Evening star., 1946-08-16
Patent Office
Units 10 Return.
From Richmond
Move Is Expected
To Be Completed
Within 30 Days
By Francis P. DouqIos

lace today announced definite
plans for the removal of Patent
Office units now in Richmond,
Va, back to Washington, and
said it is expected the move can
be completed in about 80 days.
The removal is made possible by
the ALLEGATION to the Commerce
Department Of $4,000 square feet Of
space in Temporary Building No. 7
at the Washington National Airport,
which has been used by the Army
Air Forces.
The Commerce Department an
nouncement said Patent Office serv-
ice units would be established in
Temporary No. and as many ex-
amlnlng divisions as possible would
be consolidated again in the Com
merce Building.
1t was pointed out that since
the Patent Office is acquiring no
new space in the Commerce Build
ing, and that the removal of serv-
Ice units will not free many offices.
some examining units now in Rich
mond will have to be housed for
the time being in the temporary
by the Army Air Forces.
The departments announcement
said there are now 453 Patent Office
employees in Richmond, including
employees of 36 examining divisions.
These will be moved back to the
Capital
txrplfRr r IN Dp,AI
Secretary Wallace said as soon az
space is available in the Commerce
Building it is expected all units of
the Patent Office will be located
there. Mr.. Wallace said:
The final return of all the Patent
Office to Washington consummates
our long and unremitting efforts to
unity this important agency once
again. This move should result in
greater convenience to the public
and to the patent law profession
ana should result in increased eff
cheney and effectiveness of the pat.
ent examination process"
| The service units of the Patent
Office referred to include the ap-
plicatlon, assignment, issue, docket
ana mail divisions. Parts of these
are in Richmond and it is ex-
pected that where the major part
OF the division is in Richmond, the
division will be consolidated in
temporary No. 7 with the removal
there of both the parts in Rich
mond and the minor parts now in
the Commerce Building.
The actual consolidation of all
the Patent Office in the Commerce
Building is expected to take place
when space in that building is
released by Commerce Depart
ment agencies. The largest is the
Maritime Commission.
Office Divided in 1912.
The division of the Patent Office
between Richmond and Washington
dates from January, 1912, when
approximately 1000 employees were
moved to Richmond to make room
for war agencies. Those units
transferred included the Examining
DIVISIONS, the office of one of the
assistant commissioners, the Law,
Library, the Interference and CLASH
| Hcatlon Divisions and other units.
About 80 employees were trans
ferred back to Washington in
August, 1945, and last January, 28
examining divisions were returned.
Last month the Patent Office
Society, which is made up of patent
examiners, made a plea for the
restoration to Washington of the
remaining examining divisions,
pointing to the damage to efficiency
ana the big backlog of patent
applications not acted on, due pri-
maruy to the division of the Office.
The society, in its letter, put the
number of divisions still in Rich
mond at 81, but this later was cor
rected to So.
Complained of Bottleneck.
! The backlog of patent applica-
tlons, exclusive of trade mark and
design applications, amounted to
ll7,934 in mid-July, representing an
increase of 81 per cent in a wear,
With some applicants waiting more
than year for action on their
inventions, the delay was described
py patent attorneys and business
men as bottleneck in reconversion
, Relying on announcements that
the removal from Richmond would
be accomplished by last July /, "a
employees at Richmond sold their
homes and moved their families to
Washington. Others who had homes
here which they had rented out.
: moved their families back as the
homes became vacated. In addi-
tlon. employees in Richmond found
, 1t increasingly difficult to rent
homes there because of the uncer-
talnty of their tenure.
The Patent Office has suffered
from shortage in its technical staff
and plans were made to take on
about $50 additional examiners,
However, new employees were reluc-
tant to go to Richmond because of
its housing problem and the uncer-