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

, The germ OF invention became very
active in the American mind In thf|
thirt.es. The railroad train and the
telegraph instrument became realiza-
lions, and everywhere inventors be-
gan to bestir themselves. This led toI
the enactment OF a new law in 1886. a
law which has been pronounced the
most important event In American his
tory from the adoption OF the consti-
tuition TO the opening OF the civil war.
Before that time 10000 patents were
issued. Since then nearly a million
have been granted Under the act OF
1886 the patent office was establishedI
the Office of commissioner OF patents
was created. and the big Doric-col
umned building that has served as the
Temple or Invention ever since, was
authorized.
Since that day the American inven
tor has led the world. lie is bring
Ing out new ideas at the rate OF more
than 10000 a year. Last year there
were $4,000 patents granted, out o
| $4,000 applications filed. These pat
ents covered the entire range OF hu
man ingenuity. Each decade brings
some epochmaking invention. which
In turn brings In its train thousands
OF others When the automobile frsN
was invented and patented, there hat
been no need for the thousand-and
one attachments and Improvement
| that have since been invented am
| patented No such thing as an anti
| 10y riding device was dreamed OF Tin
I'll the automobile came into popula
use. When electricity first was al
| piled In the field OF transportation, no
| one patent among the thousands tina
now blaze the path OF electric prof
gress was thought of. And nov
comes the flying machine. AS soof
as II becomes commercially practiGI
able. the patent office Will do land
Office business in patents on appurtd|
nances for the Improvement OF aeriaI'
! navigation.
A great celebration was held I'm thu
city OF Washington in 1891, IN honok
OF the first centennial OF America
patent history. There were $4,000
patents then in the files OF the paten
office Statesmen, inventors, public
/ lists, all went into profound flights
spoken and written eloQuence owe
! the achievements OF that century
/ They wondered and marveled at til
! tremendous progress OF invention du
! ing the hundred years they were view
| ing ia retrospect Since then les
than 10 years have passed; yet
those 10 years more patents hay
been applied for and more have bee
issued than in all the hundred year
that went before.
SO wonderful have been the stride
OF invention since the patent cente
NAL that a new meaning has bee
given To the words OF one OF III
speakers on that occasion who said
Measured by what We learn and SO
and do and enjoy in a lifetime, v
live longer than Methuselah. are wise
than Solomon. richer than Croesu
greater than MISUNDERSTANDING
has found his fulcrum it is the
ventor's brain.
Indirectly, the development OF Anne
lean inventive genius has been due
the fosteroing care OF the America
patent system. Statisticians estima
that two-thirds OF all the nation
wealth Is the product OF inventio
There are now Al general division
in the patent once under which
plicatlons for patents are entere
| 1
OF 237 general classes of subjects
which patents may be issued. The
general classes. in turn, are each su
divided into many sub-classes, and
follows that there are thousands
subjects upon which patents a
issued.
Each applicant for a patent pays
stated fee-$35-for his patent. Thi
with the other receipts of the pate
office. makes It self-supporting
stitution. Indeed. II is more ths
that, for It annually charges the
ventors more than the cost Uf mai
tanning the patent system, and Il
total OF these overcharges amour
now to $6,000,00O. In other word
the inventor has entirely support
all the operations of the patent sy
TEN. and in addition, has paid
600 900 into the federal treasury.
is now asking that this surplus
used in the erection VI mode
building 10 house the patent Office
building where the voluminous I'd
ords of the institution may be ma
readily accessible.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.