The state republican. (Jefferson City, Mo.) 1871-1896, 1893-12-14
Prizes on Patents.
How 10 Get Twenty Five Hundred
Dollars for Nothing.

would you like to make twcnty-flv
carefully what follows and you may see
Il way to do it.
The Press Claims Company dcvotes
much attention to patents. 1t has han
died thousands of applications for In
ventions, but 1t would like to handle
thousands more. There is plenty Of
inventive talent at large in this country,
needing nothing but encouragement to
produce practical results. That en-
Courageme 1T the Press Claims Company
proposes to give.
NOT SO HARD AS IT SEEMS.
pallingly formidable thing. The idea is
that the inventor must be a natural
genius, like Edison or Bell; that he
must devote years to delving In compli-
Gated mechanical problems and that he
must spend u fortune OH delicate expert
mcnts before he u get a new device to
u patentable degree OF perfection. This
delusion the company desires to dispel.
1t desires to get Tito the head of the
public u clear comprehension OF the fact
that 1t Is not the great, complex, and
expensive inventions that bring the best
returns to their authors, but the little,
simple and cheap ones-the things
that seem SO absurdly trivial that
the average citizen would feel somewhat
ashamed Of bringing them to the atten-
ton of the Patent Office
Edison says that the profits he has re-
ccived from the patents on all his mar
velous inventions have not been sufii-
cient to pay the cost OF experiments.
But the man who conceived The idea OF
fastening Il bit of rubber cord to a child's
ball, So that 1t would come back to the
hand when thrown, made u fortune
out Of his scheme. The modern sewing
machine Is a miracle OF ingcnuity--the
product of the toll of hundreds OF busy
brains through u hundred and fifty
wears, but the whole brilliant result rests
upon the simple device of putting the
eye of the needle at the point instead of
al the other end.
THE LITTLE THINGS TIE. MOST vALU-
ABLE.
Comparatively few people regard
themselves as inventors, but almost
everybody has been struck, at one time
or another, with ideas that seemed cal
culated to reduce some of the little fric-
hons Of life. Usually such ideas are
dismissed without further thought.
"Mhy DON'T inc TullIOhu company ulhkC I'VE
car windows so that they can be slid up and
down without breaking the passengers, backsr
eNciai,ns the traveller. "lf i were running
the road l would make them such u way"
~ hat was the man that made this saucepan
thinking OF I" grumbles the cook. IL never
had 10 work over q stove, or nc would nave
known how 1t ought TO have been hAed.'
"Ilang such a collar BUTTON" .growls thu
man who Is late for breakfast. I'LL were ~
the business 1 would make buttons that would
not slip out, or break of, or gouge out the baci
of nv neck
Aud then the various sufferers forget aboul
their grievances and begin, 70 think aDoul
something else. II they would sit down at TIT
next convenient opportunity, put their ideai
about car windows, saucepansrh ana collar but
tons into practical shape, and then apply To-
patents, they might IND themselves us indie
pcndently wealthy as the man who invented
the iron umbrella ring, or the one who patented
the fifteen puzzle.
TEMPTING OFFER.
To induce people to keep track OF their brlgh
ideas and see what there 10 IN them, the Prcs
Claims Compan has resolved 10 oner u prize
To the person who submits 10 II the slinpies
and most promising inyentlon,i from a eoihinei
cial point OF view, the company VIII giv
twenty-five hundred dollars in cash. IN ADO
ton 10 refunding the fees for securing th
patent. IL will also advertise the invention
This offer is subject to the following condi
tions; Every a mpetitor must obtain u paten
for his new low ntion through me company
He must first apply for a preliminary searci
the cost OF which will be Ave dollars. shoul
this search show his invention 10 be unpaten
able, he can withdraw without any fuI
Their expense. otherwise he will be expecte
70 complete his application and take out q pa
ent in the regular way. The total expense. y
GLIDING the government and bureau Tees, WI
be seventy dollars For this, whether he 81
cures the prize or not, the inventor Will have
patent that ought TO Dc u valuable property
him. The prize Will be awarded by a Jury col
sisting of three reputable patent attorneys
Washington. Intending competitors should 3
out the following blank. and forward ~ VII
their application; -
81 submit the within described Invention
.nmnatitinu for tha axgantv. nya hundred doll