CHAPTER XII
PROFITABLE INFORMATION
Design Patents.—Should you invent, or devise a new and original design for an object, be it a work of art, a fabric, a piece of jewelry or even a machine, you can obtain a design patent if it has artistic merit.
Fig. 126. ILLUSTRATION FOR A DESIGN PATENT, DRAWN ON A SHEET OF CARD-BOARD SIZE 10 × 15 INCHES
Design patents run for a term of 3½, or for 7, or for 14 years as you wish and care to pay for. The patent attorney’s fees for writing the specification, making the drawing and seeing the patent application through the patent office is usually $20 regardless of the term it is to run; the government fee is $10 for 3½ years, $15 for 7 years and $30 for 14 years, making the total cost of such patents $30, $35 and $50 respectively.
Assignments.—If you want to you may sell or assign a part or the whole of your invention before you file an application for a patent, or you may do the same thing while your application is pending in the patent office.
Such an interest in your invention and patent rights may be disposed of by a complete assignment, by granting territorial rights, by mortgage, or by shop or other licenses. In whatever way the assignment, grant or conveyance is made it must be recorded in the patent office or it will not be valid.
Caveats.—A Caveat can no longer be filed in the patent office, the law relating to them having been repealed July 1, 1910. Before this time an inventor who had not completed his invention could file a Caveat in the archives of the patent office where it was kept a secret for one year, and the time could be renewed from year to year.
The purpose of a Caveat was to give the inventor more time to work out his invention and to be notified should any other inventor apply for a patent on the same thing. He could then immediately file his own patent application when an interference would be declared between them.