Grand Rapids herald., 1893-11-25
PRIZES On PATENTS
How 90 Get T,sensy-nse Hundred
Dollars Tor Nothing
The Winner has . Clear Giit of . Smsll
fouans. and the Losers Have
P.tsas thai may Bfing
them IN Stln More.

Would YOU like 20 make twenty five
hundred dollafss IL you would, read
carefully what follows aud YOU may see
way 10 10 IL.
The Press Claims COMPANY dovotes
much attention 10 patents. IL has hand
led thousands of applications Tor M
yontions but it would like TO handle
thousands more. There 10 plenty OF IN.
yentiye talent at large in this country,
nee5ing nothing but encouragement 10
produce practical results The en-
enlargement the Press claims Company
proposes TO give
Not 50 Hard as Ii seems.
A patent strikes most people as an ap.
paliing formidable thing. The idea Is
that an inventor must be a natural
genius. like Edison OF Bell; that he
must devote years 10 delvipg in complica-
ted mechanical problems and that be
must spend fortune on delicate expert
ments before he can get new device 10
pstentsble degree os perfection. This
delusion the company desires 20 dispel
IL desires TO get into the head OF the
public clear comprehension OF the fact
that IL is not the great, complex. and
expensive inventions that bring the bes,
returns 10 their authors. but the little,
simple. and cheap on~s-the things that
seem 20 absurdly trivial that the aver.
age citizen would feel somew hat ashamed
OF bringing them 10 the attention OF the
Patent Office.
Edison Gays that the profits he has re.
ceieyed from the patents on all his mar
yelous inventions have not been suf
ficient 10 pay the cost OF his expert.
ments. But the man who conceived the
idea christening bit Of rubber cord tos
child's ball so that il would come back
TO the hand when thrown. made for.
tune out Of his scheme. The modern
sewing machine is a miracleof ingenuity
the product Of the toll u hundreds oi
busy brains through hundred and fifty
years. but the whole brilliant result trests
upon the simple device OF putting the
needle at the point instead OF at the
other end.
The Little Things the Most vaiu-
able.
Comparatively few people regard them.
selves as inventors, but almost every body
has been struck. at one time or another,
with ideas that seemed calculated TO re.
duce some OF the little frictions OF life.
Usually such ideas are dismissed with
out further thought.
"Why don't the railroad company
make Its car windows 80 that they can
be slid up and down without breaking
the passengers backs!" exclaims the
traveller. IF | were running the road
would make them in such a way"
What was the man that made this
sausepan thinking of?" grumbles the
cook. He never had TO work over a
stove. or he would have known how il
ought TO have been fixed"
Hang such a collar button :" growls
the man who is late for breakfast. IF
were in the business i'd make buttons
that wouldn't slip out. or break of. or
gouge out the back OF my neck"
And then the various sufferers forget
about their grievances and begin 10
think of something else. In they would
sit down at the next convenient oppor-
tunity. put their ideas about car win
dows. saucepans, and collar buttons into
practical shape. and then apply for pat
dependently wealthy as the man who in
vented the iron umbrella ring. or the
one who patented the ifteen puzzle.
A Tempting oner.
To induce people 10 keep track OF
their bright ideas and see what there il
in them. the Press Claims Company has
resolved 10 offer prize.
al a. q n
simplest and most promising invention,
from commercial point of view. the
company will give twenty-five hundred
dollars in cash. in addition To refunding
!. the fees for securing the patent.
IL will also advertise the invention free
OF charge.
This offer is subject TO the following
conditions:
Every competitor must obtain patent
for his Invention through the company
He must first apply for a preliminary
search, the cost ~ which will be tive dol
lars. Should this search show his 10.
vention TO toe unpatentable. he can with
draw without further expense. Other.
wise he will be expected 10 compleate
his application and take out a patent IN
the regular way. The total expense, in
cludiug Government and Bureau fees
will be seventy dollars. For this,
whether he secures the prize or not. the
inventor will have a patent that ought
TO toe valuable properly io him. The
prize will be awarded 10y jury consist
ing of three reputable attorneys oi
Washington. Intending competitors
should til out the following blank. and
foruarl N with their aupliratiou-
", -. lS.3
II submit the within described inven.
fion Ia competition for the Twenty tive
hundred Dollar Prize offered 10y the
Psess Claims Company.
"------.
No Rianls Ia Ibis Compciition.