Motion Picture News (Oct-Dec 1930)

88 Motion Picture N ezv s October 4 , 1930 Vital Points Concerning Trade Marks, Patents and Designs Are Determined Neii> Question and Answer Department by Ray Belmont Whitman to Protect Interests of Inventors Is Launched in Connection with Regular "Motion Picture News" Patents Department WITH the continuation of the Patents Department in this month's issue of The Showman, Ray Belmont Whitman, patents attorney, launches a Question and Answer Service exclusively for use of readers of Motion Picture News. The history of many inventors and their projects strongly serves to bring out the lamentable fact that many a dollar of precious capital, and many a month of wasted labor could have been saved, had the inventor only taken the pains to obtain authentic information in regard to the device upon which he was working, or regarding the efforts which others might have already put forth upon the same or a similar device. A full knowledge of the procedure necessary for obtaining patents, or the market for which the device is intended, is likewise important. The initial series of questions and their answers by Mr. Whitman follows : Q. 1 — I filed a patent application on my invention and afterwards improved it and asked the attorney to change the application accordingly. He said this could not be done. Please advise regarding this. — A. H. D., Raleigh, N. C. A. 1 — Your attorney was correct. New matter cannot be added to an application, as otherwise there would be endless confusion, inventors would get the benefit of several examinations for the one fee and the file would not show a proper filing date for all parts of the application. Your only recourse is to file an improvement application under a new number and date. Q. 2 — Does the Patent Office guarantee the validity of claims in the patents which it issues? — Leo Granger, Bronxville, N. Y. A. 2 — No. The Patent Office merely makes as thorough a search as possible and does the best it can with the facilities it has on hand to prevent the issue x>{ invalid patents. They do a great work as far as their facilities permit, but since any publication anywhere in the world may be used to prove a priority to invalidate a patent they are frequently held invalid on such publications as well as on differences of opinion by the court and the Patent Office as to what is new in the field searched by the latter. Statistics show that patents are held valid and infringed in somewhat more than half of the total cases adjudicated. Q. 3 — After my patent has issued, is it possible to get broader claims in it? — Martin Tracy, New York City, N. Y. A. 3— Yes. This can sometimes be done by reissuing the patent providing the failure to claim the invention properly was due to inadvertence, accident, or mistake. There are many decisions as to just what constitutes these. Also the application for New Inventions T^HE records of the Patent Office in Washington are combed by Mr. Whitman for new inventions having an application to motion pictures and are both illustrated and described in The Showman as a regular feature. Mr. Whitman also conducts a Questions and Answers column which imposes no obligation on the reader. All queries on the subjects of patents, trademarks, designs and copyrights fall within the scope of this service. If a personal answer is desired, a stamped envelope should be enclosed with the question. If not, the answer will appear in this department in the first available issue after receipt. Write on one side of the paper only, giving full name, address and business affiliation. Only initials will be published if so requested. All inquiries should be addressed to Patent Editor, Motion Picture News. a reissue must be filed within two years of the issued date of the patent. Q. A — Is there any limit to the number of claims permitted in one patent? — R. F. D., Newport, Rhode Island. A. 4 — No. But recently the Patent Office has put into effect a rule that for every claim originally filed in a case or finally issued in the patent over 20 an additional filing fee, or final fee of $1, must be paid. If the applicant, through his attorney, files a needlessly large number of claims which do not patentably distinguish from one another, the Examiner may reject the case on the ground of "multiplicity." Patents have issued with as many as 389 claims, although the average week in and week out is between six and seven claims. It is interesting to note that the average number of claims in patents taken out through the offices it most advertising attorneys is considerably below the average for all patents above, and that the average of patents issued to the patent attorneys for large corporations is considerably above. For instance, the author served one large corporation nearly six years, averaging throughout the period 25 claims per patent on a large number of cases of all kinds, both simple and complicated. A large number of claims does not always mean greater protection to the inventor, but it often does. "T HE Patents Department conducted regularly in this publication embraces new patents on devices used in the motion picture industry. Copies of any of the patents cited here may be obtained by sending fifteen cents (15c) to the Patent Editor for each copy desired. The current group follows : 1,775,610. REEL FOR CAMERAS AND PROJECTORS. Alfred Weiss, New York. Filed Oct. 22, 1927. Serial No. 227,934. 1 Claim. (CI. 2-12—70.) A reel and a hub, comprising a reel having side flanges and a hub, said flanges having bearing apertures centra. ly therethrough within the confines of saidjiub. said apertures being of different sizes and of similar angled configuration, the larger of said apertures having angled faces arranged with their apexes abutting the hub. and a spindle having an angled faced portion receivable within said hub, said portion conforming in size and configuration with said larger aperture, whereby the apexes of its angled faces will engage the inner face of said hub, said spindle further^ inc'.uding a similarly configured smaller extending portion which is adapted to extend through and embrace the walls of the other aperture. 1,775.294. ACOUSTIC TYMPANUM. John A. Poroma. New York. N. Y. Filed Feb. 12, 1929. Serial No. 339,289. 9 Claims. (CI. 181—31.) 1 The method of producing an acoustic diaphragm which consists in providing a sheet of appropriate material with a central opening, and contracting the latter by incorporating in the remainder of said sheet radially diverging corrugations. 17.793. TELAUTOCRAPHY. Harry Guy Bartholomey. London, England, and Mavnard Leslie Deedes MacFarlane, New York. N. Y. Filed Tune 4. 1929. Serial No. 368.304. Original No. 1,653.425. dated Dec. 20. 1927. Serial No. 572,664, filed July 3, 1922, and in Great Britain Sept. 19, 1921. 66 Claims. (CI. 179—5.) 37. The method of making a non-pictorial representation of a picture which comprises positively establishing reading points at intervals along a first line of scanning, the selection of points being independent of the character of the picture being scanned: making tone determinations at the established points; recording said determinations; positively establishing reading points in an adjacent line of scanning and betwee the points established in said first line of scanning, the selection of such points being also in (Continued on page 108)