Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-05-04
THE YANKEE KNACK
Yearly Report Of the Commissioner
Of Patents.
REMARKABLE ACTIVITY OF INVENTORS
The Patent Office Reaps a Hand
some Harvest.
B &c Y @ L E P A T E n T 8

The report of Commissioner of Patents
John s. Seymour for the year ending De-
cember 81, 1896, was submitted to Congress
today. 1t is perhaps the most exhaustive
calendar year report in the history of tho
office. and embodies an interesting review
of the growth Of Industrial arts In the
United States during the past quarter CEN
fury. The aggregate receipts from all
sources during the year were 81 ,245, PAT, ex-
penditures $1.0S4, 400, and the total balance
in the treasury to the credit of the patent
fund at the beginning Of this year was
S4,529,SS6. In every year since 1861 there
has been a surplus over all expenditures,
and in every year but eight since the foun-
dation of the patent office, on its present
basis, in 1856, there has been surplus.
During the year there were issued u, 036
| patents and designs, exclusive of 80 re-
issues. and inclusive of 2,O43 issued to for
eigners, 1,Se9 trade marks, and prints reg
| istered and 1850 applications filed for
| patents, trade marks, labels, prints, etc,
| requiring investigation and action. There
! were also 12,345 patents which expired, and
3,42S patents forfeited for non-payment of
| final fees
Inventive Connecticut and Washing
ton.
As an index of the comparative genius of
| foreigners. the four foreign countries lead
| ing In the number of patents issued to its
! citizens by this government are: England,
Ga; Germany. $50; Canada, 302, and France,
92. All the others fall below fifty each In
the United States the states leading in the
number of patents issued to it's citizens
are: New York, 1888; Pennsylvania 227U;
Illinois, 1876; Massachusetts, l,I!3, and
Ohio, ,42i, while Arizona territory is al the
loot or the list. In proportion to population,
| however Connecticut leads the list wit h
l to every 92I people; District of Colurn bia
| l to 1.Of. and Massachusetts, / to lag
While Mississippi is at the foot, with one to
every o4.S64. with South Carolina, on the
basis OF 26OI6, next. The report makes the
yearly recommendation for remedying
crowded quarters. for increasing the scien-
tlnc library appropriations; enactment to
secure admission to a solicitors bar of those
entitled to practice before the office, exclu-
sive admission of lawyers being a manifest
injustice, and to allow the commissioner to
hH prices OF uncertified copies of patents
without any minimum limit
ratification of Rules
Commissioner Seymour cites the tendency
OF 43,643 cases at the end of the year which
had been acted on by the office and await
ing further attention by applicants, and re-
cites the important rules made year ago
TO prevent more than six months delay by
applicants in taking further action on their
cases, and allowing examiners to reject
claims where there have been Intentional
delays in cases pending more than live
years before the office. He says these rules
nave been applied with great conservatism
yet are open to attack in the courts on the
question of their validity and regarded as a
matter OF policy are also liable to repeal
In view OF their beneicence he recon-
mends that they be enacted into law
The commissioner recommends the enact
ment or the bill prepared by the patent
committee of the American Bar Associa-
ton and introduced by Chairman Draper of
ff6.a
3ol4, providing among other things for re-
auction from two years TO six months of
tne period for mpleting and preparing an
plicatlons Tor examination and limiting the
tiihe Wltnin which an application may be
made in this country by either the foreign
inventor or any other to two years after
the matter has been patented or described
in any printed publication in this or any
foreign country. 1t Is suggested that the
true policy is to lay no obstacle In the way
OF the taking of foreign patents and en-
courage the course.
Printing the Gnzette
Concerning the publication Of the Patent
Office Gazette which has in recent wears in
VOWED many complications and last year re-
suited In congressional inquiry, the COM
missioner decries the lack Of a modern
process IN its production, the entire work
not being done by firm, and urges in
the event Of a change being inadvisable.
IL 1or a longer term than one year. in view
Oh the expensive plant required.
reports nave been received from thirty
Two Foreign countries, including Great Brit
am, Germany. Russia and France and the
total number of patents issued by those
governments from the earliest period m
to December 81, last, aggregate 9s1 .9GI
against 562, 45S so far issued by the Unite1
States. ''- mica
Prior to 1870 the United States iss,,a,,
nearly half as many patents as all foreign
nations combined. Since 1870 the United
states has issued more than half as MANY
as al lorelsn nations combined, and in the
aggregate OF patents issued in the periods
tue United States issued more than half a.
many patents as all foreign nations cow
plned. The total number of patents issued
lions prior to 1870, of which the rffica bac
a record was 331 .G31; the total since 1S1i
Is LID, $685. and the total number Of not
ents issued by the United States and the
3f4,4l9 Most Of the civilized natione have
patent systems, notable executions baine
China, Holland and Greece. Many have
recently been established
The Classification Division.
me establishment of classified ton d.
vision is again urged, the exieencies ~
the office demanding a thorough Revision
or the whole classification, Commantfna
on the suggestion that it would he better
" issue all patents without examination
as to novelty leaving the sitting of records
OF Priority to the courts the commission
er says this would prove a most expensive
system to inventors and would entail great
loss IN many cases, in that errors when
discovered by the courts are usually he
YONG correction and meritorious Inventions
IN Ignorance Of previous achievements In
claiming too broadly might thus be declar
ed invalid. even though some might he
found. NC
During the past twenty-five years twen-
ty-nve inventors have had more than ion
patents granted to them, the whole nun.
Der being granted to them within that
period being 4,S24. In these, ''Wiza rd"
Thomas A. Edison of Orange, N. j., leads
with III; Elhu Thomson, the electrician
coming next. Following are the names,
Edward j. Brooks, 116; George ID. burton
12S; Luther c. Crowell, 147; Peter G. bed,
erick, 1O7; Thomas A. Edison. I'll; Rudolf
R1ckemeyer, 1873; Louis Godda, I21: Ru
dolph NJ; Hunter. 22s; John w. Hyatt, 19s:
Hiram S. Maxim. 1871; Arthur J. Moxham'
l44; Lewis Hallock Nash, 10; Edwin
Norton, 125; Freedom F. Raymond. JAG:
George II. Reynolds. 1O1: Francis H. Rich,
ards. 343; George w. Saladen, las; Walter
Scott, 100; Charles s. Scribrer 24S: sydney
II. Short. Ill; Elihu Thomson, 394; Charles
J. Van Dopcle. PA; George WESTINGHOUSE.
jr., PIT; Edward Weston, 274: William N