388 CYRUS N. ANDERSON 



claim, such a claim should by all means be included. But 

 in addition to such claim, specific claims also should be in- 

 cluded because it is very much easier to anticipate a broad 

 claim in the prior art than it is to anticipate a specific claim, 

 and it may happen, if the claims of the patent are ever sub- 

 jected to litigation, that the patentee would be able to sustain 

 the validity of the specific claim but would be unable to sus- 

 tain the validity of the generic claim. In such case, the 

 patent, by reason of the presence of the specific claim, would 

 still be of value to the patentee, while, on the contrary, if 

 it had included only the generic or broad claim or claims, 

 which had been anticipated, the value of the patent would 

 be entirely destroyed. 



It is not always so, but, generally speaking, a broad 

 claim includes a small number of elements in combination, 

 while a specific claim will include a greater number of ele- 

 ments in combination, and these elements may be still fur- 

 ther affected and narrowed by qualifying limitations. 



It sometimes happens that an inventor, who fully under- 

 stands the details and principles of his invention, concludes 

 that he is better fitted to write his specifications and claims, 

 that is to say, is better fitted to prepare his application for 

 the patent office than some one who has had experience in 

 the writing of specifications and the drawing of claims, and 

 therefore undertakes to do this work. It is very unusual 

 to find an inventor who has had sufficient experience to pre- 

 pare the specification and claims of an application properly, 

 and the chances are about one hundred to one against his 

 succeeding in drawing claims which adequately protect his 

 invention. 



After the application has been placed in condition for 

 allowance, it is allowed by the examiner, after which it goes 

 to the issue division of the patent office. Then, upon the 

 payment of the final fee of $20, the patent is printed, the 

 grant is prepared and is signed by the commissioner of patents, 

 and the patent is issued under the seal of the patent office. 



Many inventors suppose that when they have secured 

 their patents their troubles are over, but the fact is that if 

 the invention is of any considerable value or worth, the pat- 



