PATELLA 



6OO2 



PATENT LAW 



Patella OR KNEE-CAP. Sesa- 

 moid bone, i.e. a bone developed in 

 the tendon of a muscle, situated at 

 the front of the knee-joint. It is 

 roughly triangular in shape. The 

 posterior surface is covered with 

 cartilage, and articulates with the 

 femur or thigh-bone. The upper 

 margin passes into the tendon of 

 the quadriceps extensor or large 

 muscle forming the front of the 

 thigh. From the lower margin 

 springs the infra- patella tendon, by 

 which the bone is fastened to the 

 anterior surface of the tibia. 



Dislocation of the patella may be 

 outwards, inwards, or sideways, 

 the first being much the common- 



Fibula 



| (Cut access) 



fmt/Ja (font torn) 



Patella. Lett, knee-joint from the 

 front, showing position of patella ; 

 right, front and back view of bone 



est form. Reduction is effected by 

 manipulation. Fracture of the 

 patella may be the result of direct 

 violence, or may follow a vigorous 

 muscular effort, such as may be 

 made in an endeavour to prevent a 

 fall, the bone breaking trans- 

 versely across the middle. Opera- 

 tive treatment gives the best re- 

 sults. See Anatomy ; Knee. 



Paten. In the service of the 

 Eucharist, the plate on which the 

 consecrated bread is placed : also, 

 in the Mass, 

 the plate on 

 which the Host 

 is laid. The 

 term is also 

 used for the 

 covering of the 

 chalice. It is 

 usually of gold 

 or silver - gilt. 

 See Eucharist. 



Patent (Lat. 

 patere, to lie 

 open). Official document issued by 

 the sovereign conferring an exclusive 

 right or privilege. It is used in two 

 main senses. Titles of nobility are 

 conferred by letters patent. A 

 patent is the sole right for a term 

 of years of the proceeds of an in- 

 vention, the person who holds such 

 a right being called the patentee. 

 Patent leather is a kind of leather 

 to which a polished surface is given 

 by a process of japanning. 



Burnt, Oatee & Wash- 

 bourne 



PATENT LAW AND PRACTICE 



B. T. Lavender, Assistant Examiner, H.M. Patent Office 

 Thts article deals with a branch of law which is of great importance 

 commercially. Other branches dealt with include Company Law 

 and Ecclesiastical Law. See also Copyright ; Monopoly ; Trade Mark 



The patent law of the United 

 Kingdom may be said to date from 

 the statute of monopolies, 1624. 

 Before the passing of the statute 

 patents were granted by the crown 

 with a view to improving the econo- 

 mic conditions of the country, in- 

 dustry being encouraged by prohi- 

 biting or restricting competition. 

 The grant of monopolies freed from 

 competition led to abuses preju- 

 dicial to the state, and was fol- 

 lowed by their restriction by 

 statute. According to the statute 

 of monopolies the grant of a patent 

 was restricted to the " first and 

 true inventor," who according to 

 present-day practice may comprise 

 several classes of persons, and in- 

 cludes not only the actual inventor, 

 but the first importer of an inven- 

 tion into the United Kingdom. 

 The subject matter of a valid patent 

 must comprise " a manner of new 

 manufacture." Moreover, it must 

 not be contrary to law or morality. 



Novelty alone does not neces- 

 sarily imply invention, and of itself 

 may be insufficient to sustain a 



patent. Evidence of ingenuity 

 must be disclosed. If a known 

 article is applied to a new purpose, 

 the application, must disclose in- 

 ventive ingenuity, if a valid patent 

 is to be secured. In 1910 it was 

 held that a patent for a vacuum 

 flask for holding hot liquids, etc., 

 without substantial change of tem- 

 perature, was invalid on the ground 

 that it was merely an adaptation for 

 another purpose of a vacuum flask 

 constructed, in 1893, by Professor 

 Dewar for storing liquid gases. 



A patent is invalid, if before the 

 date of the patent application the 

 invention has been publicly dis- 

 closed, either by a prior user or by 

 an earlier description. By the 

 Patents Act of 1902, the investiga- 

 tion through prior published speci- 

 fications is restricted to 50 years 

 from the date oh which application 

 is made. A patent right secures to 

 the grantee the exclusive right to 

 manufacture and sell or to grant 

 licences for these purposes, and an 

 infringer may be restrained and 

 made liable for damages. 



In the United Kingdom an appli- 

 cation for letters patent hi respect 

 of inventions is made upon forms 

 obtainable at the Patent Office, 

 London, or at any post office, where 

 also may be obtained the stamps to 

 bo affixed to the forms which re- 

 quire them. An application may be 

 accompanied by a provisional 

 specification, in which is described 

 the nature of an invention, or by a 

 complete specification, in which is 

 particularly described and ascer- 

 tained the nature of the invention 

 and the manner in which it is to be 

 utilised. In the former case, the 

 provisional specification may be 

 followed, within nine months from 

 the date of the application, by a 

 complete specification, in which is 

 the particular description, followed 

 by a statement of claim. The 

 lodging of a provisional specifica- 

 tion confers no protection upon an 

 applicant, unless the application is 

 completed later by lodging a com- 

 plete specification 



The search for novelty prescribed 

 by the Patents Act of 1902 gives to 

 the comptroller the power of re- 

 fusing the grant of a patent in cases 

 in which the invention has been 

 wholly and specifically claimed in 

 specifications to which the search 

 has extended. Complete specifica- 

 tions may be amended at the in- 

 stance of the applicant to distin- 

 guish an invention from those de- 

 scribed hi published specifications 

 of earlier date. Alternatively, the 

 comptroller may insert in the speci- 

 fication, by way of warning to the 

 public, statutory references by 

 number to any earlier published 

 specifications held to describe or 

 claim an applicant's invention. An 

 inventor may, before applying for 

 a patent, place his invention on 

 view at an exhibition certified by 

 the board of trade without invali- 

 dating, by reason of prior publica- 

 tion, a patent which he may sub- 

 sequently obtain. 



The normal protection period 

 afforded by a patent is now 16 

 years ; this period may, however, 

 be extended, if it can be shown that 

 during this time the patentee has 

 received inadequate remuneration, 

 having due regard to the merits of 

 the invention, and the lapse of time 

 between the grant of the patent 

 and the date at which the inven- 

 tion became a successful com- 

 mercial product. 



Before a patent is granted, but 

 after the acceptance by the Patent 

 Office of the complete specification, 

 interested parties may, within two 

 months, oppose, and, if successful, 

 prevent the sealing of the patent, 

 or obtain an amendment of the 

 complete specification. An opposi- 

 tion can be based only upon one 



