Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-09-14
INCREASE of PATENTS
Annual Report Of Commits
sioner Allen
GROWTH OF BUSINESS
MORE APPLICATIONS THAN DUR
ING ANY PREVIOUS YEAR.
Results Accomplished in Various
Methods Of Office Work Specif-
cally Set Forth.

There were more applications for letters
patent during the fiscal year ending June
30, 1904 than during any previous year in
the history of the patent Office. This state
nent Is contained in the annual report of
Mr.. Frederick !. Allen the commissioner of
patents. submitted today to the Secretary
or the Interior. The statistical tables given
! In the report show that there were in all
55,46S applications fled including the ap-
piication for patents of inventions. designs,
| trademarks, labels, prints and reissues. In
&C oiton to receiving the largest number OF
applications In It's history the patent office
last year made more money for the govern
nent than it has for years, and proves tt
self to be profitable institution. The re-
ceipts from all sources during the time
covered by the report were 81 ,663, $1,000 and
the expenditures. including the total Of all
appropriations were 81, 1859 124.4O, leaving a
surplus of $194, 1850. Commissioner Allen
exhibits series of tables showing the re-
ceiptS and expenditures for the last ten
years, and then states:
Summarizing these tables, there were re-
ceived in the last fiscal year 5o,321 applica-
tons for mechanical patents, S23 applica-
lions for designs. 142 applications for re-
issues. 1,746 caveats, 1854 applications for
trademarks, 1927 applications for labels
and 331 applica lions for prints. There were
31,9I9 patents granted, including reissues
| and designs, and 2.213 trademarks. 1.O44
| labels, and psf prints were registered The
number of patents that expired was ~, 1865
The number of allowed applications which
were by operation Of law forfeited for non
payment of the final fees was 5.499. The
total receipts of the office were 81 663 $40 80;
the total expenditures were 81, 4691A4o, and
| the surplus of receipts over expenditures,
| being the amount turned into the treasury
| was $194. 755. SO.
Growth Of the Business.
"The business of the patent office Is grow
| ing rapidly and the following comparison
| between the receipts, expenditures, applica-
| tons filed, issues Of the Office, the printed
| copies sold. copies of records furnished and
| the number of employees for the years end
ing. respectively, June 80, 1899 and June 80,
1904, will illustrate the growth:
Receipts, 1899, s., 200 554. SO; 1904. $685.
5000; increase. $454 32511; percentage of
| increase, 37.5 Expenditures, 1893. 81, l4S.
663. 40; 1904. 81 400 124.4O increase, $'2o
| 400 90; percentage of increase, 21.S. Appn-
| cations and caveats filed. 1899, $50; l9o4,
! 57,214; increase 15.284; percentage OF IN
| crease, 1854 Letters patent. designs and re-
issue patents granted. and trademarks. IA
| bells and prints registered. 1899. 70, 4O4; i5o4'
| 80, 1893; increase, 1O,0S9; percentage or IN
| crease, 1877. - 100
Printed copies of patents furnished. 1899.
1858 .971; 1904. 1.OoS.8o1; increase, 294eso:
! percentage of increase, M.6 Price received.
| 1899. $40 6S1. 81; 1904. $65, 1859; increase,
| $16 1852; percentage Of increase: ga.
| Words written in copies Of records fur
nished, 1899, Il, 500 100: 1904. 21,35S,6 coo: in
| crease, 745S,900: percentage of increase.
| 53.6. Number Of employees, 1872 t6S; l9O4'
| 722; increase. "a; percentage of increase, ..
| THE elements Of the FOREGOING table are
| such as In my opinion, index the devel-
| opment of the business of this office during
| the last five years. 1t Is to be noticed that
| the average rate Of increase in these work
elements is 355 per cent, and also that the
| increase in the number Of employees who
| have performed this work has been but
| 8 per cent. / esteem 1t a duty to the ON
GERS and employees Of the bureau to call
| your attention to this fact. In my opinion.
| this Increased work could not have been
| successfully performed by the use Of the
/ methods of work employed at the beginning
| Of the period under consideration. nor with
1 the standards of efficiency at that time
found in this Office. The methods Of work
| have been quietly, steadily and In many
| ways changed, to the great improvement OF
| the service, and standards OF individual
| work have been raised to meet the increas-
| ing volume of work. In all of these mat
| tiers the government service has enjoyed the
| hearty cooperation of the officers and en-
ployes of this bureau. and without such aid
| it would have been impossible to have ac-
| complisbed these satisfactory results.
Results Accomplished.
| Among the concrete results accom-
| plished I would mention that by the rear
| rangement of the copies of printed patents.
| together with judicious expenditure of the
| appropriation devoted 90 the reproduction
| of exhausted copies, many Of the active
| classes have been filled in, or almost COM
| pleted This has caused such a marked de-
| crease in the demand for reproduction of
exhausted copies that all orders received
are now rapidly filled.
| 1.-The class of errors formerly known as
| Office errors In the pho.ollthographtc work
! and formerly productive of expense to the
| office, has been entirely eliminated.
| 1.-The correspondents Of the office,
| amounting to 227 100 letters, exclusive of
| letters fled in caveats and applications for
| patents, has been transacted with such
| promptness that 1t has rarely been more
| than two days In arrears.
| Orders for manuscript copies of records
| are currently filled at a rate Of speed for
| merly reserved for orders made special !"
| This has been accomplished by the volun-
| tary raising of the standards Of work by
| the force occupied in this division
| Complaints OF losses OF Office fees al
1 legged to have been sent by mail have been
| reduced to an Insignificant number only ten
| such complaints, aggregaung S. 80 having
been received out OF a total number Of 10, :
| $50 pieces received by ordinary mail and
express, transmitting 1O.293. %. and this
| small remained is thought to consist en-
| tirely of complaints enormously made
| Permit me to call your attention to the
| fact that the increase OF work of this bu-
| reau requires more space than that at pres
| ent occupied by the patent office. and that
| some ECONOMY OF time and work could be
| accomplished II the space allotted to this
| offi on,,1d heI asoNpf