo had fooled tho
public and his lawyer, and he hoped
% slip through claim.