Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-02-16
Continued From Third Page.)

y
ne WORKED out from this first starting
mental invention.
ana the patent maze for him began
~ describing 1t as "multiplex telegra-
pny ano telephony by means of electric
waves guided by wires"
reasoned that any form of conduct
ing wHe directly connecting two an
tennae rs part of each would be really
using superior form of earth connec-
LION between the two stations, and sub
SClSuClng Tor heterogeneous surface of
lano ana water a particular kind Of
eaTtn material "copper" which, expert
ti mao proved, had wonderful proper
We CieS IN propagating electric disturbances
I looked upon the wire as a piece of
specIGuzeo earth that had been found
years before to be very suitable for IA
cntatng the propagation of electrical
enecGS. therefore was perfectly GER
tain In the original conception that con-
meeting the two stations with a wire
from transmttter to receiver would pro-
ouce highly directive wireless system.
rms simple basic reasoning, without
any mathematical discussion, possessed
re Tor year or so previous to the
actual experiments.
Squier, having a gift for snappy
speech called is simply wired wireless"
Gave Invention to Public.
There were many months Of hard
work IN between that first thought and
ltS maj conception into a machine
months OF erecting apparatus at the Bu-
reau OF Standards and months of sur
mounting thousands of experimental OBJ
Stacies TOO technical for mere outsiders
to describe
In this picture one observes the uni
versal experience of the great inventor
the first flash of sheer vision, followed
by the long, hard discipline of expert
ment, OF rejection, OF retrial.
And one observes next what happens
to the Government employee who is also
an inventor. Under the law as it then
was such an invention was dedicated to
the public USE" Squier, under the belief
that 1t was impossible for him to retain
private rights in his brain-child, made
several speeches in which he said that
1t belonged Ito the public"
Later on, when the great financial
value of his patent became apparent, at
torneys told him that the public use"
meant the Government use" Long and
complicated litigation followed, in which
he attempted to secure his private rights
rights which meant fortune.
The judges decision went against him,
based on the various statements he had
made and interpreting public use" as
meaning fellow citizens of any kind and
not merely Government USE"
But Squier In that decision became
the auto da fe of the inventive genius
who also is in the Federal pay. Con-
gresS revised the law so as to protect
the rights Of Uncle Sans own en-
signed exactly lib days too late to
benefit him.
But his mind. being typically in
ventive, went clicking on. It created
for him another simple and profound
picture Of radio transmission. And it
gave him another catchy title for that
new process--the recently announced
"monophone."
That thought, too, lay in his sub
conscious mind for years; lay there
until he suddenly leaped up from a
profound sleep at 3 one morning and
made the notationS from which his
latest invention developed.
Uses Gables for Antenna.
So far as I understand it, it is this:
Thousands of telephone wires, bum
died into cables. run in their leaden
sheathS underground in twins, in and
out of each station. Squier simply I'M
furls one Of these tiniest wires and
leaves it open at the end to form an
antenna, and transmits radios to 1t at
the distance of the thickness of q sheet
of tissue paper. And, presto. every
one may have his radio at his bedside
as he has his telephone, and in every
room in the house.
In procuring the necessary patents
on his first invention, Gen. Squier had
the benefit of his official Government
position. Useful for war, his applica-
ton was rushed through the Patent
once in record time.
For ordinary claimants the process
would not have been so rapid. Let us
60 down to the great classical build
ing in Washington-twin of the Treas
ury in its architecture-and observe
at first hand little Of this usually
complicated process OF extracting
patent from the United States Gov
eminent.
pointment. No fascinating museum
humorous with freak models or hal
thought Of singular minds. Only, In
q few glass cases in the corridor, the
jetsam of q recent sale which sent
thousands of freaks to the junk-heap-
anti-snoring devices, hot-water heated
Jackets, silver hooks to flsh the human
stomach, a self-tipping hat-hunoreds
Of fantastic dreams made real. Some
things were withheld from the sale and
placed in the National Museum-the
cherished models of Whitney'S cotton
gin, Of Berliner's microphone, OF Edi-
sons graphophone, of MorSe'S tele-
graph, of Bells telephone and scores
Of others historically interesting.
Instead this office proves to be smell
in which experts sit in clumps and rows
like white intellectual kernels in one
tremendous nut, each concentrated on
his own problem and all surrounded
with endless tissues of filing cases full
Of wide, fiat drawers methodically filled
with drawings and descriptions OF every
patent ever granted for anything any
where in the world and all the applica-
lions and drawings and descriptions and
claims Of all the patents any one is ask
ing from the Government OF these
United States.
Models Are No Longer Used.
Not a model anywhere on any desk;
they no longer look az models. Tney
look only at drawings, descriptions ana
claims" This fact in itself means two
things. It means that the men who ex-
anime applications for patents must be
expertly trained in the fundamentals OF
engineering and patent law ana special
lists in the specific line to which they are
detailed. It also means that more than
ever the would-be patentee must from
the take-off run with the aid of the best
patent lawyer he is able to secure.
Their conversation upon the subject
of their work is practically unintelltgibie
to q layman, 1t is so full Of technical
words and curious special phrases.
There they are, say. these exam
iners," fitted between desks and fling
cases. Pull out one of the surrounding
| files and look at an application for
patent-and guess at once why the first
step in getting patent is to find COM
petent patent lawyer. Several foolScap
| sheets hold first the petition; next the
specifications describing the machine or