Evening star., 1924-07-27
YOUNG AMERICANS
LEAD IN DISCOVERY
Amateurs Among Youth in
Experiments Brings Radios
Greatest Progress.
PATENT OFFICE FLOODED
Eleven Examiners Devote Entire
Time to Research in Connection
With Wireless Inventions.

When Johnny jumps clean across
the room and knocks dads paper
down. after hours of patient tinker
ing with refractory radio set, don't
scold him. Some day Johnny may be
a great inventor. Even now he pro-
claims with eagerness that he has a
new hook-up tpat gets WDAP
great Some day Johnny's name may
be enrolled down in that big gray
building which shuts off G street be-
tween Seventh and Ninth. which to
the prosaic minded is merely the
United States Patent Office but to the
seekers after scientific truth and the
delivers into the realms of physical
science is treasure house of human
knowledge brought about by just
such tinkering as Johnny had been
dong before he knocked dads paper
aside in his youthful exuberance
Millions of Johnnies there are in
the United States. and their names
are registered by thousands among
the inventions on record in the Patent
once. And many thousands more of
the youth of the land will find their
names among the rolls of successful
patent applicants at the Patent Office
Tor radio, that magic finger which
stretches without wires into the
ether hundreds of miles away and
brings to the home the human voice,
mas opened up d new and fertile field
Tor the young inventor. The John
MES of radio are taking full advan-
tase OF the opportunities offered in
an inventive way by this new science.
the youngster .fooling' with radio
set, trying out new hook linking
up a selectoformer here and a vario-
coupler there, is responsible for
many Of the new Inventions that have
all but revolutionized radio since the
invention by De Forrest in 1907 of
the vacuum tube, which has made
modern transmission and reception
possible over great distances.
Growth Of Radio.
From a small division in 1907. con-
tanning eight men,, and engaged in
Investigating patents not only for
radio, but going into many other al
lied fields of electrical communica-
tion, the radio division of the Patent
Office has expanded until now il has a
force of II examiners at work all the
time, who cannot keep pace with the
fnsistent demand for new patents on
adaptations of old inventions and en-
tlrely new inventions in the radio
held. {. f. Backus. chief of the di-
vision, a practical veteran of the pat
ent game, has seen the deyelopment
of modern radio as few men outside
the technical end of the radio game
nave seen it. He has watched the
development of modern radio from
'he granting of the original De For
rest patent for three filament tube
with a grid. the basis for the modern
and greatly improved vacuum tube
up TO the intricate and involved So
called DIX hook-ups that are the de-.
Isht or the amateur receiver today.
ana Mr.. BackuS has had many radio
freaks before him in his day-freaks
that probably were mot meant seri-
ously. On the whole, however. the
progress of thought in the radio busi-
ness. evidenced by the eyer-in
creaslnS griSt of patents has been
along sane and logical lines leading
TO the one end of clearer and better
reception and transmission and am
plification with Improvement Of the
means used.
For radio has made great strides
IN the fourteen years of its real ex-
istence Just after the Navy and Mar
COM had been working with the
spark tranSmitter and had achieved
hne results with that archaic equip
ment-even now used in improved
form. The rapid strides made in the
radio art are graphically shown by
tue patents issued, aDDrOX imately
1000 having been issued on this one
subject.
Reach Peak Points.
Radio has just struck it's stride as
measured by the Patent Office. While
the peak of patents issued was reach
ed in 1922 and maintained a steady
pace through the summer months of
that year. there have been peaks in
1928 approaching the peak of 1922
activity, with more to come as radio
becomes simplified and improved
For the end is not in sight. Radio
according to inventors. has barely
been tapped, and its possibilities are
as yet unknown.
And here is where Johnny comes in
Grlzzled old veterans or the Patent
once point with pride to the part
The youth OF the land has taken in
radio development, for Johnny and
mas gang are responsible for the bulk
or the radio patents issued in that
great gray building of Uncle sam.
IN other words. the youthful amateurs
monkeylng with their homemade
sets have invented more knickknacks
which make modern radio possible
Than the trained scientists WORKING
I'm their thoroughly equipped labora9
tories. The greatest theoretical ad-
vances in radio. art, however, come
from the more mature and more ex
perlenced research workers. MANY of
lhem unlVarSifV