SOME WORDS AND TERMS USED IN THIS BOOK
Accelerate.—To hurry or speed up the usual slow state of events.
Actuate.—(1) To put into action. (2) Means by which anything is started to move. (See [Operate]).
Adhesion.—A force which makes certain bodies stick together.
Aërial Wire.—An elevated wire used to send out and to receive electric waves for wireless telegraphy and wireless telephony.
Affidavit.—A sworn statement made before a notary public or other legal authority.
Agent.—(1) A canvasser. (2) One who acts as a salesman or in any capacity for another.
Amend.—To change or correct, as to amend a claim in a patent.
Analysis.—See [Chemical decomposition].
Arbor.—An axle, spindle, shaft or mandrel.
Archives.—A place in which official papers are kept and held secret.
Arlington wireless station.—A high powered wireless station at Arlington, Va., across the river from Washington, D. C.
Assignment.—To transfer to another a right or interest.
Attest.—To witness or to sign an oath that a thing is true.
Automatic.—A machine which performs certain operations of its own accord.
Aviation.—The art of flying.
Axis.—An imaginary line on or around which a body turns. (Plural Axes.)
Basic principle.—The first source or cause of a thing.
Biologist.—One who knows something about the science of life and living things.
Broker.—One who acts as an agent to negotiate purchases and make sales on a commission, as a stock-broker, coffee-broker, etc.
Capital.—Wealth that is used in or can be had for business.
Capital Stock.—The shares of a company that are sold to furnish funds with which to transact business.
Capitalize.—To fix a value on the stock of a company.
Case.—An application pending in the patent office.
Cause.—A suit or action over patent rights which is conducted in a court.
Certified copy.—A paper or a copy of a paper that has been sworn to before a notary to prove it to be the original or an exact copy of the original.
Chemical Combination.—(1) The atomic union of chemicals. (2) A compound of chemical elements.
Chemical Decomposition.—The separation of a compound with its original elements.
Circularize.—To send out circulars to a list of names.
Cite.—To quote a reference to an authority.
Citation.—An article or patent quoted by a patent examiner as a basis for the rejection of a patent application or of a claim.
Claim.—The last part of a patent specification in which the inventor clearly and specifically sets forth what his invention consists of and what he demands to have protected by a patent.
Claim, Broad.—(1) A broad claim is one in which the inventor claims everything in sight and usually more than he is entitled to. (2) It is easy to write a broad claim but hard to get it allowed.
Claim, Narrow.—(1) A narrow, or limited claim is one in which a patent attorney puts in so many elements or parts that the combination is bound to be patentable. (2) Such a claim has no value because it is easy for another to change an element or a part when the combination no longer infringes. (3) The hardest thing that an inventor has to contend with is to get a claim written so that it will stand in court.
Coincide.—Exactly corresponding to or meeting.
Conceive.—To get an idea.
Commission Merchant.—A man who stands between the manufacturer and the wholesaler and who gets a percentage on the amount of goods that change hands.
Commissioner of Patents.—The head, front and center of the patent office.
Concentric Circles.—Circles drawn within circles and all of them having the same center.
Corporation.—(1) A company. (2) An imaginary person invented by law and formed of one or more real persons banded together to transact business.
Correspondent.—(1) An associate. (2) A lawyer that carries on his business with another lawyer at a distance.
Consumer.—The last buyer and the user of an article or a device.
Cross-section.—See [Drawing, Cross-section].
Counsel.—A patent attorney who is qualified to prosecute patent cases in court.
Data.—Information that is known or may be had.
Deductive Proof.—That form of thought by which an idea used as a starting point is brought to a conclusion by known principles and facts. (See [Inductive Discovery].) Inductive discovery is the raw idea and does not lead up to certainty, whereas deductive proof does.
Degree.—(1) One three hundred and sixtieth part of a circle. (2) The unit of angular measurement.
Detailed Drawing.—See [Drawing, Detailed].
Device.—(1) An apparatus or an instrument, or a machine or any part of any of them. (2) Any scheme for producing a desired result.
Die.—A steel tool having a sharp edge for cutting out special designs in paper, metals, etc.
Directors.—Members of a company chosen to direct its business.
Disclose.—(1) To make known. (2) To give up the secret of your invention.
Display ad.—An advertisement in which larger type is used than for the reading matter of the paper.
Dividends.—Money resulting from profits and which are distributed among the shareholders.
Drawing, Free Hand.—Pictures drawn without measurements or the aid of instruments.
Drawing, Working.—A drawing of a part, device or machine made to scale so that a mechanic can work from it.
Drawing, Cross Section.—A drawing of an object as though it had been cut in two in order to show its inside construction.
Drawing, Detail.—A drawing of any part of a device or a machine made large enough to show everything no matter how small.
Drawing, Perspective.—A drawing of a solid object on a flat surface so that it seems to stand out in space like the object itself.
Drawing, Isometric perspective.—See [Isometric Perspective].
Du Ponts.—A firm at Wilmington, Delaware, who manufactures gun-powder and other explosives.
Efficient.—That which works the best with the greatest economy.
Element.—(1) A chemical element is a form of matter which cannot be decomposed. (2) A mechanical element is a single part of a device or a machine.
Electrolytic.—The decomposition of a chemical compound by an electric current.
Electroplating.—Depositing one metal on another metal by an electric current.
Electrotype.—A duplicate of type or cuts for printing, the body of which is of type-metal and the face of copper which has been deposited by an electric current.
Electrolytic.—Decomposition of a substance, or a solution by means of an electric current.
Electrolysis.—About the same as electrolytic.
Elementary.—Simple; primary.
Electro-Chemistry.—Chemistry in which electricity is used.
Engine lathe.—A large and accurate screw cutting lathe fitted with all known attachments.
Entering Edge.—The front edge of the main plane of an aeroplane.
Ether.—A substance filling all space and in, by and through which light, electricity and magnetism acts and travels.
Evidence of conception.—A signed and sealed statement made at the time or shortly after you get the big idea which will serve as proof of the earliest time you thought of it.
Excerpt.—A part, or an extract of an article.
Expert.—One who is trained or is skilful, due to learning and practice.
Experiment.—(1) To find out an effect, or the cause of it by trials and tests. (2) To work out a process for the purpose of developing an idea. (3) To show the effect of some previous discovery or invention.
Files.—Patents that are arranged systematically for easy reference.
Fixture.—See [Jig].
Free-hand Drawing.—See [Drawing, Free-hand].
Full paid.—Stock that has been paid for either in cash or by a patented invention.
High Frequency Oscillations.—(1) Electric oscillations. (2) Electric currents which alternate in direction 100,000 or more a second.
Idea, Raw.—The first idea that comes into the mind as a basis for an invention.
Improvement.—(1) Adding a new element or part to a composition, device or a machine. (2) An improvement constitutes an invention and can be patented.
Impulse.—A turbine wheel turned by steam forced against its blades.
Initiative.—The first step or action.
Indicate.—To point out. To show how a thing is done.
Inductive Discovery.—(1) The raw, or original idea that results from the mind process. It precedes deductive proof.
Inherent stability.—A natural tendency of a body to remain balanced, or when upset to right itself.
Isometric.—Of equal measure or scale.
Isometric Perspective.—Three sets of lines of equal measure, that is 120 degrees apart which represent the three dimensions of space.
Isometric Cross-section paper.—Paper ruled with lines of equal measure for making isometric perspective drawings.
Jig.—A tool, or fixture used as a guide for cutting tools where duplicate parts are made by a machine.
Jobber.—A man who buys in large quantities for the manufacturer and sells them to wholesalers or retailers.
Key.—A tapering wedge for fastening the collar of a wheel on a part of a shaft.
Litigation.—Law suits.
Low Voltage Currents.—(1) Currents having a pressure up to 500 volts. (2) Ordinary battery and lighting currents are low voltage.
Machine Design.—The scientific designing of machines.
Math.—Abbreviation for mathematics.
Maxims, Hiram and Hudson.—Inventors of high explosives, machine guns and other things that make for peace in times of war, and make for war in times of peace.
Mechanical Movement.—(1) The simplest form of a machine. (2) A combination of two or more of the mechanical powers.
Memorandum.—A written outline of an agreement, or a contract.
Micawber.—A character in Dickens’ David Copperfield. He was never able to get down to anything but was always waiting for something to turn up.
Model.—(1) An object or a device made to represent an apparatus or a machine. (2) A device made to show how an apparatus or a machine works. (3) Scale models are smaller than the machines they represent and may be built either to show how the finished apparatus will appear or they may be actual working models.
Monopoly.—The sole right to make, use and sell an invention or the product of an invention.
Notary Public.—A commissioned official who holds a seal of his office and who certifies papers, etc.
Oath.—A sworn statement of the truth.
Operate.—(1) To put into motion. (2) To do mechanical work. (See [Actuate].)
Ozone.—A colorless gas formed by discharging electricity through the air or oxygen.
Paper patent.—A patent granted by the patent office for an idea that has never been worked out in practice.
Part.—A small portion of a device or a machine.
Par value.—The full, or face value.
Patent attorney.—A lawyer who makes patent law his business or ought to.
Patent Expert.—One who is specially trained in an art or a science which enables him to give expert testimony in patent causes.
Patent Office.—(1) The building in which the patent business of the government is transacted. (2) The office conducted by the government for handling of its patent business. (3) The patent office of the U. S. is one of the bureaus of the Department of the Interior and it is under the direction of a commissioner of patents.
Patent Examiner.—One who examines and passes on patents in the patent office.
Patentee.—The one to whom a patent is granted.
Periphery.—(1) The circumference of a circle. (2) The outer surface of a wheel.
Perspective Drawing.—See [Drawing, Perspective].
Perspective, Isometric.—See [Isometric Perspective].
Philosophy.—(1) The science of all natural laws. (2) The laws, causes and principles on which facts can be explained. (See [Psychology].)
Precision.—(1) The state of being very accurate. (2) Said of any instrument or machine which works with exactness.
Principle.—A truth or cause.
Priority.—Being first.
Protractor.—An instrument for laying off and measuring angles by degrees.
Prosecute.—To follow up until a conclusion is reached.
Pro Rata.—In proportion.
Psychological moment.—The exact time to impress the mind in the best way.
Psychology.—(1) A branch of philosophy. (2) The science of the mind and its operations.
Ramifications.—Subdivisions of a subject or branches of a thing.
Reaction.—A turbine wheel turned by steam forced from it against the air.
Rectify.—(1) To make right whatever is wrong. (2) To make a direct current of an alternating current.
Rectangle.—A four sided plane with right angle corners.
Reject.—To refuse to accept, as to reject a claim in a patent.
Retainer.—The advance fee paid to an attorney.
Retailer.—A man who buys in small quantities and sells piecemeal to consumers.
Royalty.—A share of the profits paid to the owner of a patented article or a device by those whom he allows to make or use it.
Scale.—A piece of wood, metal or other material with graduated lines on it and used for measuring.
Securities.—Property of any kind which has enough value to keep the credit good.
Semi-circle.—(1) Half of a circle. (2) A segment of a circle equal to 180 degrees.
Shares.—(1) The equal parts of the capital stock of a company. (2) The shares are represented by certificates.
Shareholder.—An owner of the shares of stock of a company.
Shop-right license.—A legal permit given to the owner of a shop to make and sell a patented article or device.
Sketch.—A crude picture.
Standardize.—To make a device or a machine to conform to a certain type.
Stockholder.—An owner of the shares of the stock in a company.
Stock.—(1) The shares of a company which represent its capital. (2) Goods traded in for a profit. (3) The raw materials used for manufacturing purposes. (4) The manufactured goods that are held in reserve.
St. Elmo’s Fire.—An electric glow which is often seen at the end of a spar of a ship at night.
Synthesis.—To combine chemical elements to form a compound.
Synthetic.—A chemically prepared substance which is exactly like that found in nature, as synthetic camphor, synthetic sapphires, etc.
Technical Expert.—See [Patent expert].
Transfer of Energy.—Changing the energy of one body to another body.
Transformation of Energy.—Changing the form of energy, as from electricity to magnetism, or from heat to light.
Transactions, or Proceedings.—The published reports of scientific and other societies.
Treasury stock.—The shares that belong to the company and which are used to provide it with working capital.
Trustees.—About the same thing as directors.
Tungsten.—A steel gray metallic element.
Tyro.—A beginner.
Useful art.—Anything which requires ingenuity to fashion, and which can be used for some good purpose.
Valid.—(1) That which holds good. (2) A patent that is founded on fact and in law.
Who’s Who.—A red book of noted men and women living in the United States.
Wholesaler.—One who buys and sells in large quantities.
Wing.—The main or supporting plane of an aeroplane.
Working Drawing.—See [Drawing, Working].