The morning times., 1897-02-07
NEW RULES FOR PATENTS
They Have Been Approved Final
ly by Secretary Francis.
TO BE PUBLISHED TUESDAY
The Changes in Fees Are Usually
Reductions and the Regulations
One Provision Which May Not
stand the Test in Court.

stand the Test in Court.
The new rules Of practice in the Patent
Office have been approved and will be
published in the Gazette next Tuesday.
They have occasoned a great deal of talk
both in this city, where most business is
done, and throughout the country. Also
there has been not little criticism, from
which some help has been drawn and by
reason OF which some changes have been
made
The rules have been prepared by Com
missioner Seymour after careful and
exhaustive study. They go into eighty
seven provisions what is spread out in
249 separate items in the present rules.
This means, OF course, there has been
great cutting down of verbiage and con-
siderable simplification of methods based
on experience acquired since the last re-
vision. The changes are so considerable
that no one Will attempt to make d acomplete
statement or them as yet. Everyone in
terested VINO can get a copy is studying
them. Secretary Francis appended his
signature only Friday night.
The rules, shortened as they are. con-
tain something over 10000 words and
would FIJI about seven columns of news
paper. They close with revised list or
fees. Design cases are taken out OF the
general list and fees fixed separately
The figures are unchanged. Also the
fees for caveats and disclaimers, and many
other things are the same. Only changes
VIII be noted here.
The following items appear to have been
omitted from the list: On filing each appli-
cation for division OF reissue, $3o On
filing every application for the extension
OF a patent, $50; on the granting of
i every extension of a patent, $50.
Manuscript copies in English are no
| longer charged separately Certified copies
are charged at 10 cents per 100 words.
| uncertified cents. The certified specfica-
| ton and drawing OF printed patents are
| ) cents instead gf 10. Drawings in print
! are cents each, with figures ranging down
| to l cent when orders are by classes and
| entire sets. Copies OF drawings, if in
print, cents. Twenty coupon orders,
each good for one copy OF printed
| specification and drawing, are put at 81
| instead OF s., and 90 in stub book So.
No provision is made for charges for
! assistance to attorneys.
| The subscription to the Patent Office
| Gazette is unchanged, except Mexico is
included for tie So rate with the United
| States and Canada, and the foreign rate
is raised from 81 to SO. The indexes
are put at the same figures as before.
The monthly volumes bound in sheep are
reduced from S12 to S. per volume, in
| half sheep from $40 TO So.
All correspondence must be addressed tc
the Commissioner Il double correspondence
with both inventor and assignee or attor-
ney will not generally be allowed. but the
assignee of the entire interest is entitled
to hold correspondence with the office.
Actions by the office lacking in official
| propriety will be Cancelled and discourteoui
| communications will be rejected.
Attorneys must file a special power OF
attorney in each case and then all business
viii be transacted with him alone. NJ
restrictions are placed upon persons who
may act as attorneys. This lets in former
employees, even in cases in Which they
have taken action while in office. The
oath is practically unchanged, but the ad
dtionaI oath in cases of long delay j:
obligatory, not discretionary, with the
| Commissioner.
The rule for models is brief, and read:
| as follows:
The n odcl, if called for, must clearly
exhibit every feature of the mechanism
which forms the subject of the claim oil
invention; must not be more than. one
foot in length, width, or height, and m usl
be substantially made
This furnishes an example of the changes
/
models numbered six, and covered more
than a page of the octave pamphlet.
Applications viii be examined in orde
of filing, except preferences in the fol
lowing order: Inventions of Importance u
the public service, upon request Of de
partment head, approved by the commits
soncr; reissues, inventions already pat
entcd in foreign countries interference!
with another application OF an unexpiret
patent, cases reInauded from the appellat'
court, amended applications
An important addition TO the rules oI
reject ons and references is as follows:
''In every case pending before the OF
flee Tor more than five years, in whicl
the record raises the presumption tha
there have been Intentional delays il
prosecution, the examiner may require TIN
applicant to show cause why the case wa
rot more rapidly prosecuted. and at tn
hearing thereon or upon failure of tn
applicant to appear, the examiner vii
determine, under all the circumstances @
tie case, whether there have been inter
t.onal and unreasonable delays in prose
cut;on, and upon finding the fact to b.
80, he will reject the case for that rea
son"
1t is questioned whether this rule
justified by the statute governing the OF
flee.
There are many changes as TO appeal,
interferences, etc.
After the Lotice of an allowance Of a
application the cases will not be with
drawn from issue without the approva
of the commissioner The weekly issu
) VIII be closed on Thursday, and the paten
VIII he dated three weeks later. Til
patent viii be delivered on the day of it
/ date