The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1891-03-27
BELLS TELEPHONE.
The Patent Expires IN Two Years, When
There'i BE Great Improvements.


/ In about two years the original
patents Of The Bell Telephone COM
| pnny on the art OF transmitting the
human voice over wires by electricity
will expire. says the st. Louis Republic
Then anybody who chooses can make
and use telephone without let or
hindrance.
Desiring TO learn what would proba-
bly, be the result of the extinction of
the Bell Telephone company's mon
opoly a Republic reporter sought out
Leo Ehricb. noted inventor of st.
Louis. Mr.. Ehrlich was one of the
iirst inventors of the telephone in this
country. aud with others contested In
the Supreme court of the United States
the Bell Telephone company's right TO
exclusive right of the Invention. but
the Supreme court decided against
them aud they were forced 10 abandon
the use OF their inventions. On learn
ing the mission of the reporter Mr..
Enrich said:
Yes, the Bell Telephone company's
patent on the art OF Transmitting the
human voice over wires by electricity
expires In March. SO. aud then every
body can make and use a telephone.
As TO what the result will be I would
say that rs matters now stand il will
| affect the price of the telephone SER
vice but little. l am satisfied, how
ever. that ut the expiration of their
patent the Bell Telephone company
will give us a much superior telephone
system 10 the present. and one where
the slightest whisper. five or ten feet
away from the phone, will be distinct
~ transmitted for miles. They have
been preparing against the competition
that VIII spring up ut the expiration of
their patent by purchasing at nominal
figures from needy inventors all valua-
BILE improvements that have been made
TO the telephone. and they are now the
owners of patents as superior TO the
present telephone rs il is to the toy
phone.
From personal tests in Boston /
know they have practical instruments
that are 100 per cent better than those
In use now iu transmitting the human
voice distinctly. They are keep
ing these inventions. on which the
patents will yet ran for years. in re-
serve aud will bring them out If any
attempt Is made in competition. So
the net result. you may sar, will be
better service at a slightly reduced
rate. The Western Union similarly
has IA vast number of telegraph patents
stored away for future use. should
competition become more active.
There will be also another result on
the expiration of the patent. aud that
is that telephones will become very
cheap. and for - or -. so any one can
purchase an efficient telephone This
will have the effect 10 create au extern
sire use of them. and private telephone
lines aud small exchanges will become
numerous. They will also generally
displaee speaking-tubes aud pn>h-but-
tons in buildings. aud hotels will SUBJ
stitute them for annunciators. so that
guests can communicate their wishes
to the office without the Intervention
of bell-boy."
AS rule. are the inventors fairly
treated aud protected in the United
States?" asked the reporter.
The inventor rs rule. think
gets all he is entitled 10. but not so
much as he would like. for the simple
reason that 999 uut of 900 inventions
are worthless. We hear good deal
about the impecunious inventor aud
his many hardships. but neither the
laws nor the public. but the poor in
ventious. are to blame. Take up the
official gazette of the patent Office and
1 VIII Euara' lee that not TWENTY-FIVE
in 100 of the patents are worth the
paper they are written on. To sue
ceed as an inventor. as in any other
calling. n person must be content to
patiently struggle along for years with
on4 success and never grow weary or
lose courage at reverses. A fortune is
now aud then made by happy hit of
some genius. but it is very rare and
should not encourage any one to enter
the field unless he has staying qualities
aud great industry.
Il will tell you what makes the
money in this business Il is the
patent-solicitor and the government.
When a man gets an idea that he
thinks valuable he Immediately rushes
of and pays some solicitor n $25 fee
and the government $40 for patent,
and from the hundreds of thousands of
patents annually issued you can see
what an enormous sum is paid solicit
ors and the government. | really
doubt If all that has been made off
patents in the United States since the
passage of the patent law would equal
what has been paid by inventors in OBJ
tanning their patents.
up to date the inventors have paid
the government s. 600. 600 more than
has been required to pay all the ex-
penses of the patent-office department.
This. / think. is wrong and should be
changed by a reduction of fees to
merely cover the expenses of the de-