JOIV T( 
 
 'y-ti 
 
 
 
 ' M 
 
SECOND '^OPV. 
 
 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 
 
 Cliap.._ Copyright No. 
 
 Shelf_.X5_; 
 
 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 
 
JAN sei^sg 
 
 JAN 26 1890 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 in 2011 with funding from 
 The Library of Congress 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/howtomakemoneybyOOglas 
 
HOW TO MAKE MONEY 
 
 BY 
 
 «iNVENTION». 
 
 a: 
 
 BY 
 
 A, E GLASCOCK, 
 
 a; 
 
 WASHINGTON, D, C, 
 
 1899, 
 
24672 
 
 i> 
 
 %'' 
 
 TWO COPIED K£c 
 
 -"■iVED>, 
 
 I m 261899' ) 
 
 \^^V 
 
 r /Ol /-\ 
 
CONTENTS, 
 
 CHAPTER. PAGE. 
 
 INTRODUCTION 9 
 
 I. HOW TO MAKE B'lONKY BY INVENTION . 13 
 
 II. PATENTS 37 
 
 III. PROMOTING INVENTIONS ... .53 
 VI. DISPOSING OF INVENTIONS ... 73 
 
 V. GRANTING LICENSES ... . -79 
 
 VI. DISPOSE OF THE WHOEE RIGHT . . 82 
 KLONDYKE 86 
 
MOTHER SHIPTON'S PROPHESIES. 
 
 Published in 1485. 
 
 Carriages without horses shall go, 
 And accidents fill the world with woe. 
 Around the world thought shall fly 
 In the twinkling of an eye. 
 
 Waters shall yet more wonders do 
 Now strange, yet shall be true. 
 The world upside down shall be, 
 And gold be found 'mid roots of trees. 
 
 Through hills and mountains man shall ride, 
 Nor horse nor ass be at his side. 
 Under water man shall walk, 
 Will ride and sleep and talk. 
 
Vlll MOTHKR SHIPTON'S PROPHKSIKS. 
 
 In the air men will be seen, 
 
 In black, in white, in green. 
 
 Iron in the water some day will float 
 
 As easy as a wooden boat. 
 
 Gold shall be found 'mid stone, 
 In a land that's now unknown. 
 Fire and waters will more wonders do, 
 Kngland will at last admit a Jew. 
 
INTRODUCTION- 
 
 There are two classes of persons to whom these 
 pages may afford information and to whom they 
 are chiefly addressed, viz., the person who for 
 the first time conceives that he has made an inven - 
 tion and who is actually desirous of benefiting 
 himself thereby ; and the patentee who is anxious 
 to render his newly -acquired privilege profitable. 
 
 When a man has made what he considers to be 
 a discovery or invention, he intuitively feels that 
 to derive any profit from it, he must secure a patent 
 for it ; but there his acquaintance with the subject 
 ends — commonly he is at a loss to know what 
 course to pursue. To solve the perplexities, he 
 probably consults the best informed among his 
 friends ; and when, as generally happens, the most 
 conflicting and contradictory opinions are given, 
 he ends by taking his own course, which is not 
 always the best under the circumstances. Now, 
 the success of a patent, like that of a book, depends 
 much on the manner in which it is presented to 
 public notice. As in the case of the one there may 
 be sound sense, logic and talent disfigured by a 
 bad style of writing, or hidden in a cloud of Ian - 
 guage; so in the other, there may be good and 
 practical improvements but so unsuccessfully set 
 
10 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 forth as to appear theoretical and chimerical. The 
 patentee, like the author, addresses himself to the 
 public, from whom he expects support, and as a 
 book depends for its fame much on its attractive- 
 ness, so in a like manner does a patent. To pur- 
 sue the parallel it must be said success depends in 
 both cases on merit, but that quality will be best 
 appreciated when displayed to the best advantage. 
 The patentee who has recently acquired his grant 
 from the Government, has, to some extent at least, 
 marked out his course. 
 
 He has already put his head to the plow, and 
 must not look back. The field is before him, 
 which, by cultivation maj^ yield good returns ; but 
 although he may have sown good seed, care will 
 be requisite for bringing it to perfection. The 
 author of these pages makes no other pretension 
 than that of attempting to give to his readers the 
 best information regarding the subjects written on 
 that his experience dictates. He presents no nos- 
 trum to make all patents profitable and has no 
 alchemy at hand to transmute old ideas and schemes 
 into subject-matter for new and profitable patent 
 privileges. 
 
 The work of searching into the novelty of in - 
 ventions is one of great responsibility we all know. 
 Although an Inventor may satisfactorily make his 
 own search, he will not, if he possesses an ordi- 
 nary amount of prudence, meddle further with the 
 proceedings necessary for obtaining his patent. 
 
INTRODUCTION. <. 11 
 
 I/Ord Saint lyeonard once said that the best clients 
 the lawyers had were the men who made their own 
 wills — these home -made documents leading to end - 
 less litigation among the deceased's testator. It 
 cannot be said that self-drawn specifications are 
 prolific of fees to counsel because the men who 
 prepare their own specifications have seldom genius 
 enough to invent anything valuable and only valu - 
 able inventions are infringed ; but this much is 
 certain that such specifications are almost neces- 
 sarily worthless and consequently they leave the 
 door open to infringers, should it turn there is 
 anything in them. But it is when a patentee wishes 
 to grant a license or to sell his right that he dis - 
 covers the impolicy of having acted without pro- 
 fessional aid. For when a manufacturer enter- 
 tains the idea of taking a license from a patentee 
 or of purchasing his rights, he will (if a prudent 
 man) consult his legal adviser and the professional 
 man will conceive but a poor opinion of the valid- 
 ity of a patent, the specification of which has been 
 drawn by an amatuer. The solicitor in such a 
 case would send the document to a patent attornej^ 
 with instructions to inquire into its validity, who 
 would, without much difficulty, pick it to pieces. 
 If an offer was made of the grant of a free -hold 
 site upon condition of erecting on it a properly - 
 constructed dwelling house, would not this grantee 
 be extremely careful to comply with the condition ? 
 So with patents : The condition of tenure in the 
 
12 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 patent is the erecting on it a substantial super- 
 structure. 
 
 After having secured a patent which protects 
 the Inventor to the fullest extent, the next prob- 
 lem that naturally confronts him is how to make 
 money by the invention. There are many ways 
 by which this is done and it is the object of this 
 book to relate, as nearly as possible, the steps taken 
 by Inventors who have profited by their inventions 
 with the hope that the example thus set may be of 
 use to those who seek to profit thereby. As be- 
 fore stated, it is not claimed that this work will 
 make every invention valuable, but if it succeeds 
 in leading a very small per centage of Inventors 
 in the right direction, it will have accomplished 
 its object. Hovv^ever, it is believed that there is no 
 patented invention in existence to-day but what, 
 if it is properly handled, it might be made to pay 
 at least something ; for time and again inventions 
 which, to the casual observer, have seemed to be 
 most frivolous and visionary, have in the end 
 proved to be very valuable. Therefore, no rule 
 can be laid down whereby the value of an inven - 
 tion may be determined in advance of an actual 
 trial of the device, and opinions on this subject 
 amount to very little, the true test of the value of 
 an invention being the amount of money that it 
 will command after it has been developed. 
 
CHAPTER I. 
 
 l)ovp to malce money hy lit\^ention. 
 
 The faculty of invention, one of the noblest at- 
 tributed to man, pre-eminently distinguishes him 
 from all other created beings — for they, animated 
 by instinct, are incapable to deviate from the ways 
 of their projenitors ; but man is perpetually devis- 
 ing new modes and forms of action ; and the more 
 he invents, the more he seems to be capable of in- 
 venting. It is to the exercise of this faculty of the 
 human mind that we owe our advanced state of 
 civilization ; without inventors we would still be 
 in a state of semi -barbarism. Muirhead, in his 
 life of Watt, remarks : "The respect which in all 
 ages and countries has ever been paid to inventors 
 seems indeed to rest on something more profound 
 than mere gratitude for the benefits which they 
 have been the means of conferring on mankind, 
 and an implied, that it does not express, a con- 
 sciousness that by the grand and original concep- 
 tions of their minds they approach slightly more 
 nearly than their fellows to the qualities and pre - 
 eminence of a higher order of being." **The dig- 
 nity," says Lord Bacon, ''of this end of endow- 
 ment of man's life with new commodity appeareth 
 by the estimation that antiquity was made of such 
 
14 HOW TO MAKE MONEY BY INVENTION. 
 
 as guided thereunto; for whereas founders of 
 states, law givers, exterpators of tyrants, fathers 
 of the people were honored but with the titles of 
 demagogues ; Inventors were ever sacred among 
 the gods themselves." We have of late recog- 
 nized the claims of Inventors to national honors 
 in several living instances, and this is better than 
 awarding posthumous praise, but we are still 
 backward in this respect, and the chief reward 
 which the Inventor can truly rely upon, is to be 
 derived from a grant of Letters Patent. 
 
 The gift of invention is indeed one of the most 
 exalted gifts of man ; and when we trace modern 
 civilization with the barbarism of savage life, we 
 must know that all the arts which minister to our 
 wants and conveniences are due to Inventors. 
 But for them we would still paddle in canoes, 
 cover our floors with rushes and go to battle armed 
 only with the spear or cross-bow. For those arts 
 which have placed conveniences and luxuries 
 within the reach of the poorest classes which were 
 unattainable formerly even by the rich, we are in- 
 debted to Inventors. Neither has the art of war 
 been still to the valuable attempts of the Inventor. 
 If the invention of gunpowder, as we all know it 
 did, completely revolutionize the art, the ingenuity 
 of inventors in the operation of warlike instru- 
 ments has effected almost as great a change since 
 the days of Gettysburg. Great benefits, it is true, 
 have been derived by the introduction of steam. 
 
HOW TO MAKE MONEY BY INVENTION. 15 
 
 steam navigation, the paddle, screw, power loom, 
 the locomotive, the electric telegraph, the sub- 
 marine cable, photography, and phonography; 
 war has been shortened and made more decisive 
 by the use of improved arms of precision — the 
 Springfield, Remington, Krag-Jorgensen, Martini - 
 Henry, and Mauser Rifles, together with the Arm- 
 strong, Whitworth, Gatling, Driggs-Seabury, and 
 Sims -Dudley ordnances — and by the introduction 
 of a variety of powerful projectiles, but it is safe 
 to say, a new era of invention is now upon us. 
 While necessity is not always the mother of in - 
 vention, it is an ever stimulating agency in its de- 
 velopment ; and the limit is not yet reached — the 
 exigencies of the hour will turn genius to war- 
 like things. Take the Navy, for instance. 
 
 According to "The Engineering News," although 
 the French ship, I^a Gloria (with 4^ inches of 
 rolled iron plates on a heavy wood backing) , had 
 been launched two years previously, the memor- 
 able battle between the Monitor and the Merrimac, 
 in Hampton Roads (March 9, 1862), was the first 
 actual combat between armored ships. The prev- 
 ious destruction of wooden war ships by the iron - 
 clad proved to the world that the long -boasted 
 "wooden walls" were powerless in the face of an 
 adversary of that class, and England, France and 
 other nations at once began that struggle between 
 armor plate and guns which has resulted in the 
 present wonderful development and power of ships 
 
16 HOW TO MAKE MONKY BY INVENTION. 
 
 of war. Many failures marked the path of this ad - 
 vance ; but it is possible that the limit has about 
 been reached in the building and armament of these 
 terrible engines of war. The displacement of these 
 ships has reached 14,000 tons and more ; 18 inches 
 of a high quality of solid steel armor protect the 
 vital parts; guns of 13 -inch caliber throw projec- 
 tiles with a muzzle velocity of 2 ,400 feet per second ; 
 high explosives are employed in shells and torpe- 
 does, and enginesof 10,000 horse -power give these 
 heavy hulls a speed of 17 knots or more. Guns 
 and ammunition are now so heavy that machinery 
 must be employed for handling them, and electric 
 power and electric light find place in the equip- 
 ment along with many minor applications of the 
 latest developments of the science of war. Even 
 with all the advance in the treatment of materials 
 and the resultant cheapening of the product, the 
 cost of these ships is now enormous, as is shown 
 by the fact that within the last sixty days three 
 great nations have appropriated $240,000,000 to be 
 expended upon their navies. 
 
 The exigencies of the civil war produced the 
 Monitor and the Merrimac, and undoubtedly hast- 
 ened, if they did not compel, the changes in the 
 building and arming of warships which have taken 
 place within the last thirty odd j^ears. It would 
 be a strange coincidence if a somewhat similar 
 emergency should now bring about an American 
 development of another type of vessel that would 
 
HOW TO MAKE MONEY BY INVENTION. 17 
 
 destroy these same great battleships, and stop the 
 expenditure of money upon them from mere com- 
 mercial considerations. The advent of a thor- 
 oughly manageable submarine torpedo boat, fitted 
 for operating in comparatively deep water, and 
 capable of effectively delivering torpedoes or dyn - 
 amite projectiles, will settle the question of battle- 
 ship attack upon the ports of a country. The cer- 
 tainty of destruction would be so great that no 
 nation cbuld afford to invest five or six millions 
 in an armored battleship that may be sunk by a 
 vessel costing so little that a fleet of a hundred of 
 , them could probably be built for the price of one 
 battleship. The idea itself is as old as the days 
 of James I of England, and late experiments by 
 France, Spain and Germany, have been failures. 
 But we again have faith in the same American in - 
 ventive genius that caused such an upturning of 
 methods, following the events of 1862, and late 
 trials with the Holland submarine torpedo boat 
 would seem to warrant the presumption. The In- 
 ventor of to-day has great advantages over his 
 predecessors, in improved methods of construc- 
 tion, compressed air, storage batteries and gaso- 
 line fuel for surface work ; and while the problem 
 is many-sided and difficult, it is by no means im- 
 possible of solution, and an urgent demand for 
 the services of such a vessel would mean its ulti- 
 mate successful development. 
 
 What a revolution in naval warfare such a craft 
 
18 HOW TO MAKK M0NE:Y BY INVENTION. 
 
 would bring about ! It would practically abolish 
 three of the most advanced types of warships, the 
 battleship, the torpedo boat, and the torpedo boat 
 destroyer. The first of these brought out the sec- 
 ond as a means of attack upon the battleships of 
 the enemy ; and the third was introduced as a 
 defense measure against the second. The fast, 
 lightly -armored cruiser would probably be left as 
 a commerce defender, but against this type of ship 
 the torpedo is practically useless, hence, there 
 would be practically no further use for torpedo 
 boats. It is difficult to see what measure of de- 
 fense could be devised against such an unseen sub - 
 marine, but powerful enemy; and to find and at- 
 tack this under-water craft with another vessel of 
 the same type would be practically impossible, and 
 add an additional element of terror to a warfare 
 that is terrible enough as it is. The Holland boat 
 is intended not only for attack upon the hull of a 
 ship by automobile torpedoes, but she is fitted to 
 hurl dynamite projectiles both above and from be- 
 low the surface. She has thus three separate 
 means of attack, and a successful hit by any one 
 of these projectiles would mean the certain sink- 
 ing of the vessel attacked. The great value of 
 submarine boats as a means of defense would be 
 their cheapness and rapidity of construction, and 
 the ability to thus attack in a swarm, with the 
 chance of escape for the enemy correspondingly 
 small. But if battleships cannot attack a fortified 
 
HOW TO MAKE MONEY EY INVENTION. 19 
 
 port, cruisers certainly could not, and submarine 
 torpedoes or short-range dynamite projectiles 
 would be useless against land works armed with 
 modern high -power guns. This assumption would 
 confine naval battles between heavy ships to the 
 high seas, and from a political point of vievi^ the 
 result of such a battle would be valueless ; and 
 the submarine boat might even be so developed as 
 to enter into combat of that nature by being car- 
 ried to the vicinity of the scene of combat on the 
 cruiser. So it may again be said that the man 
 who invents and builds a workable submarine tor- 
 pedo boat will as surely drive the battleships and 
 their dependents from the naval lists of the world 
 as the advent of armor -clads and rifle -guns made 
 useless the ships of Nelson's time. The navy has 
 been reconstructed several times since the days of 
 Perry, and owes still more to Inventors than even 
 the other branch of the service. It is but a few 
 years since the admiralty timely permitted the use 
 of steam in the navy as an "auxiliary power." 
 Now comparatively few ships are built to sail only, 
 and it might almost be said that honored is the 
 auxiliary power. Notwithstanding the agitation 
 of armor -building and of turreted ships, the 
 navy seems to invite and demand still further 
 efforts of inventive genius to solve problems which 
 perplex the best of our naval architects and en - 
 gineers ; much remains to be discovered, and fur- 
 ther improvements have yet to be made in con - 
 
20 HOW TO MAKE MONEY BY INVENTION. 
 
 nectioti with screw propulsion. Much as we are 
 indebted to Inventors for the past and present, it 
 may be said that we are still absolutely dependent 
 on them to maintain our position in the future. 
 The power, pre-eminence, and wealth, mainly 
 acquired by inventions of Watt and Arkwright 
 need to be replenished by further great discoveries 
 or by opening up of new manufactures, otherwise 
 it is to be feared this nation will enter upon an 
 eia of decadence. Wealth and luxury, it is true, 
 abound ; but they abounded in the latter years of 
 the Roman Empire. 
 
 'In many of the manufacturing arts where for fif- 
 teen years the European countries have been pre- 
 eminent ; through the ingenuity of the American 
 Inventors, we now excel. This is owing to the 
 fact that we pay more attention to the technical 
 education of our people, and as a result of our ex- 
 cellence in these arts we are now outstripping 
 many of the European countries in these branches 
 of trade. We have many Inventors who equal in 
 originality and usefulness of their ideas those who 
 flourished in the last century and our Inventors are 
 responsible for more good for the general welfare 
 than armies or navies can ever effect. We excel 
 in those arts which improved the dwellings of the 
 workman and add to his comfort, and in those arts 
 which should freight our ships to the utmost parts 
 of the earth and which profitably employ our 
 abundant population. These triumphs which were 
 
HOW TO MAKE MONEY BY INVENTION. 21 
 
 made possible by Inventors we claim as our own. 
 If we do not, after the manner of the ancients^ 
 reverence our Inventors, we occasionally award 
 them honars and accrue to them the more sub- 
 stantial reward of wealth. To Watt has been 
 erected a suitable monument in Westminster 
 Abbey ; with one of the most appropriate epitaphs 
 ever placed on a tomb, written by Lord Bacon and 
 commencing' with these words : "This monument 
 was erected, not to perpetuate a name which must 
 endure while peaceful arts flourish, but to show 
 that mankind have learnt to honor those who best 
 describe their gratitude." Fitting words in praise 
 of one who, as Sir James Macintosh said, "must 
 be placed at the head of all Inventors in all ages." 
 In England three descendants of Inventors have 
 sat in the House of Peers : Earl Dudley, a 
 descendant of Dudley, an Inventor in iron manu- 
 facture; Eord Foley, a descendant of Folej^ an- 
 other Inventor in iron making; and Lord Belfour, 
 descended from Jedediah Strut, patentee of the 
 Stocking Frame. Of Foley, who was one of the 
 originators of the iron manufacture, the following 
 . story is told : 
 
 He commenced life about two centuries ago as an 
 itinerant musician at Stroubridge and was form- 
 erly known as Foley, the "Fidler." Hearing that 
 the Swedish iron masters had a machine for slit- 
 ting iron into bars and braces, which in England 
 was most laborously performed by hand, and that 
 
22 HOW TO MAKE MONEY BY INVENTION. 
 
 the construction of this machine was a secret jeal - 
 ously guarded, Foley set off one morning on a bold 
 and ingenious expedition. He "fiddled" his way 
 to Hull, worked his passage across to Stockholm 
 and thus by aid of his violin, invaded the Swedish 
 iron district. Here like a true disciple of Orpheus, 
 he so charmed the iron workers that they admitted 
 him to the very mills he had gone expressly to see ; 
 and while his fingers were busy with his instru- 
 ment, his eyes and head were at work mastering 
 all the details of the machine. In due time the 
 long -lost fiddler again turned up in Stroubridge, 
 and by the prudent use of the secret he had thus 
 sedately won, effected almost a revolution in the 
 English iron trade, accumulated a large fortune 
 and founded a family. 
 
 If we investigate the history of manufactures in 
 England during the last one hundred years, we 
 shall find that the tendency of patents has been to 
 foster and encourage art, and that the patentees 
 who are almost always identified with manufac- 
 turers, have been highly successful and largely re- 
 munerated by means of their patents. The same is 
 equally true in the United States. 
 
 The influence of patented inventions is most 
 strikingly shown in the creation of new industries 
 of enormous magnitude since 1880 — that is, within 
 the term of patents now in force or but very re - 
 cently expired. 
 
 Of these new industries the most noted are those 
 
HOW TO MAKE MONEY BY INVENTION. 23 
 
 directly connected with the development of elec - 
 trical inventions. The manufacture of electrical 
 apparatus and supplies began to be of importance 
 shortly before 1880, and in that year seventy -six 
 establishments, employing 1,271 persons, and pro- 
 ducing an output valued at $2,655,036, were in 
 existence. In 1890, the number of establishments 
 had increased to 189, employing 9,485 persons, 
 and producing an output valued at $19,114,714. 
 In the electric light and power industry, as reported 
 in 1880, there were but three establishments in the 
 United States, employing 229 persons and pro- 
 ducing an output valued at $458,400. At the close 
 of 1894 there were in the United States, 2,124 cen- 
 tral stations supplying electricity for light and 
 power, and 7,475 isolated plants, a total of 9,599 
 establishments. The capital invested in these 
 central stations is stated to have been $258,956,256, 
 and the capital invested in the isolated plants, 
 though not stated, was probably not below $200,- 
 000,000. A conservative estimate of the number 
 of persons employed at that time in this industry 
 would not be under 45,000. The use of electricity 
 for power purposes has found its most notable de - 
 velopment in the electric railway. The first elec- 
 tric street railway in the United States was put in 
 operation little more than ten years ago. In 1880 
 of the 2,500 road miles of street railway in the 
 United States nearly all used animal power. The 
 total mileage of electric railways in the United 
 
24 HOW TO MAKE MONEY BY INVENTION, 
 
 States up to October of 1897 was 13,765 miles out 
 of a total mileag:e of 15,718, of which but 947 
 miles were horse -car lines. The total capital in- 
 vested was $846,131,691. 
 
 The telephone in 1880 was just be^s^inning to be 
 commercially known. At the close of 1896 there 
 were in the United States 967 telephone exchanges, 
 and 832 branch offices, using 536,845 miles of wire 
 and employing 14,425 persons. The total amount 
 stated to be invested in telephone property in 1895 
 was $77,500,000. 
 
 The great development of the bicycle industry 
 has come since 1890 as a result of the inventions 
 in pneumatic tires made about that time. In 1890 
 there were reported as engaged in the manufacture 
 of bicycles 27 establishments. In 1895 more than 
 200 establishments were engaged in the manufac- 
 ture of cycles, and the output of wheels for that 
 year is stated to have been not less than 800,000. 
 The product in 1897 was over 1,000,000 wheels. 
 In 1880 a large proportion of the cycles used were 
 imported,, mainly from England. In 1897 the ex- 
 ports of cycles and parts of cycles to England 
 amounted to a value of $2,128,491, and the total 
 exports amounted to a value of $6,902,736. 
 
 It may appear to be superogatory to insist on 
 the fact that patents for inventions have been 
 largely remunerative; practical men engaged in 
 manufactures all know this well. Some years ago 
 a few optimists vigorously called for the abolition 
 
HOW TO MAKE MONEY BY INVENTION . 25 
 
 of patent rights and their chief argument was that 
 patents were unremunerative to Inventors. They 
 based the fallacy on the premise that because some 
 patents are unremunerative, because some Inventors 
 have been ruined, because some patents have been 
 litigious, therefore patents ought to be abolished. 
 Since that time, however, many who were in favor 
 of abolishing all patent rights have shown their 
 appreciation of it b}^ obtaining patents for their 
 inventions. I^et it be granted that man3^ trivial 
 and many absurd ideas are unfortunately patented, 
 let it be conceded that many Inventors have wasted 
 their substance over impractical schemes, yet we 
 shall find the great bulk of inventions which pass 
 the Patent Office are for useful articles of manu- 
 facture or machinery, and that the majority of 
 patentees, if they do not acquire wealth, amply 
 repay themselves for their outlay and labor. 
 
 The patent S5^stem has stimulated inventive 
 thought. Benjamin Franklin, a man of science, 
 stood by the side of the old hand lever printing 
 press for a generation, and left it where it was left 
 three centuries before by Guttenburg. It remained 
 for Hoe and other Inventors, who worked under 
 the stimulus of the patent laws and patented their 
 inventions, to produce that marvelous machine for 
 disseminating knowledge that has made the world 
 a university. A century ago the apprentice learned 
 the skill and secrets of his craft and jogged along 
 contented with his requirements. To-day no 
 
26 HOW TO MAKE MONEY BY INVENTION. 
 
 workman expects to leave his craft or calling with - 
 out lifting it to a higher plane and providing it 
 with better instrumentalities. A new power of 
 achievement has come into human thinking. Men 
 of all callings seem to have acquired the faculty, 
 ftnd no explanation of the change is plausible 
 which ignores the stimulating influence of a cen - 
 tur}^ of patent law. 
 
 The patent sj^stem has stimulated men to trans - 
 form their thinking into things. It is a long and 
 toilsome road from the first fugitive suggestion, 
 through failure and discouragement and tempor- 
 ary- defeat, to an invention in a form perfected. 
 If men were not induced bj^ the rewards of a patent 
 system to cling to their new ideas through all the 
 vicissitudes of an Inventor's experience their hands 
 would drop in discouragement. The story of the 
 lost arts has never been told, even by Wendell 
 Phillips, and decades and centuries of possible 
 progress have been, wrapped up in inventions 
 which have dawned upon the human conscience 
 only to disappear and be forgotten. 
 
 The patent system encourages men to disclose 
 their inventions. The duty of men to disclose 
 their discoveries is one which, if it exists at all, has 
 never been recognized. It is not so, however, 
 when patent laws prevail, and for a hundred years 
 men have hastened to share with the public their 
 newly acquired ideas because of the invitation con- 
 tained in the patent system, and the phenomenon 
 
HOW TO MAKE MONEY BY INVENTION. 27 
 
 of rediscovery is now a very rare experience. 
 
 The patent system enables Inv-entors to make 
 their efforts fruitful, and saves them from the folly 
 of misdirected labor. The Official Gazette of the 
 Patent Office publishes to the world the claims and 
 one or more drawings of each patent. Each num- 
 ber of the Gazette may be likened to a series of 
 maps, exhibiting- that borderland adjacent to the 
 illimitable unknown upon which the sun of human 
 invention has shed its radiance, while clocks and 
 watches have registered a week of time. Inventors 
 need not and do not, as formerly, delve in ex- 
 hausted mines. 
 
 If any proof were needed of the utilit}^ of in- 
 ventions, or profits which towns derive therefrom, 
 one has only to turn to the history of such cities 
 and towns as Pittsburg, Chicago, St. lyouis, Bos- 
 ton,L5^nn,to acquire ample evidence that prosper- 
 ous towns are the efforts of manufacturers, who 
 are either themselves Inventors or become the 
 users of inventions. Most of the cities of our 
 flourishing manufacturers were le.ss than a century 
 ago, comparatively unknown and unpopulated. 
 Before Pullman established those gigantic factories 
 which became necessary for the working of his 
 inventions, the town of Pullman was unknown. 
 
 It is quite true some Inventors have been quite 
 unsuccessful, some utterly unfortunate — some by 
 circumstances beyond their control, but many 
 by their own waywardness or want of thrift. 
 
28 HOW TO MAKE MONEY BY INVENTION. 
 
 Many of the causes of failure have been purely 
 personal, arising from a flitiness of disposition 
 which sometimes masters Inventors. Such men 
 were inconsistent in their pursuits, irregular in 
 their conduct, and consequently unsuccessful in 
 their career. They perhaps resemble the hare in 
 the fable, and suffered the tortoise to outstrip them 
 in the race. Perhaps it was very misfortunate to 
 have stopped short in their efforts, when perse- 
 verance would have insured success. Such was 
 the case with Paul and Wyatt, who, thirty years 
 before Arkwright, Inventor and patentee of code 
 of spinning by rollers, which, in the hands of the 
 latter, produced such prodigious results. The}^ 
 seem to have abandoned the project after a brief 
 struggle with difficulties. Arkwright persevered 
 and overcame all difficulties. Others have been 
 undoubtedly the victims of combinations of manu- 
 factures formed to resist their claims. Heath, the 
 improver of steel manufacture, was cruelly op- 
 pressed in this manner. The trade of Sheffield 
 combined to contest his patent and finally ruined 
 him by expensive litigation. Nothing could be 
 alleged against his character and he must be re- 
 garded as a victim to an unjust conspiracy. 
 
 Happily such instances as these are rare. In 
 recent times, whenever manufacturers have com- 
 bined to resist the claims of patentees they have 
 been signally defeated. This was the case in 
 Kngland with the iron masters who locked to- 
 
HOW TO MAK?: MONEY BY INVKNTION. 29 
 
 gether to resist Neilson, the Inventor of the Hot- 
 Blast process of smelting iron; and with the Mil- 
 lers, who associated themselves together to contest 
 the validity of Boviel's patent for grinding grain, 
 and who, after an outlay of £40,000 were utterly 
 defeated. So again there was recently a combina- 
 tion of users and mixers formed to dispute the 
 validity of a patent for a well-known mowing ma- 
 chine and the patentee utterly routed them with 
 enormous loss to themselves. There seems to be 
 implanted in the breast of all great Inventors an 
 indomitable spirit which generally enables them 
 to overcome all obstacles. The Inventor who does 
 not feel that he possesses this invincible self-will, 
 must endeavor to acquire it, always assuming that 
 his invention is worth contending for. It was this 
 strong will that enabled some to brave death itself 
 in the effort to carry out their projects . The strug - 
 gles of Palissy, the potter, in his endeavor to dis- 
 cover a good vitreous enamel, have formed the 
 theme for many a tale ; how in sheer despair, he 
 over and over again destroyed his furnaces, and 
 commenced afresh his tedious labors. Lombe 
 risked his life when in disguise, he visited the 
 Italian silk factories, in order to acquire a knowl- 
 edge of silk -throwing machinerj^ which he after- 
 wards introduced in ^^ngland to so much advan - 
 tage. Arkwright overcame difficulties sufficient 
 to daunt the strongest will. He was only a poor 
 countr}' barber and was compelled to neglect his 
 
30 HOW TO MAKE MONEY BY INVTSNTION. 
 
 business in order to complete his models and ex- 
 periments. His wife became so exasperated by 
 his indifference to his legitimate b usiess that, in 
 a fit of passion, she destro3^ed all his models, which 
 to him and to the world were of priceless value. 
 Notwithstanding he persevered, and despite all 
 opposition, established the value of his ideas and 
 lived to become high sheriff of his county, and to 
 accumulate an enormous fortune. 
 
 The man who brought us, man}^ years ago, the 
 ordinary cleanliness and civilization of using forks 
 became the object of an absolute persecution. His 
 innovation was taken in the worst possible spirit 
 by English society which worked itself into a rage 
 of contemptuous indignation that seems well 
 nigh incredible to us. He was sneered at in 
 society, satirized on the stage, rebuked from 
 the pulpit, and reproved by grave writers. 
 The same experience befell the first man who 
 used in England another convenience that is 
 now universal — the umbrella. Its use was con- 
 sidered unmanly and in the middle of the eigh- 
 teenth century, Jonas Hanway, who carried and 
 used an umbrella, was mobbed in the streets and 
 called after b5^ small boys. 
 
 The idea of electric telegraph was conceived by 
 Samuel Morse while on a sea voyage to New York. 
 He unsuccessfully endeavored to obtain a patent 
 upon his conception in England, but was awarded 
 a United States patent in 1837. After perfecting 
 
HOW TO MAKE MONEY BY INVENTION. 31 
 
 a model, he exhibited the working results to Con- 
 gress with the hope of procuring assistance from 
 the Government in order to bring it to a practical 
 issue, but he struggled along unsuccessfully and 
 in poverty until the year 1843, when, as he had 
 almost yielded to dispair and abandoned his in- 
 vention, Congress at midnight and during the last 
 minutes of the session appropriated $30,000 for an 
 experimental line between Baltimore and Wash- 
 ington. Since then the electric telegraph has been 
 an assured thing and has been one of the great 
 factors in forming a modern civilization and ad- 
 vancing the world's prosperit}^ 
 
 Every invention that is now in practical use, the 
 telegraph, telephone, typewriter, railroads and 
 electric cars, were the results of theories held by 
 their Inventors. All scientific men are necessarily 
 theorists. Their researches are pursued on unde- 
 fined ideas — their discoveries are the results of their 
 theories. Very often when one of these people ad- 
 vance a theory that appears to be extravagant, 
 the public laughs at it, but when it is demonstra- 
 ted that the theory can be reduced to practice and 
 that it will be valuable to mankind, we cease to 
 laugh and admire. 
 
 George Stevenson's project of propelling car- 
 riages by steam on iron rails met with similar ob- 
 structions and when a bill was introduced in the 
 English Parlament to provide for the construction 
 of an experimental road. Sir Isaac Coffin de- 
 
6d HOW TO MAKE MONEY BY IKVENTION. 
 
 nounced the project in the following" terms : 
 
 "Railroad trains would take manj^ hours to per- 
 form the journey between Liverpool and Man- 
 chester and in the event of the scheme's success, 
 what, he would like to ask, was to be done for all 
 those who had advanced money in making and 
 repairing turnpike roads? What was to become 
 of coach -makers, harness-makers and coachmen, 
 inn-keepers, horse-breeders, and horse-dealers? 
 Was the House aware of the smoke and noise, the 
 hiss and the whirl which locomotive coaches pass- 
 ing at the rate of ten and twelve miles an hour 
 would occasion? Neither the cattle ploughing in 
 the fields, or grazing in the meadows could behold 
 them without dismay. Iron would be raised in 
 price, or more probably be exhausted altogether. 
 It would be the greatest nuisance, the most com- 
 plete disturber of quiet and comfort, in all parts 
 of the kingdom that the ingenuity of man could 
 invent." 
 
 Even Edison, the wonderful wizard of modern 
 times who produced many valuable inventions 
 whereby the world has been electrified, his patents 
 at present being numbered by the hundreds, in his 
 initial steps met numerous embarrassments and 
 obstacles and not until shrewd capitalists realizing 
 the amazing possibilities of his conceptions took 
 interest in his patents and advanced the necessary 
 capital, did his wonderful inventions prove suc- 
 cessful or remunerative to him. All of which 
 
HOW TO MAKE MONEY BY INVENTIOX. o3 
 
 goes to show that iu man}^ instances valuable in- 
 ventions are conceived that are far ahead of the 
 time in which they are produced, and when this is 
 the case the Inventor has before him the difficult 
 task of compelling- the public to investigate and 
 ascertain the merits of his invention in order to 
 insure its successful introduction. This task of 
 itself is by no means easy, and when it is coupled 
 with other duties apparently insurmountable, the 
 situation of the Inventor is not at all times envi- 
 able. The fact remains, however, that the inven- 
 tions that have done most to revolutionize the arts 
 and sciences of the world have been produced and 
 been introduced under just such circumstances, and 
 the facts will ever remain the same for the appli - 
 ances of modern times will be changed and effected 
 only by the Inventors who encounter and overcome 
 such obstacles as were thrown in the wa}'- of Stev- 
 enson, Morse, and Edison. 
 
 If we turn to the history of great statesmen, 
 great v\^arriors, or of men who have founded great 
 commercial houses, we shall find that they one and 
 all possessed a strong will and strength of purpose 
 which enabled them to overcome the difficulties 
 which came in their way. 
 
 Napoleon remarkably illustrated this force of 
 character when he said he found no such word as 
 "impossible" in his dictionary. More assuredly 
 that when a man is gifted with high inventive 
 powers, he will almost invariabl}^ possess those 
 
34 HOW TO MAKE MONEY BY INVENTION. 
 
 qualities requisite to enable liim to bring his dis- 
 coveries to a profitable and practical issue. 
 
 Professor Morse tells a story of his early strug- 
 gles. When he was in Washington employing all 
 his energy to obtain an appropriation from the 
 Government to erect a line from Baltimore to 
 Washington, he had his instruments at each end 
 of the capitol to demonstrate to the members of 
 Congress the feasibility of the plan. He says : "I 
 talked to them, explained the working of the in- 
 strument, hour after hour. I gained many adher- 
 ents ; still I saw that many were j^et incredulous, 
 and many even scouted at the idea as preposter- 
 ous, and pronounced my instrument the toy of a 
 crack-brained enthusiast It was toward the close 
 of the session, there were still about two or three 
 hundred bills yet to be passed before they came to 
 mine. It was late at night, and finally I gave it 
 up in despair, and I left the Capitol building with 
 a sad heart. I was bankrupt, having expended 
 all that I had on my discovery. I walked down 
 the Capitol steps with fift3'- cents, all I had in the 
 world, and a more disconsolate individual it would 
 be hard to find. After a wakeful night, I arose in 
 the morning, found my bill passed, and a new era 
 in the history of science commenced. "They that 
 sow in sorrow shall reap with jO}^" 
 
 The ordinary modes of what is called "making 
 money" are prosaic, although sure. They invite 
 the exercise of much industr}^ accompanied by in - 
 
HOW TO MAKE MONEY BY INVENTION. 35 
 
 tegrity and perseverence. The tradesman who 
 expends less than he earns, may, in the course of 
 time become a capitalist. The foreman may, after 
 the lapse of j^ears, come to be a master, and the 
 steady apprentice may, in due season, rise to the 
 splendid dignit}^ of mayor of his native city. This 
 is all as it should be, for in the ordinary course of 
 life neither fame nor fortune is to be acquired at a 
 jump. Notwithstanding- there are exceptional 
 ways of acquiring a place in the Temple of For- 
 tune, whereby a man suddenly finds himself en- 
 riched. Sometimes it is by means of an invest- 
 ment in mining shares, or b5^ a fortunate contract, 
 or what is called a speculation in wheat or stocks. 
 These and numerous other modes of acquiring 
 wealth are more or less hazardous, and are not 
 comparable to the safe means by which the same 
 end may be attained by a patent. For all the ways 
 above indicated depend on circumstances quite 
 beyond the control of the Inventor, or speculator. 
 Whereas a patentee has his expenditure and his 
 risk under his own control . To obtain any appre - 
 ciable result in the one case, a man must speculate 
 with a considerable sum of money; by an ex- 
 penditure of a few hundred dollars on a patent, an 
 Inventor may and frequentl}^ does realize thou- 
 sands. The privileges conferred by means of a 
 patent are more frequentl}^ undervalued than 
 overestimated . 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 Patents. 
 
 A patent practically involves the grant of a 
 monopoly for seventeen j^ears, with the power to 
 license or use the Invention to an unlimited ex- 
 tent. There is no other privileg-e known to the 
 law of this nation which is so important. Neither 
 the Executive or the legislature can confer like 
 privileges and advantages to any person than the 
 Patentee of an invention. If there be any analo- 
 gous grant it is that of an Act of Congress for a 
 railway franchise, and then the analogy is not 
 complete, for every railway company is bound to 
 use the line upon specific terms. The Patentee 
 can inpose such terms as he pleases for the use of 
 his invention and is bound in no respect. It is 
 true he can force none to make use of his inven- 
 tion, but he has only to show the- advantage which 
 must flow from its adoption to insure its being 
 used. The force of competition is so great in trade 
 in the present age that when a cheaper or better 
 way of manufacturing an article can be shown, it 
 is generally eagerly sought for. Want of success 
 must arise for want of energy or tact. If wanting 
 capital itself, a Patentee must generally call capital 
 to his aid, provided his Invention possesses in- 
 trinsic and undeniable value. 
 
PATENTS. 37 
 
 There is no countr}^ in the world where patents 
 are so highl}^ valued and are so lucrative as in the 
 United States of America, where there are 24,000 
 applications for Patents in a year, of which about 
 20,000 are granted. That is more by 600 per cent. 
 than is granted in England. One of the great 
 causes of the successful working of Patent Inven- 
 tions in the United States is the mode adopted of 
 granting licenses for the separate cities and states. 
 An American Patentee, if he manufactures the 
 article, will not put the article on sale in the ordi- 
 nary wa3^ but grant a license to a vendor in every 
 city in the state for the exclusive sale of the manu- 
 facture, sometimes with power to grant sub-licenses. 
 These are not licenses to manufacture, but simply 
 licenses to sell retail or wholesale. For such privi- 
 leges American shopkeepers are readily found to 
 pay amounts varying from $500 to $5,000 and the 
 nature of the result to a Patentee is highl}^ profit- 
 able, while the guarantee the shopkeeper obtains 
 is the monopoly of the selling of some attractive 
 article of merchandise. All Patentees, who, b}^ 
 giving licenses to sell for a small consideration, 
 derive much profit. As an illustration of the se- 
 verity of American Law against infringers, the 
 following case may be quoted : 
 
 "In New York City, on the 1st of Janaury, 1871, 
 Judge Blatchfield ordered a decree in favor of R. A. 
 Tilgham,of Philadelphia, against Roland Mitchell, 
 for $229,000 for infringement of his acid and glic- 
 
38 PATENTS. 
 
 erine patent. This is the largest decree for in- 
 fringement of patent ever granted in New York. 
 Generally, then, it may be asserted without fear of 
 contradiction, that patents are the only safe means 
 by which wealth may be acquired exceptionally. 
 What to-day is a mere idea, a suggestion, a thought, 
 which without protection, is at anybody's service, 
 becomes to-morrow by virtue of the grant, a prop- 
 erty which no one can invade with impunity, a 
 property capable of returning even a princely in- 
 come, which may be enjoyed for seventeen years 
 with the certainty that its results will reach far 
 beyond that term ; for whenever there is value in 
 an invention, the good -will, so to speak, it brings 
 to its owner, lasts longer after the expiration of the 
 term of the patent. Many, indeed, it might be 
 said nearly all, or most of the great business en- 
 terprises owe their origin and their continued pros- 
 perity to the fact that the founder was a Patentee. 
 When a manufacturer acquires celebrity for a pat- 
 ented article, the public will continue to resort to 
 his house long after the expiration of the patent 
 even although competitors should arise, and after 
 the goods have become common articles of trade. 
 A prestige appertains to the first manufacturer 
 which invariabl}^ gives him pre-eminence over 
 his rivals — in this respect the value of a good 
 patent is incalculable. 
 
 W^hen a manufacturer who has been successful 
 working an invention, finds that his term of patent 
 
PATENTS. 39 
 
 right is about to expire, he so improves, if possi- 
 ble, the manufacture as to warrant his procuring 
 another patent, and thus, although the market 
 may be flooded with the original article, he will 
 still alone possess the right to manufacture the 
 improvement; and the fact of his obtaining a 
 fresh grant will in most instances prevent others 
 from interfering with him. There may be in- 
 stances when this course will not be practicable, 
 simply because the invention cannot be improved; 
 but this will rarely happen. Almost every pro- 
 cess and nearly everj^ machine or mechanical 
 arrangement can be modified, if not absolutelj^ 
 improved, and this to a extent sufficient to bring 
 it within the grasp of the Patent Law ; while with 
 most vendible articles of merchandise it is always 
 possible by the exercise of a little ingenuit3^ to 
 improve and better. Thus may be engrafted on 
 the old stock a new issue capable of bearing good 
 fruit and of flourishing during at least another 
 seventeen years, and in this time a manufacturer 
 ought to be able to hold his own against all the 
 world. 
 
 "Nothing succeeds like succcess." When once 
 a Patentee begins to be successful he will find the 
 flow continuous and increasing. Mankind all the 
 world over patronizes him who shows his talent 
 bj^ his works, when the momentum of success is 
 once acquired its impetus is ever in an increasing 
 ratio. But to insure success the Inventor must 
 
40 PATENTS. 
 
 commence right. He must make sure that he has 
 invented something new and useful ; then he must 
 take proper measures to secure valid Letters 
 Patent ; and next he must enter upon a course of 
 action best adapted to bring a return for his out- 
 lay of time, and it ma}^^ be capital. In other words, 
 he must have a good invention, he must properly 
 secure it, and judiciously work it. To aid him in 
 attaining these ends is the endeavor to show "How 
 to Make Money by Invention." In everj^ pursuit 
 in life much depends on the proper commencement 
 of work, whether it be the entrance upon studies 
 for a profession, the application of a student to 
 acquire science, or the apprenticeship of an artificer. 
 Therefore the judicious Inventor will instruct 
 himself in the art to which his invention relates. 
 Should he be practically unversed in it he will 
 make himself acquainted with the matter and en - 
 deavor to understand the rights and privileges he 
 acquires under Letters Patent. When a man con- 
 ceives that he has invented something not before 
 known or used, he should endeavor to ascertain 
 whether in reality the invention be new and useful. 
 For these are the cardinal points on which its 
 value depends; these are also the chief legal re- 
 quisites for the validity of a Patent. The law re- 
 quires as the essence of the validity of a grant of 
 Letters Patent that the invention claimed should 
 be new and useful, and properly described in the 
 specification. One of the first difficulties which 
 
PATENTS. 41 
 
 most Inventors experience is that of ascertaining 
 the novelty of their conceptions . This is , of course, 
 materially enhanced when, as it often happens, the 
 invention hit upon is altogether foreign to the In - 
 ventor's ordinary pursuits. Of course when the 
 invention relates to a process or manufacture in 
 which the Inventor is well versed, there should be 
 little or no difficulty in ascertaining its novelty. 
 Few men of intelligence practice an art without 
 knowing what is new and what is old in its details. 
 But there are so many occasions in which men step 
 out of their beaten track and, as they conceive, in- 
 vent a novelty in some art in which they are not 
 versed, that it may not be inopportune to offer a 
 few suggestions on this subject. Whether or not 
 the best inventions have originated from persons 
 external to the art to which they are related may 
 be an open question, but certain it is, many re- 
 markable discoveries have been made by persons 
 who had little or no previous knowledge of the 
 subject. Watt was not educated as an engineer^ 
 but as a philosophical instrument maker. Ark- 
 wright, beyond residing in a manufacturing town, 
 had not the slightest connection with machinery, 
 being by trade a barber. Neither Ratcliff , Cramp - 
 ton, Hargrave, nor George Stevenson were skilled 
 in the trades in which they effected such vast im - 
 provements. The Inventor of a great improve- 
 ment in calico printing was a commercial traveller, 
 lyce and Cartwright, to whom we are indebted for 
 
42 PATENTS. 
 
 improvements in the manufacture of lace and 
 stocking- webbing, were clergymen. Singularly 
 the Inventor of naval tactics as practiced under 
 the old regime, was also a clergyman; BerthoUet, 
 the Inventor of bleaching by the use of chloride, 
 was a physician ; Henry Cort, the improver of 
 iron manufactures, was a naval agent; Paxton 
 was not an architect but a gardener; Petitt Smith, 
 who assisted greatly in the introduction of steam 
 propelling, was a farmer; Sir Henry Armstrong 
 was originally a lawyer. In endeavoring to dis - 
 cover the reason why men, previously unacquainted 
 with the theory and practice of an art, should be able 
 to improve it, we must take into consideration the 
 fact that invention may be the result of intuition, 
 of induction, of experiment, or of accident. Some- 
 times the mind of an Inventor intuitively perceives 
 what is required to render (say) a machine effi- 
 cient. This happened when Watt discovered that 
 the then ineffective "fire" engine might be im- 
 proved by condensing steam in a separate cylinder. 
 This happy idea was purely an intuitive one, 
 which was afterwards proven to be sound by ex- 
 periment and practice. 
 
 It is this faculty of the mind which so often 
 enables man to improve an art in which he has 
 had no previous acquaintance, while those who all 
 their lives have been practicing it fail to supply 
 what is required. This may be said to be a 
 precious gift — genius of the highest order. At 
 
PATENTS. 43 
 
 Other times, Invention is the product of a process 
 of inductive thought, long pursued it may be. 
 Instances are not wanting where men have pur- 
 sued an idea a whole lifetime, and at length have 
 accomplished the end they had in view. To enter 
 into an analysis of this process, would involve a 
 psychological disquisition foreign to the purpose 
 of this work. For the most part, chemical inven- 
 tions result from experiments, but not a few have 
 been discovered in this science as well as in mechan- 
 ical art, by accident. It is said the invention of 
 the anayline dyes was discovered by pure acci- 
 dent; and it is authenticated that the invention 
 of vulcanized India rubber was due to the fact of 
 some of that substance coming jaccidentally in 
 contact with sulphur. In like manner the beautiful 
 invention of glass is said to have been accidentally 
 discovered by some travellers in the desert of 
 Arabia when some alkali becoming heated on the 
 sand, produced the vitreous matter. Unquestion- 
 ably we are indebted for very many valuable dis - 
 coveries solely to accidental causes, although at 
 the same time much credit may be due to intelli- 
 gent discoveries. Nptwithstanding that numerous 
 valuable inventions have been intuitively per- 
 ceived or accidentally discovered, the fact still 
 remains that most of them are brought to light by 
 laborious study, application, and experiment ; and 
 the man of genius who sets himself to the task of 
 inventing must resolve to work hard, rather than 
 
44 PATENTS. 
 
 rely upon happy thoughts or the results of acci- 
 dents. Let him make sure, however, that what 
 he is in search of is not contrary to the laws of 
 mechanics or in direct contradiction to phj^sical 
 science ; let him commence right with a good sub - 
 ject, and by ingenuity and perseverance he may 
 accomplish all that he desires. 
 
 Thomas A. Edison is reported as having said : 
 "If you want a recipe to succeed as an Inventor, 
 I can give it to you in a very few words, and it 
 will do for any other business in which you might 
 wish to engage. First, find out if there is a real 
 need for the thing which you want to invent. Then 
 start to thinking about it. Get up at 6 o'clock the 
 first morning and work until 2 o'clock the next 
 morning. Keep on doing that until something in 
 your line develops itself. If it don't do so pretty 
 soon you had better shorten your sleeping hours 
 and work a little harder while you are awake. If 
 you follow that rule you can succeed as an In- 
 ventor, or as anything else for that matter. It was 
 the following of just such a rule that led to the 
 invention of the electric light, the phonograph, 
 and the kinetescope. 
 
 "I believe that any person, even of the most 
 limited capacity, could become an Inventor by 
 sheer hard work. You can do almost anything if 
 you keep at it long enough. Of course the man 
 with a natural aptitude would get there first, but 
 the other plodder would eventually gain his point. 
 
PATENTS. 45 
 
 The constant brooding on the one thing is sure to 
 develop new ideas concerning it, and these in turn, 
 suggest others, and soon the complete idea stands 
 out before you. Above all things a man must not 
 give up, once he has outlined his plan of action. 
 A ball rolling down hill is sure to reach the bottom 
 ultimately, no matter how many obstacles stand 
 in the way. It is this principle which finally 
 levels mountains. So, once fairly on your way, 
 don't stop because of some seemingly impassible 
 object in front of you. What you want may be 
 just beyond your nose, though you do not see it. 
 
 "I once had that fact forcibly presented to me. 
 I was working on an invention and finally reached 
 that point when I could go no further. The thing 
 lacked something, but, try as I might, I could not 
 tell what it was. Finally I got angry with it and 
 threw the whole thing out of the window. After- 
 ward I thought how foolish the action was and 
 went out and gathered up the wreck. In putting 
 it together again I saw just what was needed. 
 Repairing the broken portions suggested it, and it 
 was so simple I wondered I had not seen it before. 
 Now that little addition of the apparatus could 
 have been ascertained by a little thoughtful ex- 
 perimentation. I suppose I found it out quicker 
 because of the 'accident,' but that does not alter 
 the moral of the accident. 
 
 ''How do I go about inventing a contrivance? 
 Well, that is hard to say. Everything requires 
 
46 PATENTS. 
 
 different treatment. First, as I said, I find out if 
 there is a real need for a thing. Then I go at it 
 and attack it in every way I can think out. This 
 multiplied attack soon simmers down until I get 
 what might be called a composite idea, something 
 which is a combination of all that I have thought 
 of before, or else the one feasible idea which seems 
 to discount all the rest. Having once gotten started 
 on what I think is the right track I keep up the 
 pace until the goal is reached. The only thing, 
 therefore, I can say to the 3^oung Inventor is to go 
 ahead and do likewise. There is one piece of 
 advice I can give, however. When a man starts 
 to invent, let him do so with his mind free from 
 all knowledge of what has been done already in 
 the particular field he is investigating. For in- 
 stance, if I am about to work out something, I 
 never read up on it, nor do I inquire what has been 
 done on it by other Inventors. Knowledge of this 
 kind is almost certain to prove a snag in the path 
 of the Inventor. He gets into the rut made by his 
 predecessors and stops off where they have stopped. 
 On the other hand, if he goes in a direction of his 
 own, there are no ruts ahead of him; nothing in 
 fact, to obstruct his progress. I have several times 
 made inventions in this manner; then when I 
 have completed them I have read up on the sub - 
 ject. I found my ideas were entirely original, but 
 at the same time the ideas of the other fellows 
 were so good up to a certain point, that I should 
 
PATENTS. 47 
 
 have been tempted to follow in their footsteps if I 
 had done any previous reading up. 
 
 "Of course the question of natural aptitude enters 
 into the matter, and without it no man can become 
 a star; nevertheless, it is an auxiliary attainment; 
 dogged perseverance is really the quality most to 
 be desired. Dogged perseverance is the keystone 
 to success. In the arts, such as painting, music, 
 poetry, and so forth, a very special temperment 
 may be required, but in the workshop of science 
 men of the sanguine, 'sandy' kind come out ahead. 
 The man who keeps at one thing and never minds 
 the clock is always sure to do something. He 
 may miss many social engagements, of course, 
 but his success is assured. 
 
 "The history of great Inventors shows that 
 accident has been responsible for many initial 
 ideas. This, however, is not always the case, nor 
 should it be. Given a small amount of aptitude 
 and a large amount of application, any man can 
 enter the business of inventing and make a living 
 scant at first, but more lucrative as he goes 
 along. There are not many who realize what this 
 'large amount of application' really means ; the 
 getting up very early, the staying up very late, 
 and the sticking at it, meanwhile, with a vim that 
 can never recognize failure. Men of this kind are 
 sure to, succeed. Probably millions of people are 
 dabbling to-day in mechanical inventions of some 
 nature, but the most of it is too spasmodic to count 
 
48 PATENTS. 
 
 for much in the long run. They do not keep at it 
 enough. If a business man were to neglect the 
 routine business of his daily work, if he were to 
 go to his office one day or two days in the week 
 and then put the rest off until next Monday, or 
 until some other time when the spirit moved him 
 he would soon have to assign. 
 
 ' ' It is just so with invention . You have to pur - 
 sue it as a business, and even more steadily than 
 the ordinary business. If the young man starts 
 into it with the notion of sitting down and wait- 
 ing for some grand, good idea to come along, he 
 will get, as they say, very decidedly 'left.' Ideas 
 grow upon one. They are a matter of habit just 
 like anything else. If you get into the habit of 
 conceiving good ideas they will grow upon you 
 until you have more than you need." 
 
 We will conclude this part of our subject by 
 quoting a few passages from the interesting work, 
 "Smiles' Industrial Biography." 
 
 "The beginning of most inventions is very re- 
 mote. The first idea born in some unknown 
 brain, passes thence into others, and at last comes 
 forth complete after a parturition it may be of cen - 
 turies. One starts the idea, another developes it, 
 and so on progressively until at last it is worked 
 out in practice ; but the first, not less than the 
 last, is entitled to his share of the merit of the 
 invention. Sometimes a more original mind strikes 
 upon some new vein of hidden power and gives a 
 
PATENTS. 49 
 
 powerful impetus to the inventive faculties of man, 
 which last through generations. More frequently, 
 however, inventions are not entirely new, but 
 modifications of contrivances previously known, 
 though to a few, and not yet offered into practical 
 use. Glancing back over the history of mechan- 
 ism , we occasionally hear of an invention seemingly 
 full born, when suddenly it drops out of sight 
 and we hear no more of it for centuries. It is 
 taken up de novo by some Inventor stimulated by 
 the needs of his time, and following upon the 
 track he recovers the old foot-marks, follows them 
 up, and completes the work. There is also such 
 a thing as inventions being born before their time; 
 the advanced mind of one generation projecting 
 that which cannot be executed for want of requi - 
 site means ; but in due process of time it is at 
 length carried out; thus it is that modern In- 
 ventors are enabled to effect many objects which 
 their predecessors had tried in vain to accomplish. 
 As Louis Napoleon has said, "the inventions born 
 before their time must remain useless until the 
 arrival of intellects to comprehend them." 
 
 The inventions born out of time and before the 
 world could make practical use of them, are so 
 numerous that one is almost disposed to accept 
 the words of Chauncy as true, that "there is noth- 
 ing but what has once been old;" or as another 
 writer puts it, "there is nothing new, but what 
 has been before known and forgotten;" or in the 
 
50 PATENTS. 
 
 words of Solomon, "there is nothing new under 
 the sun." Friar Bacon, who flourished in the 
 Thirteenth Century, seems only to have antici- 
 pated, in the following remarkable passage, nearly 
 all that steam could accomplish, as well as the 
 hydraulic engine and the diving bell, though the 
 flying machine remains to be invented. "I will 
 now," says the Friar, ''mention some of the won- 
 derful work of art and nature, in which there is 
 nothing of magic, which magic could not perform. 
 Instruments may be made so the largest ships 
 with only one man guiding them, will be carried 
 with greater velocity than if they were full of 
 sailors. Chariots may be constructed that will 
 move with incredible rapidity without the help of 
 animals. Instruments of flying may. be formed, 
 in which a, man sitting at his ease, and meditating 
 on any subject may bat the air with his artificial 
 wings, after the manner of birds. A small instru- 
 ment may be fabricated by which one man may 
 draw a thousand men to him by force, and against 
 their will ; as also machines which will enable men 
 to walk at the bottom of seas or rivers without 
 danger." It may be well to consider the term 
 "inventions," for it is an error to suppose that 
 all inventions come within the scope of Patent 
 Law many are quite beyond it. Indeed the 
 Patent Law is restrictive in this respect, that it 
 excludes from its operation all such inventions as 
 are not manufactures, or which do not produce 
 
PATENTS. 51 
 
 vendible articles. Thus no purely philosophical 
 discoveries or intangible schemes, ideas, or prin- 
 ciple can validly form the subject-matter of a 
 patent ; others must be what the laws call subject 
 of invention, and this must be, or result in, some- 
 thing tangible and valuable. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 Promoting Tnt^entions. 
 
 We have arrived now at that stage when the 
 Patentee may properly consider what are the best 
 means he can adopt to bring a return or to "make 
 money" out of his invention. Occasionally an 
 Inventor maybe found who is animated by phil- 
 anthropic motives or the desire of acquiring fame ; 
 but in general in this, as in most other pursuits in 
 life, the chief stimulus to labor and exertion is 
 the hope of acquiring, if not wealth, at least an 
 adequate pecuniary reward. 
 
 Disraeli, in one of his works, remarks "that 
 the great secret of success in life is for a man to 
 be ready when his opportunity comes , ' ' and this ap- 
 plies with great force to the case of a Patentee. He 
 should be prepared to consider an opportunity and 
 even create one. Improving opportunites is well, 
 but making opportunities is better. Many a man 
 says that he could do something if he only had the 
 opportunity, but the man who is determined to do 
 something will secure the opportunity, even if he 
 has to make it. Bacon says : "A wise man will 
 make more opportunities than he finds." 
 
 First of all the Inventor should properly appre - 
 ciate his position and endeavor to form an accurate 
 estimate of the value of his invention. His posi- 
 
PROMOTING INVENTIONS. 53 
 
 tion, he may bear in mind, is that of a sole pro- 
 prietor of a valuable property — a property as 
 sacred in the eyes of the law as that of land tenure 
 or any other prospective right — a property capable 
 of being subdivided to an unlimited extent and of 
 yielding returns, not merely remunerative, but ab- 
 solutely lucrative. His position is similar to that 
 of a man who possesses a rough diamond which 
 needs judicious cutting and polishing ; it may be 
 likened to that of the owner of a mine, rich in ore, 
 which awaits the skill and energy of the miner. 
 Always assuming that his invention is really good, 
 he has in his own hands the carving out of his 
 fortune. By the exercise of prudence, by energy, 
 and above all, by means of that individual quality 
 called "tact," he may attain results beyond even 
 the dreams of avarice; he is, however, in this re- 
 spect the sole arbitrator of his destiny ; he alone is 
 in power to deal with the patent. 
 
 When an Inventor has made no arrangements 
 for practically developing his patent or formulated 
 any decided plans for his own course of action, the 
 question inevitably presents itself as soon as his 
 letters patent are received : What course is to be 
 pursued in order to bring the patented conception 
 to a paying basis? The Inventor as a general rule 
 is without the necessary capital to bring about 
 such a condition, and when this is the case, it is 
 absolutely necessary on his part to seek the co - 
 operation of trustworthy capitalists, and this is a 
 
54 PROMOTING INVENTIONS. 
 
 task that cannot be hurriedly or easily accom- 
 plished. It takes time and labor to convince 
 others of the value of a new invention and for this 
 reason it is unreasonable to expect an invention to 
 assume paying basis in a short space of time. In- 
 ventions of to-day prove no exception to the diffi- 
 culties which have beset the most valuable dis- 
 coveries and inventions from time immemorial. 
 
 New and valuable inventions do not introduce 
 themselves; every one who has had practical ex- 
 perience will understand this point. An invention 
 may have genuine merit, but people do not run 
 after it. Not only that, they will refuse to adopt 
 it unless it has extraordinary merit, and in some 
 way proven to be of advantage to identify them- 
 selves with it. People are suspicious of new de- 
 vices. The reliability of the new article must be 
 demonstrated by testing it in actual use before it 
 will be generally accepted. Inventions, even of 
 the highest order of merit, frequently have to be 
 forced upon the market, and the Inventor, sooner 
 or later, realizes the fact that the task of person- 
 ally developing a patent or disposing of it wholly 
 or in part to capitalists will be extremelj'- slow, 
 even with the best management. Bessemer, the 
 Inventor of the process for manufacturing steel, is 
 reported to have said that it took from eight to ten 
 years to get an invention introduced generally, 
 and many patents have expired before they have 
 proven remunerative. 
 
PROMOTING INVENTIONS. 55 
 
 After the invention is made, perfected, and de- 
 monstrated to be of value, it must be manufactured 
 on a commercial scale in order to be available and 
 brought to the attention of the appropriate users, 
 or put upon the market. Articles of manufacture 
 must be made in quantities and proper machinery 
 for making them must be supplied. The inven- 
 tion of a new machine requires that the machine 
 be built, and it takes machinery to make a ma- 
 chine, a shop, workmen and materials. And 
 these cost money. It also requires machinery to 
 make an article. One cannot tell whether an in- 
 vention is really valuable until it is made in a shop 
 and finished. That will insure a recognition of 
 the superior merits claimed over other inventions 
 of similar kind already in use. It is an almost 
 unheard of thing for an Inventor to succeed, com- 
 mercially, proceeding single-handed; and it seems 
 to be absolutely necessary that the labors of the 
 poor Inventor should be allied with the capital 
 and practical methods of business men co-operat- 
 ing with him in order to bring a patent to a finan - 
 cial success. 
 
 ^specially is this the case in view of the fact 
 that many meritorious inventions are quite as 
 likely to be made by one class of Inventors as an- 
 other, some of the best of them being produced 
 by Inventors who have not only little or no ex- 
 perience in patent practice, but who are too poor 
 to develop their inventions. 
 
56 PROMOTING INVENTIONS. 
 
 Before he can form an accurate opinion of the 
 value of the invention, he should endeavor to as- 
 certain the state of the trade to which the inven - 
 tion belong-s and the effects likely to follow from 
 the adoption of the discovery. If the subject be 
 altogether new, he should endeavor to ascertain 
 the probable use it could be applied to, or the con- 
 sumption likely to follow. If there ever have been 
 patents for analogous subjects, the dealing with 
 them should be inquired into and the results which 
 flowed from them considered. Before deciding 
 upon any particular course of action, a Patentee, 
 should, as it were, scan the horizon and take an 
 observation of the latitude and longitude of trade. 
 Was there, for example, a pressing demand for 
 some new manufacture or appliance, as there is at 
 the present time for appliances for raising sunken 
 vessels ? or as there were a few years ago for a cov - 
 ering for submarine telegraphs? or recentlj'- for 
 tramways? or further back for rifles? or still fur- 
 ther back for gold -washing and crushing machin - 
 ery? If there be such a demand and there seems 
 to be almost always some public want, then such 
 a circumstance materially enhances the value of a 
 patent which supplies the desired object. Such an 
 opportunity to a Patentee who knows how to use 
 it is a golden one. The Patentee should also ex- 
 ercise his prophetic vision and forecast what is 
 likely to be required. This is only doing what 
 every successful merchant does. Peabody ac- 
 
PROMOTING INVENTIONS. 57 
 
 quired his wealth by speculating on the probabili- 
 ties of commercial alterations. 
 
 Any lengthened continuance of manufacturing- 
 prosperity must result in a dearth of labor, hence 
 labor-saving machinery will come into greater re- 
 quest. The opening of the Suez Canal has in- 
 creased the use of steam vessels and rendered nec- 
 essary improved modes of propelling and steering 
 them. 
 
 The Patentee should not accept the first pro- 
 posals made to him without due deliberation, for 
 it is a great misfortune to begin trammelled by 
 onerous conditions, or to part with a prospective 
 fortune for a mere pittance. Value is a relative 
 term and an unknown quantity, therefore no law 
 can be laid down for the guidance of the Patentee * 
 he can only arrive at an approximation under the 
 best of circumstances, and must frequently be con - 
 tented with a speculative bid. It is needless to 
 point out that money value of a patent for a good 
 improvement in the manufacture of steel, or iron, 
 is likely to be in a higher ratio than that of an im- 
 provement, however good in itself in articles of 
 limited use. 
 
 The judicious Patentee, who is persuaded from 
 safe deductions that his invention is sound and 
 intrinsically good, will be slow to dispose of his 
 interest for a small and inadequate consideration, 
 simply , because he has not put it into practical 
 operation ; but will rather bide his time when he 
 
58 PROMOTING INVENTIONS. 
 
 may secure a satisfactory, if not an adequate price. 
 If, as unfortunately is sometimes the case, he be 
 pressed by straightened circumstances to accept 
 whatever terms he can procure, he should endeavor 
 to retain the same interest in the patent. which may 
 ultimately make him a return for his talent. 
 
 There may be said to be four ways of commonly 
 dealing- with a patent. The first mode is for the 
 Patentee himself to put the invention into prac- 
 tical operation ; the second plan is to grant licenses 
 for its use ; the third is to dispose of the whole 
 right ; and the fourth is to divide the right into 
 shares and dispose of part of them ; but the 
 powers and privileges of the grant permit of a 
 variety of dealings. Unquestionably the prefer- 
 able mode is for the Patentee himself, if possible, 
 to initiate the principle of the invention into the 
 market. If he possesses the requisite capital and 
 knowledge of the trade, he can introduce it more 
 advantageously to public notice than any other 
 person, because he can best combat the difficulties 
 which are likely to spring up and soften down the 
 asperities which generally are existed by the ap - 
 pearance of a new competitor for public favor. 
 Fortunate is the Patentee who is able to manu - 
 facture his patented articles without extraneous 
 assistance — who can appeal to the public at large, 
 who, in the long run, adopt whatever is practi- 
 cally useful. Not a few novices in pateHts fall 
 into the error of demanding exhorbitant prices for 
 
PROMOTING INVENTIONS. 59 
 
 their merchandise ; they assert that there would 
 be little advantage in a patent did it not enable the 
 owner to gain high profits. Certainly, a higher 
 profit than is usually made in trade is due to the 
 Patentee who pays for his privileges and who is to 
 incur heavy expenses in experiments, models, and 
 trials. But sound policy will dictate moderation, 
 and the Patentee will find it to his real interest to 
 cultivate an extensive trade at fair profits and rea - 
 sonable prices. The effect of placing too high a 
 price upon the articles is to prevent trial of them, 
 and it should be the object of the Patentee to ere - 
 ate, by all means in his power, a speedy demand. 
 When the sewing machine was first made in 
 Kngland, there was so much prejudice against it 
 in some quarters, and so much indifference in 
 others, that the Patentee did not sell one machine 
 in a month. He also required too high a price, 
 viz., £30 and £35 each. To secure the demand 
 he lent machines to sundry mantle makers who 
 were the first to employ them. So soon as the 
 two or three of these makers had taught a few 
 girls how to use the machine they took work from 
 the city warehouseman at such low prices that 
 their competitors who employed hand labor were 
 compelled, in self-defence, to acquire machines. 
 The Patentee then began to sell one machine in a 
 month, and shortly after that one a week, and as 
 the public discovered that the machine work was 
 neater in appearance than the hand -sewn and 
 
60 PROMOTING INVENTIONS. 
 
 Stood the test of wear equally well, the sale in- 
 creased one a day, when the Patentee thought he 
 was making his fortune. He then reduced the price 
 and increased the sale to ten and twelve machines 
 per diem ; and considering that he sold most of 
 them at £15, although they did not cost £5 each, 
 he was right then in thinking that he was making 
 a fortune. 
 
 High prices invariably excite competition, in- 
 fringement, and evasion, just as high duties in- 
 volve smuggling. The frightful litigation re- 
 specting sewing machines, which kept before the 
 courts of law for years, was caused by the excess- 
 ively high prices required by Patentees in the first 
 instance, and there is little doubt they would have 
 been richer in the end if they had commenced 
 with moderate prices, notwithstanding that many 
 of them recovered large amounts as damages at 
 law. It need scarcely be said the Patentee must 
 not hide his light under a bushel. He must con- 
 stantly keep his name before the public. In these 
 times, advertising is all powerful, and the Patentee 
 must not fail in this respect. 
 
 In addition to direct advertising, which, to be 
 permanently beneficial, must be systematically and 
 constantly adopted, he may avail himself of that 
 indirect mode of advertising which the Press can 
 offer him in the shape of articles and notices. If 
 his invention be of a scientific character, he has 
 ample means for effecting this object, for never 
 
PROMOTING INVENTIONS. 61 
 
 were there so many excellent journals published 
 as there are now. 
 
 The following article taken from Printers^ Ink 
 (which by the way is of inestimable value to all 
 Inventors w^ho are interested in advertising their 
 inventions), gives a fair sample of business tact 
 pursued by an Inventor in advertising his inven - 
 tions : 
 
 A GYMNASTIC CLUB. 
 
 How AN Original Advertiser Introduces 
 Inventions. 
 
 *'The Hercules' " strong arm, advertising a new 
 form of gymnastic club, is seen from time to time 
 in the magazines at the top of a modest twenty - 
 eight lines — occasionally larger. The advertiser 
 is Mr. Ralph R. Gibson. I found him at the top 
 of the building No. 16 South street, Boston, in the 
 act of opening letters from a pile on the table at 
 which he was seated. 
 
 **The manufacture of knit goods has been my 
 business for twenty years," he said. "I invented 
 the club three years ago, and have given to it what 
 time I could spare. I'm not a man who believes 
 in neglecting his meals and in working eighteen 
 hours a day. I have the parts of the clubs made 
 outside and assemble them here. I prepare my 
 circulars, write my advertisements and answer the 
 letters. I place the ads through Pettingill & Co. 
 
62 PROMOTING INVENTIONS. 
 
 lyots of people wonder why I don't advertise more 
 extensively and give all my time to the manufac- 
 ture and pushing of the club, but I'm satisfied to 
 work in my own way. Without much effort the 
 club has made surprising progress, and I don't 
 worry about its future. I know it's a good thing, 
 because hundreds of responsible people tell me so, 
 and because I've got my own muscle by its use." 
 
 To prove this Mr. Gibson placed a fifty -pound 
 dumbbell on the table, sat in a chair at the side of 
 the table and, using his elbow as a hinge, raised 
 the bell through ninety degrees, so that his forearm 
 was upright. I don't believe one man in a thou- 
 sand could do that. I tried it, and could neither 
 budge it nor feel that I was getting the slightest 
 leverage on it. 
 
 "I got the idea by grasping an old-fashioned 
 chair by the top -piece of the back and finding, by 
 raising the chair, that I had a leverage which ex- 
 ercised the muscels of the arm. My club is on the 
 principle. It's so simple that everybody wonders 
 why it was not thought of before. It's the simple 
 things, you know, that make money. I found 
 that I could get quick results by the use of the 
 club instead of waiting a long time as with Indian 
 clubs and dumbbells, and then I knew I had a 
 good thing to advertise. I dropped in to see 
 Charles H. Taylor ,^ Jr., of the Boston Globe, I 
 showed him the club, and he pulled out $2.75 
 and said he wanted it. The next day I thought 
 
PROMOTING INVENTIONS. 63 
 
 I'd put an ad in the Globe, and went in again to 
 see young Mr. Taylor. He said : 
 
 "Don't you doit. You'll lose your monej^ The 
 people of New England won't buy a pig in a bag." 
 
 "The3^'ll buy my club," says I. 
 
 "I'll bet 3^ou $10 you don't get twenty -five an- 
 swers," says he. 
 
 "Nevertheless I put the ad in the Globe. It 
 was three and one -half inches deep and had the 
 cut of the strong right arm in it, just like the ads 
 I am now using. I put the ad in for onl}^ one 
 issue. Four days later I saw Mr. Taylor again. 
 
 "Mr-. Taylor", says I, "I'm sorry I didn't take 
 your bet. I've got 175 letters during the past 
 four days". 
 
 "I wouldn't have believed it", said he. "Have 
 you sold any clubs?" 
 
 "Yes, enough to pay for the ad two or three 
 times over." 
 
 "He was astonished. Altogether I received 300 
 replies from that ad. The people not only bought 
 a pig in a bag, but they came to Boston and 
 walked up these stairs to see me. Phj^sical in- 
 structors and professors of anatomy came. Even 
 now they come and tell me that I ought to put the 
 names of the muscles in my directions, and tell 
 how to enlarge them in scientific language. I 
 don't do anj^thing of the sort, but write my di- 
 rections in words that a child has no difficulty in 
 understanding." 
 
64 PROMOTING INVENTIONS. 
 
 ''What other mediums have you tried ?" 
 "Very few. I'm now using McClure'Sy the 
 Strand^ Argosy^ Puritan and Quaker of New 
 York, and the Alkaloidal Clinic, of Chicago. 
 It's easy to tell now just whal, each medium will 
 do. Small ads last winter in two of the magazines 
 kept me as busy as I wanted to be, and I kept out 
 of everything else. My second ad in McClure's, 
 which is just the same as the one I'm running 
 now, brought me over 1,000 answers in one month. 
 They told me it broke the record for the Argosy 
 not only in letters, but in money. I tried recently 
 an ad on the back cover of the Quaker. There 
 was 350 quick: replies, and I wished to keep the 
 ad in the same place for six months, but forgot to 
 write to the advertising man, and this month I see 
 it has been taken out. I can't get that position 
 again for a long time. One year ago this October 
 I tried a two inch ad in the New York Journal, 
 morning edition. I received 100 replies and sold 
 a lot of clubs. The ad cost $10, and I got from 
 $150 to $200 out of it. I tried the Sunday issue of 
 the Journal, but got only ten answers. That ex- 
 perience convinced me that Sunday newspaper 
 advertising is not the proper thing for me. The 
 men who would use my club don't read the Sun- 
 day newspapers long enough or carefully enough 
 to see my ad. I index some of my ads by varying 
 the letter after the post office box number, but 
 other ads I don't bother about. Usually I can tell 
 
PROMOTING INVENTIONS. 65 
 
 where the ad was seen by what the writers say. I 
 don't ask them to send cash, you see, but only to 
 write for pamphlet. In the pamphlet they see the 
 illustration of the club and learn all about it for 
 the first time, finally reading testimonials from 
 those who have used it. I never solicited a testi- 
 monial, but have received hundreds, the athletes 
 headed by Fitzsimmons, and the business and pro - 
 fessional class by men whom everybody who 
 reads the newspapers knows. I don't believe in 
 attempting to describe the club in the ad. It 
 would take too much room, and then not be half 
 done. My purpose with the ad is to tell merely 
 that I am able to give muscle, strength and health 
 surprisingly quick by a new gymnastic club. 
 Just how it's done is a secret until the man or 
 woman gets the pamphlet, and there he or she gets 
 what I consider and unanswerable argument, tell- 
 ing all the whys and wherefores." 
 
 "What is the proportion of replies and orders 
 from women?" 
 
 ''About one in fifty. However, this month I'm 
 in The Purttait.^hich., although it is aimed at the 
 ladies, is so attractively gotten up that the man of 
 the household is almost sure to look at it and read 
 the advertisements. The Piu^ita^i is one of the 
 widely circulated New York publications. Ad- 
 vertise what you've got in New York, and it will 
 be talked about everywhere. People in remote 
 places write and tell me that they are sure they 
 
66 PROMOTING INVENTIONS. 
 
 will be pleased, because anything satisfactory to 
 the New York or Boston market will satisfy them." 
 ''Did you ever try advertising^ by circular?" 
 "No. What's the use of sending a circular to a 
 man when you are not sure that he wants the arti- 
 cle advertised? In other words, what's the use of 
 my sending what I've got to sell to a man when 
 he doesn't want it? I was surprised once by a 
 circular sent at random. My wife was reading out 
 of the paper one Sunday afternoon, at home, the 
 name of a rich society man who was spoken of as 
 just about taking up his residence for the summer 
 at Newport, and I sent him a pamphlet. It caught 
 him for four of my highest-priced mahogany clubs. 
 It was a matter of luck, that's all." 
 
 Of course Mr. Gibson is an enthusiastic believer 
 in advertising. "My friends are surprised when I 
 tell them what a little ad costs, and say that they 
 would just as soon take the money and throw it 
 into the fire. I would have had my first lot of 
 clubs on my hands now if I had not advertised. 
 The first Summer, with no advertising, my sales 
 were $5 a week. This Summer the sales have been 
 averaging $150 a week, although I stopped adver- 
 tising in May. I began advertising with the Fall, 
 because by far the greater bulk of the business is 
 done through the Winter months, when exercise 
 out of doors is not so common. My sales now 
 average $50 a day. But to advertise successfully 
 you must have a thing you can back up. No 
 
PROMOTING INVENTIONS. 67 
 
 buj^er of my club ever wrote to complain that he 
 was disappointed." 
 
 When I was turning to go Mr. Gibson said : 
 "Let me tell you something more about my 
 quarter-page ad this month in The Puritan. Be- 
 cause it is a ladj^'s periodical I was advised b}^ all 
 my business friends that the ad w^ould not pay. 
 It is only the third day of October, but I believe 
 that I am going to get larger returns than from any 
 other ad I ever tried. You know The Purita^i 
 is sent to subscribers and is on the news stands 
 before the first day of the month. Before October 
 first I had received replies and sold clubs enough 
 to get back the cost of that October ad. I was 
 sure it would be a winner when the advertising 
 man told me it v/ould not. When I go contrary 
 to them I get results," and Mr. Gibson laughed. 
 
 There is a large class, however, who cannot 
 themselves bring out their inventions, and who 
 consequently must sell the whole or a portion of 
 their rights, or seek for purchasers of licenses. In 
 most of the staple manufacturers, such as iron 
 smelting, steel making, sugar refining, cotton, 
 wool, or flax spinning and weaving, larger re- 
 turns will be obtained by granting licenses than 
 by a sale to any one firm. Licenses under Letters - 
 Patent may be exclusive, limited, and general. 
 An exclusive license amounts almost to a cession 
 of the patent, and that only to be granted under 
 terms nearly equivalent to its purchase. Where a 
 
68 PROMOTING INVENTIONS. 
 
 royalty is covenanted to be paid, a stipulation 
 should be made for a fixed minimum amount per 
 annum, otherwise the licensee can only be held 
 liable to pay on the actual manufacture, and he 
 may think proper to cease manufacturing. Prob- 
 ably all license deeds reserving royalties should 
 contain a stipulation as to net amount of royalty 
 to be paid annually, and in default of payment of 
 that sum the license should revert to the Patentee. 
 Whenever, practicable, such deed should provide 
 that the articles made under the license should 
 bear an engraved numbered plate, supplied by the 
 Patentee, by which genuineness is insured. The 
 Patentee is saved the trouble of inspecting books, 
 and has a check in his own custody on the deal- 
 ings under the license. 
 
 As a means of obtaining capital for the develop- 
 ment of inventions, it is a good plan to divide the 
 patent into shares of say eight, sixteen, or thirty - 
 two ; the owner retains a quarter or half share and 
 finds less difficulty in raising capital from a few 
 persons in small sums, than a large amount from 
 one or two. These shareholders or joint pro- 
 prietors should acquire no right to work the patent, 
 but simply receive their share of any profit which 
 may arise from its being worked by the Patentee, 
 or from licenses, or from the sale of the privilege. 
 In this manner those much-envied and sought -for 
 individuals called capitalists may be induced to 
 invest their spare funds in aid of poor Inventors 
 
PROMOTING INVENTIONS. 69 
 
 to mutual advantage. All assignments and deeds 
 relating in any way to dealings with patents to 
 take legal effect, must be recorded in the Office of 
 the Commissioner of Patents. 
 
 It may be asked what will be the best mode to 
 adopt to dispose of shares or licenses, or indeed 
 any interest under the patent ? Since the mount- 
 ain will not come to Mahomet, he must go tothe 
 mountain. Capital will not in general go in search 
 of the Inventor. He must therefore go in search 
 of capital. The Germans have a wise saying to 
 the effect that "roasted pigeons will not fly into 
 your mouth." 
 
 Whatever is good or valuable or excellent must 
 be sought for early and late, in season and out of 
 season, and the Inventor who seeks capital must 
 gird up his loins and vigorously set out on his 
 search. Before doing so, he should provide him- 
 self with the best made model or specimen which 
 his means will allow. Inventors often -fall into 
 error in this respect. They content themselves 
 with an illy -constructed clause, defected model, 
 most crude and paltry exhibit, imperfect samples 
 which show defects rather than advantages. If to 
 this be added a dirty drawing and a written pros - 
 pectus, the picture of the equipment of many In- 
 ventors^on their journey in search of capital will 
 be complete. With this drawing under the arm 
 and unique model or specimen in their pocket, 
 they journey on, sometimes for months, and some- 
 
70 PROMOTING INVENTIONS. 
 
 times for years, but seldom without accomplish- 
 ing their object in the long run, although by better 
 management they might considerably shorten the 
 term of their pilgrimage. They seem to have but 
 one idea and that is to benefit the world by the in - 
 troduction of their invention, until which event 
 occurs, mankind, in their opinion, will remain 
 in a state of semi -barbarism. They would, how- 
 ever, greatly facilitate the acquisition of their de- 
 sires by devoting more attention to the preparation 
 of whatever improvement necessary to induce men 
 to form a favorable opinion of the invention. 
 
 A pleasing model of the character in detail, 
 made to a scale and well finished, serves to per- 
 suade and to silence objection ; and if drawings 
 are shown, they should be neat and the prospectus 
 or description always printed. When it is sought 
 to interest some person with capital at hand to take 
 a share with a view to putting the invention into 
 operation or to enable a patent to be procured, the 
 search may be made in any direction. Perhaps 
 the most likely to aid are those connected in any 
 way with the trade affected by the subject-matter 
 of the invention. Capital is often advanced by 
 clergymen, ladies and retired tradesmen, while 
 others find patrons in politicians and some city 
 magnates. 
 
 In short, if capital only be required, the ways 
 and means for acquiring it are numerous and 
 varied, but when the Patentees seeks to grant 
 
PROMOTING INVENTIONS. 71 
 
 licenses to the trade, the sphere of operations is 
 more limited. In the first place, until actual prac- 
 tice has taken place, there will be little or no 
 chance of inducing manufacturers to take licenses. 
 The first object should be to induce some one, on 
 payment of a nominal royaltj^ to commence manu- 
 facturing, and if the results are satisfactory, the 
 area of operations may be extended. The trade 
 should be addressed and canvassed personally, if 
 possible, or by fitting representative; and this, 
 time after time, until some tangible result follows. 
 
 The Patentee who desires to place his patent to 
 advantage must, if it relates to cotton manufac- 
 tures, visit a city in New England; if relating to 
 iron or steel he must go to Pittsburg or some 
 other place where such materials are manufactured. 
 
 The Patentee who is intent upon and determines 
 to carry out his invention, will not fail to visit 
 personall}^ the largest manufacturing houses, and 
 in general will not visit them in vain. Although 
 he may be a stranger and unacquainted with the 
 details of the trade, if he possesses a clear head 
 and a practical invention, he will meet with courte- 
 ous attention and carrj'- his point. 
 
 We have frequentlj^ witnessed the successful 
 manner in which American Patentees dispose of 
 their inventions in England. They literally go 
 and see and conquer all difficulties, They usually 
 go well primed. They take w^ith them machines 
 which will work, or a dozen rifles which will shoot 
 
72 PROMOTING INVENTIONS. 
 
 with accuracy. They proceed to visit the center 
 of trade they wish to deal with, and by persever- 
 ance, energy, and tact they succeed in accomplish- 
 ing their object. 
 
 The value of foreign patents depends generally 
 much on the United States patent, although in- 
 stances are not wanting of independent value. If 
 practicable, the Patentee should personally visit 
 some of the more important capitals, taking with 
 him all that may be requisite to convey an accu- 
 rate knowledge and a favorable impression to other 
 people. If he be fortunate enough to acquire 
 fame for his invention in the United States, he will 
 experience little or no difficulty in disposing of 
 his foreign patents. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Disposing of Tni^entions. 
 
 Having thus endeavored to give a general out- 
 line of the various steps in the development of the 
 invention from its conception in the brain of the 
 Inventor to its completion and materialization and 
 protection under the patent laws, we will now 
 take up separately and carefully consider the vari- 
 ous modes before mentioned of "How to Make 
 Money by Invention." As stated in the preceding 
 chapter these modes may be classified as follows : 
 
 1 . Patentee himself put the invention into practi- 
 cal operation. 
 
 2. Grant licenses for its use. 
 
 3. Dispose of the whole right. 
 
 4. Divide into shares and dispose of part or all 
 of them. 
 
 Accepting this classification as embracing sub- 
 stantially all of the usual modes of disposition of 
 patent rights. We will proceed to consider the 
 first i. e. "The Patentee himself put the invention 
 into practical operation." 
 
 In order to accomplish this as has heretofore 
 been pointed out, it is necessary that the Patentee 
 have capital. The amount necessary depending 
 altogether upon the nature of the invention. 
 
74 DISPOSING OF INVENTIONS. 
 
 If the device is simple in its construction and 
 intended for general use, a number should be 
 made, and if possible they should be sold to the 
 most prominent persons at hand who would have 
 use for them. After these persons have used the 
 'device the Inventor should visit them in person 
 and ask them to give him written testimonials in- 
 dorsing the article and setting forth its advantages. 
 In some instances the Inventor may have difficulty 
 in getting persons of prominence to give such testi- 
 monials, but by exercising a little diplomacy and 
 always presenting the facts in such forms as to 
 point out the great good which would result from 
 the general introduction of the invention, such 
 testimonials can many times be secured. Always 
 get such testimonials on the printed letter heads of 
 the person givin the indorsement should he have 
 isuch letter heads, and it might be well to prepare 
 before hand a suitable outline of such a letter as 
 you may judge he would give. Then let him copy 
 this outline and make any alterations or additions 
 that he may deem fitting. After several such testi- 
 monial letters are obtained have them printed 
 in a neat small circular. In this circular you 
 should give a clear and concise description of the 
 article together with clear cuts or pictures showing 
 the same. The price of the article should be 
 stated and if the device is not of a perishable 
 nature the statement should be boldly made and 
 strictly adherred to that if the article is not satis - 
 
DISPOSING OF INVENTIONS. 75 
 
 factory the purchaser's money will be refunded. 
 Too much care cannot be taken with the printed 
 matter and in many cases it would be advisable to 
 employ a competent person to prepare such matter. 
 Neat letter heads should be printed, also envelopes 
 and labels, etc. 
 
 The circulars, together v/ith explanatory per- 
 sonal letters (preferably typewritten) should be 
 sent to other probable purchasers and at the same 
 time a personal canvass should be vigorously pur- 
 sued. In this way the Inventor, without going to 
 a very great expense, can gain some kind of an 
 idea as to the reception his invention is to meet 
 with at the hands of the public. If the results of 
 the steps thus taken should be profitable or bid 
 fair to eventually afford a profit, the Inventor 
 should not permit the hope of great and immediate 
 gain to overcome his good judgment. He should 
 exercise all of his energy and manifest in every 
 possible way his enthusiasm in his invention, but 
 in the expenditure of money he should be ex- 
 tremely cautious, and ever bear in mind that for 
 the present at least he is simply feeling the pulse 
 of the public, and before becoming heavily in- 
 volved it would be well to wait and consider. In 
 other words, the Inventor must use his best busi- 
 ness judgment the same as he would if he were 
 engaged in any mercantile trade. If things are 
 promising, a little newspaper advertising should 
 be used, and as the sales increase this may also 
 
76 DISPOSING OF INVENTIONS. 
 
 be increased. As in the circulars great care should 
 be taken in the preparation of the newspaper ad- 
 vertising and also in selecting the papers to be 
 used. On this subject it is always well to consult 
 some advertising agent, if one is located within 
 reach. Thus by proceeding cautiously, one step 
 at a time, a lucrative business can eventually be 
 built up and a business that will be practically a 
 monopoly. 
 
 In order to get an article introduced it is some- 
 times necessary to give them away at first. This 
 method of advertising must not be indiscrimi- 
 nately followed, but in some instances it has proved 
 profitable. Not many years ago a manufacturer 
 attempted to put on the market a new food cereal. 
 He spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in ad- 
 vertising it, but without any great amount of suc- 
 cess. Some of the people who read the adver- 
 tisements bought his staple and liked it, and bought 
 more. But the great mass, the millions whom he 
 most wished to reach, did not buy it, because they 
 did not know of it. 
 
 One day the manufacturer determined to try a 
 new method. That was, to distribute an immense 
 number of packages of his cereal all over the 
 country. His idea was if people once tried it they 
 would come to buy it, and that his sales would 
 enormously increase. He is a millionaire a dozen 
 times over now, and when he tried this he was on 
 the verge of bankruptcy. The newspapers can 
 
DISPOSING OF INVENTIONS. 77 
 
 also be used for free reading notices. In the 
 smaller towns throughout the country the local 
 newspaper publishers are eager to print all of the 
 news, and when one of the residents of the town 
 gets a patent these publishers will be only too glad 
 to print news articles about the invention, and all 
 of this goes to advertise the invention. In fact, it 
 is the very best kind of advertising, and it should 
 be obtained even if the publisher should require 
 pay for it, for the chances are that other news - 
 papers will copy the article and thus spread the 
 news of the invention broadcast. 
 
 Several years ago a man in a little town in Iowa 
 obtained a patent for a wagon body. The inven- 
 tion resided mostly in the peculiar formations of 
 the irons holding the wooden sides of the body in 
 place. He had a few of these irons cast and got 
 up circulars describing how the boards should be 
 cut and placed in the irons. He also had pictures 
 of the body completed and of the irons, etc. His 
 circular was so complete that a farmer could buy 
 the irons and make the wagon bodj^ himself on a 
 rainy day when he could not work in the field. 
 The Inventor was himself a farmer and sold a few 
 sets of irons to his neighbors. From this humble 
 beginning he is to-day making more by selling his 
 irons than he is from his farm of over 1,000 acres, 
 in fact he has from the proceeds of his invention 
 paid off a heavy mortgage on his farm and is at 
 present considering the advisability of building a 
 
78 DISPOSING OF INVENTIONS. 
 
 factory on his own land. The desire to succeed 
 by inventing is stimulated by the success of those 
 who do invent. If we see a man who used to work 
 fifteen hours a day for a modest living build a 
 house in the best part of town and buy diamonds 
 for his wife and horses for himself, we naturally 
 wonder "where he got it." When we learn that 
 it came from successfully handling his patented 
 invention we feel as though we should use our best 
 efforts to make money froili our own inventions, 
 and this can be done, for what one man can ac- 
 complish can be done as well by another. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 erantiita £icen$e$. 
 
 Any conveyance of a right under a patent, 
 which does not amount to an assig-nment or sale, 
 is a license. It is a license if it does not convey 
 the entire and unqualified monopoly, or an un- 
 divided interest therein, throughout the particular 
 territory to which it refers. The following have 
 been held to constitute licenses only. An exclu- 
 sive right to make and sell, but not to use; an 
 exclusive right to make and use, but not sell ; an 
 exclusive right to use and sell, but not to make; 
 and an exclusive right to make, to use and to 
 sell to be used for certain purposes, but for no 
 other. The right to manufacture, the right to sell 
 and the right to use, are each substantive rights 
 and may be granted separately by the Patentee. 
 
 As an example of the first form of license i. e. 
 an exclusive right to make and sell, but not to use, 
 the following is given. The Patentee of a machine 
 for grinding and polishing plate glass licenses a 
 manufacturer to make and sell the machines, but 
 forbids him from using the machines, reserving 
 this right to the purchasers. As it is apparent 
 that extensive use of such machines would result 
 in keen competition between the purchasers.,, and 
 
80 GRANTING LICENSES. 
 
 the use of the machines by the manufacturer 
 would give him an unfair advantage over the pur- 
 chasers and this would discourage them, the result 
 being that they would refuse to buy the machines, 
 thus cutting out the Inventors' profits. 
 
 This form of license however is very unpopular 
 for many reasons and can only be used to ad- 
 vantage in a very limited number of inventions. 
 As an example of the second form; i. e.^ An ex- 
 clusive right to make and use, but not to sell, the 
 following is given : The Patentee of a brick kiln 
 licenses a brick manufacturer to make and use his 
 brick kiln, but prohibits him from selling any of 
 them. This form of license can be used to ad- 
 vantage in many of the larger inventions of a 
 nature as that above mentioned. As an example 
 of the third form ; i. e. , an exclusive right to use 
 and sell, but not to make; the following is given : 
 The Patentee of a cut-off for cisterns travels 
 through a State and sells to a tinner in each county 
 the exclusive right to use and sell, but reserves to 
 himself the right to make. Thus the tinner must 
 buy of the Patentee. The tinner having the ex- 
 clusive right to sell in his county, and he can also 
 use. This is a very advantageous form to use as 
 there are many inventions that can be handled in 
 this way. The Patentee receiving anywhere from 
 $100 to $500 per county and then making a fair 
 profit on each article sold. Such inventions as 
 churns, farm fences and gates, and water cut-offs 
 
GRANTING LICENSES. 81 
 
 and troughs, etc., being especially adapted for 
 profitable handling under this form. 
 
 As an example of the fourth form i. e.y an ex- 
 clusive right to make, to use, and to sell to be used 
 for certain purposes, but for no other, the follow- 
 ing is given : The Patentee of a machine for mak- 
 ing gas grants a person exclusive right to make, 
 to use and sell the machines to be used for lighting 
 railroad cars alone, reserving to himself the 
 rights to make, to use and to sell the machines to 
 be used for other purposes, or selling the rights 
 for other purposes to other persons. 
 
 To accomplish these transactions the Inventor 
 must in all instances be prepared to demonstrate 
 the feasibility of his invention. He must show to 
 the purchaser the extent of the field, and present 
 to him the figures showing his profits and chances 
 for gain by his labor and investment. To do this, 
 good models must be provided, or better still the 
 actual working machines. The purchaser must 
 be seen in person and convinced by logical argu- 
 ments. To reach the purchasers in many instances 
 is a difficult job, but by perseverance and earnest 
 solicitation this can be overcome. The names of 
 probable purchasers can many times be obtained 
 from the business directories of the towns and 
 cities, and when one possible buyer is interested 
 through correspondence the Patentee should lose 
 no time in going to him in person and shovv^ his 
 invention. 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Dispose of m Ulbole Kigbt. 
 
 This must be done by assignment, sale, or trade. 
 To accomplish this it is also necessary to convince 
 the probable purchaser that there is money in in - 
 vention for him. When a manufacturer or other 
 person is convinced and he has the money it is an 
 easy thing to consummate the sale. The first thing 
 for the Inventor to ascertain is the financial con- 
 dition of the probable buyer. This can be gotten 
 at in many wa5^s. Or the Patentee may organize 
 a stock company under the laws of any State and 
 sell the patent to the company. Or if the pur- 
 chaser is in possession of property that the Pat- 
 entee could use to advantage a trade on these lines 
 may be accomplished. By this last method Pat- 
 entees have often acquired farms or comfortable 
 homes in exchange for these patents. 
 
 Divide the Patent into Shares and Dispose of 
 Part or All. 
 
 Of all of the modes heretofore treated this is 
 probably the easiest, for the mere fact that the 
 Patentee is disposed to retain an interest in his 
 patent himself inspires confidence in the pur- 
 chasers. The patent may be divided in any num- 
 ber of shares, and these shares sold to different 
 
DISPOSE OF THE WHOLE RIGHT. 83 
 
 persons, the Patentee possessing them all until 
 sold. This can be done even before the patent 
 is granted and while the application is pending- 
 before the Patent Office. In this way the Patentee 
 can raise sufficient funds to obtain his patent, 
 build his models or machines, and have his print- 
 ing, etc., done. Even after these shares have been 
 sold, and should the shareholders be in a position 
 themselves to make a favorable disposition of their 
 shares, this can be accomplished by calling a 
 meeting of the shareholders and agreeing upon a 
 certain sum in exchange for the entire patent. 
 After such a sale is made the proceeds are divided 
 among the shareholders in proportion to their re- 
 spective interests. As an example of the above, 
 a Patentee decides to divide his patent into 100 
 shares. These he sells to any who will buy at 
 from $25 to |50 or $100 each, according to the 
 nature of the invention and its probable useful" 
 ness. He thus realizes some money and at the 
 same time is interested in the patent. Bach person 
 who holds a share is just as much interested and 
 will dp all in his power to make a profitable dis- 
 position of his holdings. Thus the Inventor is 
 assisted financially and in fact, and thus assisted 
 it is but reasonable to suppose thai he eventually 
 will make more profit from his invention. 
 
 In fact there are many, many ways in which 
 patents may be handled to be made profitable to 
 the Patentees. It requires some study and a defi- 
 
84 DISPOSK OF THK WHOIvK RIGHT. 
 
 nite plan of procedure, these together with that 
 greatest of all virtues, perseverance, will render 
 profitable to a limited degree at least the most un - 
 promising and prejudiced invention. 
 
 In conclusion to properly set forth an invention 
 to a manufacturer or purchaser it is essential : 
 
 1st — To show its advantages over well -known 
 devices in the art to which it appertains. 
 
 2d — Its cost; based if possible, on experience, or 
 by quotations given by reasonable parties for its 
 production by the dozen, hundred, gross or thou- 
 sand, as the case may be. 
 
 3d — The profits; manufacturer's, wholesaler's 
 and retailer's. 
 
 4th — The market to be supplied. This is deter- 
 mined according to the nature of the invention. 
 If it is an invention useful to both sexes, children 
 and adults, its market will be the whole popula- 
 tion of thelUnited States (about seventy million 
 souls). If useful to any one of the classes, viz: 
 adult males, adult females, male children, female 
 children, alone, the market will be about one- 
 fourth the entire population, and if useful in every 
 family, about one -fifth the entire population, the 
 average family consisting of five persons. 
 
 As the United States Census Reports contain 
 full statistics of the different trades, the number of 
 any distinct class can be readily ascertained. In 
 fact the^amount of business in most trades can be 
 taken from the Census Reports. 
 
DISPOSE OF THK WHOLE RIGHT. 85 
 
 5th — The price to be asked. This must be as- 
 certained by a careful consideration of the above 
 items. 
 
 6th — When manufactured by the Patentee and 
 sold to dealers or larg-e consumers, an important 
 item is its weight and displacement ; showing the 
 number that can be shipped per hundred -weight 
 or packed within a standard -sized freight car. 
 
 Having endeavored to give the best possible ad- 
 vice to Patentees concerning the successful promo- 
 tion of their inventions ; and with an earnest ef - 
 fort to encourage these deserving persons, it is the 
 sincere hope of the author that they may glean 
 many grains of gold from the matter herein con- 
 tained. 
 
86 KI^ONDYKK. 
 
 "Let Klondyke mines to others go, with all their fabled 
 
 ore, 
 Let others g-olden fortune seek upon the Yukon's shore, 
 I know a mine that holds for me a surer vein of g"old 
 Than any Klondyke 'placer, ' with its hunger and its cold. 
 
 "One need not take his life in hand to win my store of 
 
 pelf, 
 One need not elbow others to advance the course of self. 
 One need not travel far from home to suffer and to freeze. 
 To win the fortune I can gain in qtiiet and in ease. 
 
 "One need not sleep on adamant exposed to storm and 
 
 wind. 
 And delve into mother earth for what he'll chance to find. 
 One need not risk the chance of thirst, of famine, and of 
 
 woe, 
 To gain the treasures that are) in this spot which I know. 
 
 "And so I'll join you never in your fortune-seeking train. 
 And in the end I'll have far more than half of you will 
 
 gain. 
 I'll never scar sweet Nature's face for millions — largely 
 
 naught. 
 But work the mine she gave me, as I scratch my head for 
 
 thought." 
 
COST OF PATENT, 
 
 TOTAL COST OF MAKING AN APPLICATION 
 FOR A U. b. PATENT. 
 
 A PATENT RUNS FOR 17 YEARS. 
 
 EXAMINATION AND REPORT AS TO PATENT^ 
 ABILITY OF INVENTION FREE. 
 
 First Payment, One=haIf Attorney's Fee, $15. 
 
 Upon payment of the above amount vre immediately begin the 
 preparation of the Official Drawing's and specification which will 
 fully and clearly illustrate and describe all the new and patentable 
 features and include the claims of the invention. The drawing: 
 and specification is then sent to the inventor. 
 
 If after a careful examination of the drawings and specifica- 
 tion by the inventor. the3" meet with his full approval in every re- 
 spect, he should return them to us with $30.00. Of this amount $15 
 will be for the First Government Fee for filing the application in 
 the Patent Office, and $15 will be the balance of our fee. As soon 
 as the inventor returns to us the drawing and specification and the 
 above amount, we will immediately file them in the Patent Office 
 and send the inventor the Government filing receipt. 
 
 The inventor ean then manufacture and sell his article, ma- 
 chine or device and mark it "'Patent Applied For", or "Patent 
 Pending," and can sell Coimty or State Rights under his applica- 
 tion or can sell the whole or part interest in his invention. 
 
 These costs relate to an ordinary case capable of being properly 
 illustrated by a single sheet of Official Patent Drawing. When- 
 ever the case is complicated and requires more than one sheet of 
 Official Patent Drawings to clearly and properly illustrate the in- 
 vention, the labor in preparing: tiie Legal Patent Specifications is 
 correspondingly increased on account of each extra sheet of Official 
 Patent Drawing, and the costs are slightly increased. 
 
 No other fee will be required for Proseciiting the application 
 before the Primary Examiner of the Patent Office. After the ap- 
 plication tor patent is allowed the inventor can pay the Final 
 Government Fee of $20 into the Patent Office at any time within six 
 months. 
 
 For Further Information Send For Our Circular. 
 
 GLASCOCK & COMPANY, 
 
 PATENT ATTORNEYS, 
 636 F Street N. W., Washington, D. C. 
 
mmmSLmr. CONGRES? 
 
 019 935 701 3 
 
 -.^^•V;