The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-01-01
THE PATENT OFFICE.
Growing Inability of the Government to
Keep Up with Inventions.

Ntop Up WIN ihNohtiohb.
1t may surprise many people to learn that the
United States Patent Office receives in fees
81. $50. 900 a year; that the office is run at a
profit which since its establishment in 1886
amounts to more than s 5.0O0.000. and that the
gross receipts from patents and trademarks
have been nearly S4O.OOO.0 900. Americans
stand first in respect Of the inventive faculty.
and 1t appears also that they stand 70 far ahead
OF the Government operations In this %particu-
lar that all effort to keep up with them or
abreast with the march of American inge-
nulty is nearly hopeless. At the begin
ming OF the fiscal year OF 1890 there
were 6.5S5 applications for patents awnit-
ing, official action in Washington AZ the
tSs end Si t h 1885, sS5t tE Esas w seSs' s. EfE' A SiiSaiil 1882
ton being diverted BY the Chicago Fair, from
inventors. or Of the times being unfavorable to
n"@bsp q ap d snPfiniado ahplIcs sd6s@e sfad dae
s 9s,5 d E Tas So Snti u q 4.s taS end Th Si the sI fsf fsh sS%r
look for inventors. 1t Increased the next year to
S.a43. and 1t has now reached 12,227:
the action Of Congress in providing for an in;
creased force Z, fSO t p, disPoSsse , OF th fe a iSs6 1he rsi
ceipts OF the Office, which, now average 81 .25O.-
0UO. wers $4,000 and the number OF patents
issued was 49, whereas the present average Is
prove the service by 1.-THE, classification Of all
letters patent and printed publications. III q
classification division which Will greatly i'm.
prove existing methods. as to the novelty OF
Invention" This will. i is hoped. he beneficial
TO inventors and those directly Interested IN the
manufacture OF patented inventions. as. wei, as
to the general public. Interested as 1t Is in the
early issue OF valid patents. The, expenses OF
the Patent ONCE are about 81 .OOO.OOO a year,
and have continued pt those figures pretty
steadily since 1885. There are seventy-siN
copyists employed In the department. In add:
lion to the stenographers and typewriters, and
either their pay is deemed inadequate or their
labors are uncongenial. for, Secretary Bliss has
directed the attention OF Congress to the, ire
quency Of reslgnations among them, which
cripples the Office. as the work requires time,
patience and familiarity with its details. and
these qualifications cannot bo easily obtalncd
among new applicants.
Inventors are not, as q rule, of a very bush
nesslike disposition. Many applicants, Tor Pat
ents are strangers to the methods and to the
language OF the country some are In the Tural
districts remote from Post Ohices and school
houses. and not u small number are women.
particularly among those who seek patents Tor
articles OF dress or onvenience. The connicts
over applications for patents arise to a consider
able extent from the negligent disregard OF the
Patent Office regulations by persona whose
Studies Il might naturally he supposed would
lead them TO familiarity with such rules, and
work Of the Patent once. already oNyercrowded
with business. There are about 10000 appli-
cations for patents ia q year.