Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-07-16

bred subjects, as may seem to be of in
terest to inventors and patent attorneys
and properly find place in an official jour-
nal.
Mr. Edward H. Knight of Ohio, a princi-
pal examiner in the patent office, was the
first editor of the Gazette. Part of the
work which Mr.. Knight had been doing
consisted of preparing an index of all the
inventions filed in the patent office from
1880 to date and he was considered the
best man to keep the index, for such the
Gazette was to be. up to Date at all times
The first copy of the Gazette was Of the
same shape of the present issue, but in
cluded only thirty pages.
Mr. Knight was succeeded as editor in
1875 by MIR. w. A. Bartlett of New York
He remained in office until 1877. when
Mr. Frank Burr, a newspaper man of
West Virginia, was placed in charge. Mr.
Burr became candidate for Congress
from his home district and resigned his
Office in 1873, when Mr.. j. w. BabSon, the
present editor. was placed in charge.
To obtain the advertisement the Gazette
gives to his production patentee must
first have his patent allowed. He sends in
his application for a patent, containing a
complete copy of the specifications, draw
ings and claims of improvement he de-
sres to show, accompanied by the first
fee of SIS. The papers are placed in a
jacket, are given serial number and are
then sent to the examiner in charge of
the particular class of inventions to
which the device belongs, who examines
the specifications, drawings and claims
carefully. going over all similar cases to
be sure that the ideas OF the applicant
are new and are patentable. If the pat
ent is allowed by the examiner the papers
are forwarded to the division Of issue and
gazette, where they are again examined
to see that they are All in proper FORM
and the inventor is then notified that his
claims have been allowed and a patent
will be issued to him covering them on
receipt of the final fee of $50 The papers
re- ha, in, 10 wit 10Th
allowed to await word from the inventor
He is given six months in which to pay
the final fee. If he does not pay in that
time the claims go back TO the old files
of the office. After ~fhe Inventor has
promptly forwarded his final fee the pa
pers are withdrawn from the allowance
files and the drawings, specifications and
claims are sent to the contractor having
the contract for making copies and are
printed for file and issue. One copy is
embossed on bond paper, and after being
duly signed and sealed by'i the commits
sloner 1t is forwarded to rthe patentee
Inc claims for patent that are allowed
are then sent to the government printing
office, where they are printed in large
type IN columns five inches wide. The
printed claims are then sent back to the
DIVISION or issue and gazette and the
work of making up the Gazette COM
mences. Mr.. Babson, as the editor, exer-
cIses supervision over the whole process
he has thirteen members on his staff.
An interesting item for the student of
the cost OF production is furnished by a
study and comparison of the prices paid
by the government for this particular
part OF the work during years when the
contract was let without competition and
years when there was keen competition
rms subject has been brought forcibly to
the attention of the officials of the office
lately by reason of the fact that an out
of-town firm underbid the old contractor
for the work by about $1,000 in the COM
petition last month. In 1890 there was no
competition for the contract and the
Total cost to the Office for all it's photo
photographic work was S242931I7 In
1896 the work was about per cent less
IMAM IN 1880 and there was competition
or the keenest kind. AS a result of this
competition the work was done that year
for $3.50, iS4.1 S, or about SO per cent less
than IL mad cost six years before.