Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-07-09
PATENT OFFICE WORK
GREATLY INCREASED ISSUE DUR
ING THE PAST YEAR.
Usual Number of Inventors Of Perpet-
ual Motion Machines-Aerial Navi-
CATION and Wireless Telegraphy.

The total issue of the patent office this
week aggregated 731. This consisted OF 66S
patents, 10 designs 30 trademarks 10 Ia
bells, prints and l reissue. OF the patents
and designs three were issued to citizens
of the District of Columbia, four to Viz
ginia and seven to Maryland. These IN
cluded: Dorsey F. Asbury, Newport News,
Va, steam turbine; Henry S. Brewington'
Baltimore, bottle cap; Egbert A. Clark
Washington, D. c., pivot pin for teeth;
Godfrey Engel, Baltimore, sand filter ana
also fow-regulating device for solid ma
terial; George w. Evans, Coldsprtng, Nd,
milk wagon; William d. Gilman, Baltimore,
making lithophone and Glauber salt; JACOB
M. Levy Baltimore machine for drying
fabrics; Edward d. McFee, jr., Rolling
Hill, Va, enclosing die: Ferdinand E.
Molkow, Washington, D. c., range-hndlng
device.
The record of the patent office for the
past year is notable, chiefly in point OF
volume of issue, according to patent ON
Gals today. There were 29329 patents
issued during the year, against 26,O31 the
previous year, while the trademarks show
ed an increase from 1864 to 2,194. De-
signs were all that showed a decline during
the year, and the decrease in that d1rec-
ton was due to the passage of a law in
1902 restricting them to ornamental mat
ters, instead of to useful things Hereto
fore there had been no restriction what
ever: The change has opened up wide
field for interesting questions as to what
constitute the ornamental and what con-
stitute the useful
The year, of course did not pass by with
out the usual number Of applications for
patents on perpetual motion machines.
The patent office is ready to receive all
applications along this line, provided that
the applicants submit a working model
This proviso has enabled the department
to let those working on such devices
down easily" So far. of course, no work
ing model of the principle of perpetual mo-
ton has been submitted, and all make
shifts at working models have been reject
ed with remarkable regularity.
Patents for aerial flight have continued
to be applied for. but the real, profound
students of that problem, those who, like
Prof. Samuel p Langley of the Smithson-
ian institution and Prof. Santos Dumont,
the French scientist. who has performed
some very nota BILE feats. are not hurrying
to get out patents. contenting themselves
with the precaution of making applications,
which constitute sufficient safeguard for
their ideas for the present.
The wireless biography ideas have been
in constant evidence during the year. That
branch of science is making rapid strides.
and has approached what might be called a
systematic stage. Many applications have
been made along this line. One of the in
teresting developments in this situation is
the cross current of ideas. where scientists
are trying to devise means for intercep ting
MESA ges well of preventing such IN
Perception while messages are being trans
mitted. This feature of the wireless teleg
raphy situation opens up broad and i'm
portant field In the matter of news, of
private information that moves stock mar
kets, of official dispatches and particularly
information orders to troops in time of war
and similar occasions it is apparent how
important ii is that interrogation of such
messages be guarded against. if the wire
less systems are ever upon practical
working basis.