The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-08-03
but few PATENTS
ARE PUT TO Use
Most of Them Are Pigeon
holed as Soon as Pur-
chased.
BIG COMPANIES TO BLAME
Lay Devices Aside Rather Than
Bear Expense of Changing
Plants.
Especial to The Times-Dispatch.

washington, August Eff all the
useful, inventions that are patented
could be put In actual working in
the way OF labor-saving." says William
f. Woolard. chief clerk of the Patent
Office. there would be an astounding
cheapening of. every kind of MAUI
featured product. There Is hardly an
article turned out of Il factory but
what there has in recent years been
some device invented whereby IT'S
making is vastly cheapened. / am not
speaking of the multitude of inven-
tiPns theoretically practicable-which.
when subjected to actual trial fail
woefully-but OF the thousands OF de-
vices that have stood Exhaustive tests
The reason these are not adopted
by manufacturers? 1 will give an in
stance. an extreme one. admit, which
VIII illustrate why these inventions
for cheap manufacturing have been
pigeon -holed
Some years ago man obtained a
patent for method whereby the ordi-
nary car wheel. of which there are
millions OF dollars worth pade every
year by the rolling mills. could he
manufactured for about half the cur
rent cost Of making. The inventor
took his patent to one of the largest
manufacturers OF oar wheels in the
country. The experts examined It,
tested 1t thoroughly BY practical trial,
and pronounced it all that wa acclaimed
by the owner. The manufacturing com
pany offered him a handsome royalty
on all the wheels manufactured under
n patent, provided the patent rights
were assigned to them. The inventor
agreed and made the assignment. Then
the car wheel company found that to
change their plant so that IT could
cheaply manufacture under the patent
would necessisate the expenditure OF
vast sum of money. Accordingly
they pigeon-holed the patent and con-
tinued to make wheels after their old
methods. OF course, the inventor
never got penny out of the dcal
since he was TO receive royalties only
on those wheels made under his nat.
emit
This is an extreme case. owing to
the inventor entering into such an i'm
ProVldent contract hear he after.
wards starved to death, by the way
buta so many of these inventions are
bought outright and thus shelved on
account of the cost OF putting them
INTO practical use. For instance, there
Is a certain improvement in the max.
ing OF typewriter keys and types that
would work great saving In tho
manufacture. 1t was Invented and
patented by workman in the fac.
tory OF one of the big typewriter man
uracturing concerns. This concern
paio the patentee large sum OF money
tor his patent rights. giving him also
!onG contract of employment at an
advanced salary. and then pigeon
holed the patents. Why? Because the
outlay OF money in the change of plant
necessary to adopt the new method of
manufacture was so great that II would
take years before they would be even
Oh the venture Consequently they
continue manufacturing in the old way.
and owning the new patents as thev
DO, prevent any other company from,
ADOPTING that cheaper method OF maxi
ms type and keys.
Inc chief patent attorney of the
General Electric Company told me moi
long ago that they put into actual uss
less than 10 per cent of the patent,
they bought. They buy them, not for
use out Tor pigeon-holing: not that
they may make their products at les.
Apehse, put mat they may not be
bothered by competitors. who nigh,
buy and manufacture under such ns,.
ents' doing 80. have heard that the
owners OF the stage coach lines between
New york and Philadelphia tried n
ouy UP the control In the first railroad
between those cities for the purnoss
or pigeon hollnG' It and thus prevent
Ing competition with their coaches
Large manufacturers of patented arti
clos. who have invested immense sums
In their plants. are. OF course. 10th 10
MAKE any change, and take this means
OF buying and piseon-holins patents
TO protect the old methods.
'Of course. the law of self-preserv,-
ZION moves concerns with large CAPT
tai Invested to this course" continued
Mr., Woolard, but there are some in
stances where a great wrong is worked
to the general public. Take the pur-
chase and pigeon oling of safety de-
vice patents by many public service
corporations There is one instance