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By contrasting the percentage of the separate branches to the total number of patents, we have very clear evidence of the fact that at the period in question the most pressing need of the cinema was for the improvement of its technical means. Altho' cinematography was then in its twentieth year, it had attained but a limited degree of perfection, both in its expression and in its means of production. The inventions which give the highest percentage are those dealing with apparatus for taking the pictures, for projecting them, and for the mechanical preparation of the films : these needs were too urgent to leave much scope for attempts of a more ambitions kind. Color, sound, relief, were attractive ideas, but cinematography pure and simple had to be perfected in its essential elements before paying attention to the superflous.
Let us now glance at the patents issued by the Patent Office, during 1928-1929, during the same lapse of time. Out of 256 patents, 52 are concerned with color, 57 with synchronism, 21 with stereoscopy, 8 with continuous motion, 10 are mechanisms to avoid fire, 9 filming apparatus, 5 mechanisms for preparing films, 30 for perfecting projection, 23 sundry inventions in the technical and photographic field.
This review shows that the highest percentage of patents are concerned with synchronization and color ; there is a noticeable increase in the number of stereoscopic inventions, hardly any difference in the number of those dealing with continuous motion and with anti-fire devices. On the other hand we find a striking decrease in the number of inventions for perfecting material for film manufacture, filming, projection and si
milar devices. All this tends to demonstrate that, while the possibilities of further perfecting existing systems are not overlooked, the spirit of invention is mainly directed to the solution of three problems which were almost entirely neglected three years ago, but which to-day represent the goal of all inventors.