PATENTS. 



ents has nearly dropped out of sight since 1875, 

 when the last extension patents had necessa- 

 rily to run out (except perhaps design patents). 

 Extensions are now granted only by special act 

 of Congress. 



Disclaimers. Disclaimers are for the purpose 

 of disclaiming any excess of claims. Where 

 more has been claimed than was invented, the 

 patent may have to be rendered correct and 

 valid by such process. They are rarely tiled, 

 except under advice of an attorney. 



Drawings. The office is much stricter on this 

 subject than formerly. The drawings of pat- 

 ents have to be reproduced and diminished by 

 some photo-printing process, and a peculiar 

 style of work adapted for tins is exacted. 

 Drawings should be on three-sheet Bristol 

 board, 10 x 15 inches in size. One inch from 

 its edges a single marginal line is drawn, leav- 

 ing the " sight " precisely 8x13 inches. All 

 work and signatures must be included within 

 this line. One of the short sides is regarded 

 as the top, and a space of not less than 1 inch 

 is to be left blank for the heading of title, etc. 

 All this heading is done by the office. The 

 title of the drawing is written on its back in 

 pencil. They must be rolled, not folded. They 

 must be made in perfectly black India ink; no 

 pale lines are admissible; rubbing out of pencil- 

 lines, after the drawing is inked, frequently 

 makes them so. In this case they must be 

 gone over a second time. No rough lines must 

 be made. Finally, the lines must be of a cer- 

 tain thickness, as hair-lines are not reproduced 

 well. The lettering must be good ; drawings 

 are sometimes rejected for bad lettering. The 

 Patent-Office rules for drawings are found in 

 the " Rules of Practice." 



Models. No models are now required, ex- 

 cept in special cases. This refers to practice, 

 as the commissioner has the right to insist on 

 their production. They must be neatly made, 

 and not exceed 12 inches in any dimension. 



Rules of Practice. These are contained in a 

 pamphlet entitled " Rules of Practice of the 

 United States Patent-Office." Any one can 

 procure a copy free by writing to the Commis- 

 sioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. A speci- 

 men drawing, specification, and claims will be 

 found in this pamphlet, together with all the 

 rules, some two hundred, that guide the office 

 in its work. From time to time new editions 

 are published, and amendments to the rules are 

 also published in the " Patent-Office Gazette." 



Caveats. It may happen that an inventor, 

 having partially completed an invention, is 

 afraid that some one will invent and apply for 

 a patent for the same device before he is ready 

 with his application. In such a case, he should 

 take out a caveat. This is a description of his 

 invention as perfect as the state of his work 

 will admit. It should include a drawing made 

 on thin paper or tracing-cloth that will admit 

 of folding. It is filed at the Patent-Office, and 

 for one year entitles him to notification if any 

 one applies for a patent for the same subject. 



After the receiving of such notification, he has 

 three months in which to prepare his specifica- 

 tion, the other one not being taken up until the 

 expiration of that, period. The three months 

 begin at the expiration of the time regularly 

 required for the transmission of the notice by 

 mail from Washington to the caveator's ad- 

 dress. Thus a caveat affords no protection 

 whatever. Prospective patentees often have 

 a tendency to caveat their inventions. They 

 should be clearly informed that a caveat is no 

 protection to their invention, and gives them 

 no standing in the court. As it tends to re- 

 tard, indirectly, the efforts of the inventor, and 

 thereby places him at a % disadvantage in the 

 race for diligence, it is generally not to be ad- 

 vised. Any citizen, or alien of a year's resi- 

 dence, who has declared his intentions, can file 

 a caveat. Any one can take out a patent. A 

 caveat can be renewed from year to year, for 

 any period. 



Design-Patents. Patents for designs are grant- 

 ed for terms of three and a half years, or for 

 seven years, or for fourteen years. Specifica- 

 tion and drawing, engraving, or photograph, or 

 model is required. The order of the subjects 

 of the text should be as follows : 1. Name and 

 residence of the applicant, title of the design, 

 and name of the article. 2. Detailed descrip- 

 tion of the design as shown in the drawing, 

 engraving, or photograph, with reference to 

 designating letters. 3. Claim or claims. 4. 

 Signature of the inventor. 5. Signature of 

 two witnesses. Sometimes a design - patent 

 may be made to take the place of a regular 

 mechanical patent. The drawings should be 

 on Bristol board, 10 x 15 inches in size, signed 

 and witnessed. Photographs or engravings, if 

 used, should be mounted on such paper. Un- 

 mounted copies of the photograph or engrav- 

 ing, if such be used, of a size not exceeding 

 71 x 11 inches, are required by the office to th 

 number of ten extra copies. If good drawings 

 are furnished, the office reproduces them by 

 ph oto-lith ography . 



Fees. With regard to fees, a full list will be 

 found printed in rule 209 of the " Rules of 

 Practice." The principal ones are the follow- 

 ing : On filing every application for a design- 

 patent, $10. On issuing the same for three 

 years and six months, no extra charge. On 

 issuing the same for seven years, $5 ; for four- 

 teen years, $20. On filing every caveat, $10. 

 On every application for a patent for an inven- 

 tion or discovery, $15. On issuing each origi- 

 nal patent for an invention or discovery, $20. 

 The last charge must be paid within six months 

 of the date of granting the application. 



Change in English Patent Law. We can not 

 here say anything on the subject of foreign 

 patents, except to note an important change in 

 the English patent law. The payment for an 

 English patent is now distributed over a series 

 of years, by which the obtaining of one is made 

 much less onerous. On application for a pat- 

 ent or for provisional protection, 4 is payable. 



