Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-09-19
INCREASE OF PATENTS
Progress Of Invention During
Last Fiscal Year.
MORE ROOM rs NEEDED
WORK OF OFFICE UNPRECEDENT-
ED LAST YEAR.
Decrease Of Complaints Of Loss OF
Money-Appropriation for
Books Requested.
MORE ROOM rs NEEDED

| BOOKS IISQucStSO.
The annual report of the commissioner
Of patents will be issued from the govern
ment printing office in few days. 1t will
show that there were received by the pat
ent office during the past fiscal year 1852
applications for mechanical patents. 1907
applications for designs. 139 applications
for reissues $40 caveats, 2.46o applications
| for trade marks, 1920 applications for
| labels and go applications for prints. There
were 273S7 patents granted, including re-
issues and designs; 1854 trade marks, $50
| labels and 1853 prints were registered. The
| number of patents that expired was 20,335.
| The number of allowed applications which
| We're by operation of the law forfeited for
non-payment of the final fees was 4,123. The
total receipts of the office 81 ,491 $50;
the total expenditures were $1,329,92463,
and the surplus of receipts over eNpend1-
lures, being the amount turned into the
| treasury, was s1G1614.22.
Fifty Thousand Applications.
1t shows that the number of applications
filed during the last year is greater than
during any other recent year, and it is, in
fact, the greatest in the history of the pat
ent Office. having for the first time exceeded
10000 This is In spite Of the fact that the
number Of design patent applications is
less by 561 than for the preceding year
This last item shows the effect produced by
a new construction given to the design
patent law by this Office, following the de-
cision of the circuit court of appeals of the
second circuit, in the case of Rowe agt.
Blodgett & Clapp Company. Following the
principle of that case, the commissioner pre-
scented to Congress a bill to revise the de-
sign patent law. That bill became a law
upon the 9th of May, 1902. Under the new
statute as well as under proper construc-
ton of the old statute, the office has re-
fused to grant design patents for mechan-
ical constructions which fail to show any
ornamental quality.
Library Needs Books.
The commissioner recommends that the
appropriation for the purchase of books for
the reference library of the patent Office be
increased.
"Of late years. the report states, 'the ap-
preparation has amounted to $1,000 per an
mum, and out of this amount portion is
used to pay for transporting publications OF
patents issued by the patent office to foreign
governments. This charge has increased
from $27s in 1883 to $561 in 1902, and for
the first six months of the present year it
has exceeded $500, and if the present rate
of issue of patents shall continue, it will
be over 5000 per annum In future. This
leaves the very inadequate sum of 81 400 for
the purchase of technical books and period
tcals. The periodicals and serials. or books
published in parts, generally cost some
what more than half of this amount, and
being permanent charge, the amount re-
naming available for new books is about
$500 per annum. At no time has 81, 400 per
annum been sufflcient to procure the annual
output of scientific literature which should
be furnished to enable the examining corps
to keep IN touch with the progress of the
arts, and consequently the library has been
he nd md 1anty
important works of late years. Within the
last six months we have been obliged to
forego the purchase of at least $500 worth
of books which have been recommended by
examiners and attorneys.
Il believe that $4,000 per annum could be
expended to the great advantage of the
service and of inventors, this sum to include
the transportation of publications of patents
10 foreign governments.
Reduction of Complaints.
In the past year there has been a very
gratifying reduction in the number of com
plants of losses of money in this office.
From September l. 1900 to June 80 1901.
the claims of losses aggregated S6S6.13,
while during the corresponding ten months
of the past fiscal year the aggregate of
losses claimed was $685. the claimed losses
of the latter period being Ia per cent of
those of the earlier.
In each case these losses include claims
SiioHcOuSis Llduey DIS well as claims for
moneys lost in the mail 1t is believed that
the claimed losses of moneys during the past
fiscal year can be charged entirely to losses
IN the mails and claims enormously made.
Work of New Examiners.
The Increase in the number of applica-
tons filed was indicated early enough in
the last year, so that in my last annual re-
port to Congress 1 asked for an increase of
| thirty-five examiners of all grades and three
clerks This increase was given to the
office by Congress, and the additional force
! became available upon the 1st of JULY 1902
Although the number of pending applica-
lions had increased considerably before this
additional help became available 1t is hoped
tnat the examining corps as now consti-
tuted Will be able to take care Of the cur
rent business of the Office.
THE work of classification of patents in
thls ONCE has progressed satisfactorily dur
ing the past year and twenty additional
classes have been reclassified This work
would have progressed faster If it had not
peen necessary to reduce the available
force to aid the examining divisions.
Publishing Decisions.
During the past year it has seemed de-
sirable that the body of decisions control
ling the practice in this Office should be
published in the Official Gazette in a suffi-
Gent extent to render it unnecessary to
cite manuscript opinions, which has al
ways been considered a hardship by the
attorneys practtcing before the office.
Ihere has been such an increase In the
number OF decisions published as Will, 1t
Is hoped, remove this cause of complaint.
The growth of the business of this Office
and the accumulation of it's records pOint
continually to the necessity for more room
and l can only repeat the Suggestion made
IN my report of last year, that If more
space were provided for the operations of
this bureau 1t would result in a saving of
time and valuable documents and in more