Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-07-23

led to the adoption Of fourteen years
as the term Of patent. that others
might by seven years apprenticeship
and seven years practice acquire the
invention"
But 1t was found that the public
could not rely on this method for
full and complete understanding and
acquisition of the invention. because
the patentee might not. and very often
did not. perform his part Of the agree
ment SO in the reign Of Queen Anne
duced another and different clause. re-
quiring a written description OF the
invention to be filed. This is what IS
commonly known as the specification
Prior to this time the only description
of record of the invention secured by a
patent consisted Of few words giving
merely the name of It The first patent
IN which specification was required ap-
pears to be that to John Nasmyth, grant
ed April 1, 1712. Later drawings began
to be attached to the specifications to
more amply describe the invention.
The patent system attracted very little
attention until near the end of the eight
zenith century. From 1880 to 1880 only
some eight hundred patents had been
granted but at this time England was
just beginning her wonderful commercial
and industrial career and Arkwright,
Hargreaves, Crompton and Watt had pat
ented their inventions. Their patents be-
came immensely valuable and were the
subjects Of fierce and prolonged contests
in the courts, which ended in a series of
compromises, beginning with the Ark
wright case. and all this was before the
passage OF patent law by Congress.
-
In October, 1641, the general court of
Massachusetts Bay Colony initiated the
practice in America Of granting patents
by an act securing to one Samuel Wins
low an exclusive privilege for a method
of manufacturing salt, and prohibiting all
other persons from making this article
for ten years, except in a manner differ
ent from his, provided he set up works
within one year from the date of the
grant. This act is memora BILE. because it
is the first grant OF an exclusive privilege
in inventions passed in America and the
privilege was the first to be given under
and by virtue of the sovereign will OF
the people and not at the royal pleasure
Of king
In 1852 the colony allowed one John
Clark ten shiliings for three years from
every family which should use his inven-
ton for saving wood and warming houses
at little cost. In 1863 a patent was grant
ed to Joseph Jenckssen for IAN engine
for the more speedy cutting of grass
From the time the colonies asserted
their independence, on July 4. 1776. until
March 4, 1889, the states granted patents
just as their predecessors, the colonies,
had done. 1t was not until 1890 when the
first patent legislation was enacted by
Congress. In 1898 this law was amended
and from that time until 1886 no change
was made in the law. In 1886, however,
Congress enacted law for the erection
or new patent Office and made many
changes in the patent laws.
Late in July Of that year the erection
of the new building began. 1t was the
present south front of the patent office.
excluding the south ends Of the east and
west wings. The hasement-what is now
the first or ground fioor-was to be used
for storage, the first or portico floor for
office rooms. and the second floor was
to be one large hall. with galleries on
either side. and to have a vaulted roof,
This hall was designed to be used as a
national gallery of the industrial arts