The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-01-17
ADVICE ron INVENTORS
Patents Th.t Contain suxsestoss OF Flu,
Their improvements That Might Brin
Pront 20 Their Invsuters. save Lsboi
or Ne Deiishts Forever TO Humsnity

~ van ~ "a'hN
to say that he found the review Of the current
Patent ONCE report printed in THE SuS re-
Gently Of especial interest because he Is OF an
ingenious turn Of mind and Is always inventing
something. Nevertheless. this review did not
tell all that he would like to know about the
matter. and he asks whether the report gives
any hints to inventors as to what would be tho
most paying inventions to invent, and suggests
that In case II gives any such hints, as 1t ought
to-" THE Sun should reprint them in full for the
benefit OF Its many scientific readers.
The correspond nt is Informed that while tho
subject OF profit in patents was not considered
by the Commissioner In his report, he did In
olude In n some hints to inventors. That is to
say, the report contains many references to
things patented which must Of necessity serve
MS hints to every one Of an Ingenious turn Of
mind. Thu Sun very willingly reprints some Of
the moro noteworthy of these hints. but the list
cannot be given in full for tho reason that the
total number In not far from 10000, and the
subject might become wearlsome.
The fact Is that even ono who is not OF an In
Renious turn OF mind may be reasonably sure to
find q hint as to paying inventions to invent on
the first page Of the long alphabetical list of In
%vcntions given In the report. Beginning near
the bottom Of the page and continuing over the
leaf, there Is a list OF thirty.sIx advertising do
vices patented during 1898. As the eye follows
this list It Is observed that three patents were
issued for coin. controlled advertising ma
chimes" Very ingenious devices these are. IL
q purchaser wished to learn where no could find
q can of direstiblo soup. or pants, worth SIS.
marked down TO sl.37," he need only drop a
nickel-possibiy a hero cent-into the slot, and
then press the soup or the pants" button.
when. with . click, the proper card would be
displayed before him.
Possibly the correspondent in Bridgeport will
feel that nothing more ingenious In the way Of
. combined nickel-in-tho-slo and advertising
machine need be asked for than these three
that were patented In 1895. But granting that
machines that should be kent in mind as the
pages OF the alphabsticsl list OF inventions arc
turned. The desirability OF doing so becomes
more apparent whom page 40 OF the report Ia
reached, for there It Is recorded that a patent
was Issued for a combined amusement aud
Here any one OF an ingenious turn OF mind do
string hints as to paying inventions, TO invent Is
ssl5s 70 sss his hT:t f,%amns % 81 , light o,, HhsS a.
description OF the combined "amuscmon. and
advertising DEVICE 10 given. Nevertheless IL the
the leaves OF the report with both the ideas Of
edyertislng and amusing In mind he Will arrive
S SinsSq Ssfy I. AZ 4 tG Win h ,6s o Ss,Sh msy be com
This hint will be found under Carousals"-
page 4sl. What could be more easily devised
hhsh = nNSth " "Hltu Feys N otC1tlt NNEouFhi
tho kind wherein the amusement seeker pays
fye cents for the privilege of working his pas
entirely new and novel set of advsrtisemen
cards before the delighted II perspirlnK ridersp
Few words will be needed to convince one OF
an Ingenious turn OF mind that this would be q
payirg Invention to invent. In the arst place.
y Is a matter of history that thousands pay
riding the sell. propelied merry.so-rounds 1t is
n matter OF daily observation that advertisers
pay thousands OF dollar. for the privilege OF
fTenttnR lnnn atGn hnaFha heaIIa ayarN -.
freQuented by riders OF the whesl-slgnboards
that must be seen because there IL nothing else
In view. Why, the builders OF bicycles alone
would take all the space on the amusing .adver-
Using carousal. II one may judge by the number
or sign boards hey have erected between tho
commonplace. fields. and grass. and flowers.
and trees that could be seen there In other days.
bined amusing and advertising self. propelled
merry.go-around has. already, been patented.
apparatuH" has been. But IL that patent shuts
on tho hopes OF our Bridgeport correspondent
ho need not, drop the basic dea-not by any
means. Let him turn tn tho swing patents. and
from them 20 to the swings that at tho summer
resorts the n!ckols OF the amusement
Elsewhere in the list he will nnd a hint In the
patents that have been granted for combined
roek, ng chairs and fans Akin to These are
tachments. And then there are the baby car
riaees with rotary fan attachments. True. all
should scarce BE- necessary TO say to one OF an
ingenious mind that what he must do Is to dc.
Wise an Observation-Disclosures apparatus to
To one who is always invcnting something IL
must be very well known that Inventions rclat-
uso pay better. on tho average. than am thinS
else. with this In view u Is not unlikely that
Inr o ,a ,hs, a TISia 10 ,nsphreh u ne
Inventions devoted to beds. The Sf.t Invention
OF this Kind likely TO strike his attention In this
department, IL a convertible bed and fire
escape" That was a patent for u notable
idea, but, although no description OF the de-
S SlSS bed Should stsiiaa' b. 1t 40 'i i.ns,ha ,nsd'd al to form, iG"s
n ladder that would reach from a modern sky
scrsper hotel to tho street pavement, At any
rate, the Idea contained In the cir mattress for
beds. which was also among these bed patents.
might possibly. II elaborated. be combined with
ton Of . bed mattress and balloon that would
be q most valuable life saver in the case OF n fire
n the l%oftiest Of the hotels or tenement houses.
Naturally one who Is always inventing some
thing will think OF n Kindred device-s com.
blned lounge cushion and balloon fire escaps for
lounge cushion that could DO enlarged to meet
all rsonirements would have a good sale.
But interesting and profitable as are ihes:
and fre.escape, they sink into utter insignia
canoe beside tho thoughts that must arise when
patents. that were issued 10 enable neople to
economic room In the modern bowlinr. ALLEY
aRains; the walls and beds that when folded
look ed like almost all kinds OF furniture except
what they really were bavs been invented by
the dozen and perhaps BY the score. These wero
Tor. ~economiz'nx the scnnt space In n fiat
bedroom or tho hall room OF q boarding
house.. But in 1895 three men OF an ingenious
turn OF mind turned their thoughts upon the
need 81 economizing tho space. where The fam
ny Is large. In. tho dining room as well as In the
bedrooms. and rs q result they secured four dif-
ferent patents for combined folding beds
and tables" AT nrst confederation II might
appear. even to one who is always In
venting something. that hero is q device on
which no improvement whatever. could
be made. Certainly no device was ever Invented
Tor more widely dlvergent uses than tho com.
blned dlninR-room table and bed, and the In
ventors are so far distinguished citizens. But Ii
tho man OF an ingenious turn Of mind will hold
fast To this Idea Of a combined folding bed and
dining table he will soon see wherein additions
may DO made to tho combination. For instance,
q compartment for holding the dishes that
would naturally so with such q combination
would be a convenience. aud possibly n suitable
. ,tilat'nR apparatus might be desirable.
, 10 serve our correspondent still further IL may
he well TO remind him that many Of tho most
profitable inventions now in use are properly
known As labor-saving devices. Machines do
tho work that waa formerly done by human
hands, and do 1t much better as we'll a. at less
expense. Hero, then, Is IA field to which he may
with proiit turn his attention, aud very likely
he VIII hnd many hints In a more enumeration
OF some of tho usyires nj this kind which werN