The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1898-10-08
EXPENSES OF PATENTS
Exclusive Rights for Inventions
Cost Very High.
The Patent OAco II . Money Making In
stituttoa for the GoveEnment-Auch
Time Required to Study
Up Cases.

The government has recently granted
two patents, which cover probably the
most intricate and complex machine
ever constructed. 1t is claimed that be-
foro the first machine was perfected
the company constructing it had ex-
Dended $1,000 The first applica-
ton fled contained 2O4 sheets of draw
ings, having over 1000 separate views.
During the eight years the case was
pending in the Office before allowance
the number of sheets was reduced to
1853. When it is remembered that the
majority of patents have but single
sheet of drawings, and that to require
as many as ten sEeets is quite an excep-
ton, the magnitude OF the invention
can be understood. The fees charged
by the patent Office are uniform Tor all
cases, no matter how complex or how
simple SIS for fling the, case and SEQ
additional on allowance of the patent.
When this case was filed it was turned
over for examination to an examiner,
who received salary of 81. 800, and he
spent six weeks in studying the case
before being able to make the first ac-
ton. The entire specification was twice
rewritten, each time by different at
torney. How much this cost the inven-
tor is not known, but it is rumored
that the attorney who first prepared the
case received fee Of $4,000 and an
allowance of $4,000 extra to pay for
the drawings. While the case was pend
ing the examiner who first had it in
charge resigned from the Office, and 1t
was turned over to another assistant
of the same rank This assistant went
over the entire ground three times,
consuming several weeks, and finally
he was authorized to go to Chicago
and spend a. month in examining a
working machine. When the request
was first made Of the commissioner
that the examiner be permitted to make
the trip it was promptly refused. For
argument the chief of the division then
carried in the papers, making pile
some two feet thick of unfolded draw
ings and typewriter specification, and
the commissioner said: "He can 60.
The machine is for the setting, justify
ing and distribution of type. 1t COM
prises no less than Is, 900 separate parts
The patent Office is money making
institution. It earns, above expenses
about 100000 per year, and now has
deposited in the treasury a neat little
balance of over S4,OOO,00O. Upon this
job, however, it .ost about 81 900 worth
of time of the various patent office Of.
ficials before maturing into patent
and when issued the patent rule had
to be followed of preparing copies for
sale at the regulation price of ten cents
each. The 244 sheets of drawings had
to be photo-lithographed end the entire
body of the specification and claims
set up in type, costing TO. the third edi,
ton, as estimated by the ordinary rules
a few cents over six dollars per copy.
These copies are sold to the public for
ten cents each, or 20 cents for the two
patents, covering the entire invention.
AS soon as one edition is exhausted
another is ordered. A great many peo-
pie order copies of the patents just
for Observation-Disclosures Star.