The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-01-17
PATENTS ARE VERY EXPENSIVE
Costs of Exclusive Rights for an Intricate
Invention h Exceedingly High.

Costs of Exclusive Rights for an Intricate
Invention u Exceedingly High.
From the Washington Star.
The government has recently granted
two patents. which cover probably the
most intricate and complex machine
ever constructed. 1t is claimed that
before the first machine was perfected
the company constructing ii had ex-
pended 81, 300,0 900. The first application
filed contained "a sheets of drawings,
having over 1000 separate views. Dur
ing the eight years the case was pend
ing in the Office before allowance the
number of sheets was reduced to 1853.
When II ds remembered that the ma
torfty OF patents have but a single
sheet of drawings, and that to require
as many as 10 sheets Is quite an eX-
ception, the magnitude of the invention
can be understood. The fees charged
by the patent Office are uniform for all
cases, no matter how complex or how
simple-$15 for filing the case and.$20
additional on allowance of the patent.
When this case was filed it was turn
ed over for examination to an exami-
ner, who received salary of 81 500, and
ne spent six weeks in studying the
case before being able to make the first
action. The entire specification was
twice rewritten, each time by differ
emit attorney. How much this cost the
inventor is not known, but 1t is ru-
mored that the attorney who first pre-
pared the case received fee or $4,000
and an allowance of s., 900 extra to pay
for the drawings. While the case was
pending the examiner who first had
1t in charge resigned from the office.
and 1t was turned over to another as
sistant of the same rank. This assist
ant went over the entire ground three
times, consuming several weeks, and
finally he was authorized to go to Chi
cage and spend q month in examining
a working machine. When the request
was first made of the commissioner
that the examiner be permitted to
make the trip IL was promptly refused.
For argument the chief of the division
then carried in the papers making
pile some two feet thick of unfolded
drawings and typewriter specifica-
tions. and the commissioner said: He
can go" The machine is for the set
ting, justifying and distribution of
type. 1t comprises no less than $4,000
separate parts.
The patent office Is a money making
! institution. 1t earns above expenses,
about $500 900 per year and now has
/ deposited in the treasury neat little
balance of over $4,000000. Upon this
! job. however, it lost about 1000 worth
/ of time of the various patent office
| officials before maturing into a patent,
/ and when issued the patent rule had
/ to be followed of preparing copies for
/ sale at the regulation price of 10 cents
each. The Pa sheets of drawings had
/ TO be photolithographed and the en-
/ tire body of the specifications and
claims set up i'm time, costing Tor the
third edition, as estimated by the ordi-
nary rules, a few cents over Sc per
| COPY. These copies are sold to the pub
| lie for 10 cents each, or 20 cents for the
! two patents, covering the entire inven-
| tion. AS soon as one edition is ex-
hausted another is ordered. A great
many people order copies of the pat
ents just for curiosties.