New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-03-09
STANDING or THE TELEPHONE PATENTS.
AFTER JANUARY 80. 1894. THE FIELD WILL BE
OPEN TO RIVALS

AFTER JANUARY 80. 1884, THE FIELD WILL. BE
OPEN TO RIVALS.
Washington March s-Much public interest has
bcen excited throughout the country by the announce
ment that the patent for OF the important features
OF the Bell telephone about to expire. n 'hor-
ough search Of the records OF the Patent once deoss
the fact that the patent granted to Alexander "r""
He'll March 7, 1876 expired yesterday his patent
covers broadly the art OF transferring to- or impress
Ing upon. a continuous current OF electricity III
closed circuit by gradually changing its Intensity the
vibrations OF air produced by the human voice Ill
nrt,culae speech In way to cause the speech to be
carried 10 and received by listener at distance on
the line Of the current
Briefly stated, the situation MS to the Bell pa'"h's
Is this Letters patent to Professor Bell granted Ja"
uary 30 1877, will expire January 30. 1914. Inc
Supreme Court has In this patent sustained claims Tor
a sounding box for a speaking tube or mouthp'ece'
and for q metallic diaphragm. broadly THESE de''is
are so fundamental that commercial Instrument conid
hardly he constructed without them The foreign
natent TO Bel, covers q receiver. and was fled De-
cember o. 1876, and expired December o, 1890 IL
did not become a patent until May TO- 1871 So mat
The United states patent OF 1876 to Bell would not lie
limited by this foreign patent. because the h'ehuoh
had not been previously patented within the mean
Ing NJ the statute prior to the 1876 foreign patent
TO Bell.
The patent to IInnnings. In England, Of September
10 1873. expired September 80, 1902. This patent
covers a micr0phone with commnuted on powered
lectrode While It may be true that the patents III
his country such microphone have expired yet
IL is not to be overlooked that patent has recently
been issued to Emile Bcrllncr, which covers micro
phone broadly that Is, contact telephone depehds
upon pressure between the electrodes 1t also must
not be overlooked that a patent was issued May b.
1892. 10 r. A. Edison for mcrophone with a h'gh
resistance electrode broadly. II covers species OF
the genus covered by the Berner patent.
II Is TO be- presumed that the Edison ana beriiher
paten,s are valid patents until court OF competent
jurisdiction has declared them Invalid Tie l)reish
patent the invention covered By the EaiSoh patent
ha. expired under such circumstances that IL may
fairly b. said to be doubtful whether or not 'he a.'er
/, a valid patent IL Is well known that suit has
been recently brought in the United states Circuit
Court OF the District Of Massachusetts to annnl the
J,erlIpcr patent. Assuming that the Edison and Der
liner patents valid patents III law, IL Is Clear
that Notwithstanding the fact that the iDyenoh COW
cred Ly the Iunnings patent may be public properly
I'm this country, yet II any one hot an'horH'd
sh,uld use II he might BE- held TO be- an inlrnser OF
the Berliner patent.
The patents covering the so called " Blake trans
m,ttern expire soon. They cover briefly stated pen
dulous electrodes. diaphragms held in place by
spring and mufNers acting as dinphragms
IL Is fair conclusion to reach. therefore. In view
Of the present state OF the patents relating 10 'rr'
phones, owned by the American Bell Telephone Com
pany that there seems to BE- no good reason WHY.
after January 30, 1894. telephone having mag
neic transmi,er should not be put upon the market
without danger of Infringing other patents This at
least Is the opinion expressed By the chief ofihnls
OF the Patent Ofic".
As 10 central exchanges. It may fairly be stated
that a primitive but scrviccable exchange may be
used without infringing any patents of which there
are many) brsasc possibly. OF anticipating. telegraph
switchD:Irds Until court OF competent luriNdlc-
lion has passed upon The various questions involved.
II 4, safe to 80 further.