598 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



"The dependence on models, which has distinguished otir office, ha» 

 probably prevented it from making its reports at all comparable to the new 

 reports referred to. The models have not been of use to the country, bufc 

 only to the office, and of little use even there, as is evident from the reports 

 of the Commissioner, and the provision in the bill to restore them, and to 

 dispense with models in future. Comparing these evidences, which the 

 inventors and manufacturers all over the country do not see, with the 

 excellent engravings and printed specifications sold by the British Patent 

 Ofiice, your committee cannot but congratulate the country on the prosneet 

 of the abolition of the model system, and earnestly recommend that the Insti- 

 tute ask the attention of Congress to the improved mode of diffusing knowl- 

 edge of patented inventions, with a view to its adoption, under such modi- 

 fications as the circumstances of our county and the conditions of a self- 

 gustaining patent office may render advisable. 



"The published specifications of British patents are sold separately. 

 They are sent gratuitously to the principal public libraries and institutions, 

 at home and abroad. The titles of the specifications are printed on the 

 covers, which are colored, and these covers are bound with the specifica- 

 tions. This aff"ords an advantage to the patentees, who can purchase them 

 to send to theii^ customers. But the plates are large and costly, and are 

 pasted on linen as a means to preserve them and to hold them in the vol- 

 umes. Your committee believe that it is rarely desirable that plates 

 should be larger than quarto size, say ten by fourteen. Such plates may 

 be bound with the letter-press, will need no cloth to protect them, and may 

 be folded to face each other. They should be issued in volumes of conve- 

 nient size, bound plainly and durably. 



" The cost of such a publication is to be considered. The settled policy 

 of our government is to make the Patent Office pay its own expenses, and 

 nothing more. Hence, patentees must in some way pay the cost of the 

 publication. Whether they shall do it out of uniform fees, or pay accord- 

 ing to the cost of printing their, respective specifications, and have the fees 

 low, is the final question. When it is considered that some specifications 

 are short and require little or no illustration, it is evident that to charge 

 uniform fees sufficiently high to pay for the work, would be taxing some for 

 the benefit of others. 



"The publication of specifications on the English plan, as soon as the 

 patents issue, and the immediate transmission of copies to the public libra- 

 ries and joiy:nals, would be an improvement on our incoir:plete system ; 

 but it would be better to publish a periodical repord, divided into volumes 

 for each class, so that they may be sold separately. In this record all 

 specifications should be published, with sufficient illustrations, at the ex- 

 pense of the patentees, that is, the patentees should, prior to the issue of 

 their respective patents, pay for the space occupied in the record by their 

 specification, with the cost of engravings, etc. 



"The books should be sold at such prices as would insure their extensive 

 circulation. The Government should pay for as many copies as are 



