Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1894-09-27
PRIZES ON PATENTS.
How to Get twenty-five Hun
dred Dollars for Nothing.
The winner has a Clear Gift ola
Small Fortune, and the Losers
Have Patents that NAV
Bring tllem In slllA
More.

y
what follows and you may see way to 90 II.
The Press Claims Company devotes much
attention to patents. 1t has handled thous'
ands of applications for inventions, but II
would like to handle thousands more Ihere
10 nlenty ofinvcntive talent in this country,
needing nothing but c o u,r a'g EN- en-
to produce practical results. That encour'
accment TIE Press Claims Company pro-
poses to give.
NOT SO HARD. AS 1T sAEMSr
A patent strikes most people as an appall
ingly formidable thing. The idea IS thaI an
inventor must be natural genius, IKE Eai-
soi, or Bell that he must put years to delvlng
IN complicated mechanical problems aho
That he must spend fortune on delicate ex'
neriments before he can get new device 10
patentable degree OF perfection. Tins de'
lus,op the company desires to dlspe!. IL de'
sires to get into the head of the public olaar
comprehension of the tact that it is not tbs
great, complex, and expensive Inventions
that bring the best returns to their authots
but the little, simple, and cheap oaes-the
things that seem so absardly trivial that 'he
citizen would feel somew hat ashameu oi
bringing them to the attention OF 'he r"'en'
Office.
Edison says that the profits he has recssvsd
from the patents On all his marVclous 'hson.
lions have not been sufficient topay the cost
of his experiments. But the man VINO con-
ceiyed the idea of fastening bit OF rubber
cord to n child's ball, so that it would come
back to his hand when thrown made ior'
time ont of his scheme. The modern sew
ng.machinc is a miracle OF ingcnuIty-Mc
product of the toll of hundreds OF busy brains
through a hundred and fifty years, but the
whole brilliant result rests upon the s'mhle
device Of putting the eye OF tue neeals ~ VIC
point instead Of the other end.
THE LITTLE THINGS THE
MOST VALUABLE.
Comparatively few people regard them
selves Al inventors, but almost everybody
has been struck, at one time or another,
with ideas that seemed calculated to reduce
some of the little frictions Of life. Usually
such ideas are dismissed without further
thought.
"Why don't the railroad company mako
;ts chr Windows so that they could be Slid un
and down without breaking the passengers
backs?" exclams the traveller. III l were
running the road would make them IN such
way"
"What was the man that made this sauce
nan thinking ot!.' grumbles the cook. Tic
never had to work oyer stoye, or he wou'M
have known how it ought to have been nXeu'
"Hang such collar button y growls the
man who is late for breakfast. I'll 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 to think ~ some
thing else. If they would sit down al inc
next convenient opportunity, put thelr lueas
,:rln
buttons into practical shape. and then apply
for patents, they might ind themselves a.
independently wealthy as the man who IN
vented the iron umbrella ring, or the one
who patented the fifteen puzzle.
TEMPTING OFFER.
To induce people to keep track of their
bright ideas and see what there Is IN Ihe'ii,
the Press Claims Company has resolved TO
offer a prize.
TO the person who submits to
IL the simplest and most prom
Using invention, from CONNER
cinl point Of view. the company
will give 81, 800 in cash, In nd
ditiOn to refunding the fees for
securing the patent.
1t will also advertise the In.
yentiOn free OfcIlarRe.
This offer is subject to the following con.
ditionS:
Every competitor must obtain patent for
his invention through the company. He
must first apply for a preliminary search,
the cost of which will be five dollars. Should
this search show his invention to be unpat-
entable, he can withdraw without further ex'
pense. Otherwise lie will be expected to
complete his application and take out pat
ent IN the regular way. The total expense,
including Government and Bureau fees, will
be seventy dollars. For this, whether he Sc
cures the prize o. not, the inventor will have
patent that ought to be valuable property
to him. The prize will be awarded by a jury
consisting of three reputable patent atlorn-
eys of Washington. Intending competitors
should fill out the following blank, and for.
ward it with their application
II submit the within described invention
in competition for the Twenty-Five Hundred