The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1910-11-17
AMERICAN INVENTIONS
L-GROWTH OF THE PATENT SYSTEM
By FREDERIC ! HASKIN

The germ OF invention became yeryI
active in the American mind I'm thv
thirt'es. The railroad train and thCI
telegraph instrument became realiEa
tons, and everywhere inventors be-
gan TO bestir themselves This led q
the enactment OF new law IN 1886. 4
law which has been pronounced tho'
most important event In American his
tory from the adoption of the consti1
tuition to the opening of the civil war;
Before that time 10000 patents wers'
issued. Since then nearly a million.
have been granted Under the act ID
1886 the patent Office was established
the office of commissioner OF patents
was created. and the big DoriccOl
umned building that has served as the
Temple OF Invention ever since, was
authorized
Since that day the American invcnI
tor has led the world lie is brngN
ing out new ideas at the rate OF more
than 10000 year, Last year there
were $4,000 patents granted. out o.
"a 600 applications filed These patI
ents covered the entire range OF hui
man ingenuity. Each decade brings
some epoch-making invention. which
I'm turn brings i'm its train thousand
OF others When the automobile frs
was invented and patented, there had
been no need for the thousand-and'
one attachments and Improvement
that have since been invented and
patented. No such thing as an ant
Joy riding device was dreamed OF unI
III the automobile came into popula
use When electricity first was az
piled In the field OF transportation. no
one patent among the thousands tina
now blaze the path OF electric pre-
gress was thought Of And nov
comes the flying machine. As sooT
as II becomes commercially practic
able. the patent Office will do Ian
Office business in patents on appurte
nnnces for the Improvement OF aeria.
navigation.
A great celebration was held In IN
city o. Washington In 1891 n hono
Of the first centennial OF Americat
patent history. There were $4,000
patents then in the files OF the paten
ONCE. Statesmen. inventors, publid
lists. all went into profound flights q
spoken and written eloQuence Owe
the achievements OF that century,
They wondered and marveled at IN
tremendous progress Of invention du
ing the hundred years they were view
ing in retrospect Since then lie.
than 10 years have passed, yet
those ~ years more patents hav
been applied for. and more have bee
issued than I'm all the hundred year
| that went before.
- Il hnon the G rid n
Of invention since the patent center
NAL that a new meaning has bee
given TO The words OF one OF IN
! speakers on that occasion who said
Measured BY what we learn and SO
and do and enjoy in a lifetime, y
| live longer than Methuselah. are wisd|
than Solomon. richer than Croesu
greater than ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I has found his fulcrum; it is the |
ventor's brain.
! Indirectly, the development OF Anne
! lean inventive genius has been due
! the iosteroing care of the America
! patent system Statisticians estimat
that two.thrds OF all the nAtions
wealth liz the product Of invented
! There are now IL general division
! I'm the patent Office under which a
! plications for patents are entered
1 These divisions have in them told
I OF 237 general classes Of subjects q
which patents may be issued. TheS
general classes, in turn, are each su
divided into many sub.classcs, and
! follows that there are thousands
subjects upon which patents ar
| issued
Each applicant for a patent pays
! stated fee-S35--for his patent. TIL
with the other receipts of the patei
Office. makes it self-suppOrting
! stitution. Indeed. IL is more tina
that for II annually charges the
ventors more than the cost Of mai
tanning the patent system. and II
! total OF these overCharges amour
now 10 S600OO00 In other word
, the inventor has entirely supporto
! all the operations of the patent sy
TEN. and in addition, has paid 81
600 900 into the federal treasury.
is now asking that this surplus
used in the erection OF moder
( building 10 house the patent Office
/ building where the voluminous re
/ ords of the institution may be mad
readily accessible.
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