"The time required to procure an allowance of a patent averages from six weeks to two months.
"United States patents are granted for a term of seventeen years, and cannot be extended. The patent remains good whether the invention is worked or not, and no additional payments are required beyond the cost of first taking out the patent. Patents are not subject to taxation. Reissues of patents are granted whenever one is inoperative or invalid, by reason of a defective or insufficient specification, or by reason of the patentee claiming more than he had a right to claim as new, provided the error arose by inadvertence, accident, or mistake, without fraudulent intent. A fee of $30.50 must be forwarded upon application for patent.
"As stated before, a patent is obtained by a petition to the Commissioner of Patents accompanied by a description, including drawings and a model, when the invention will admit of these. A fee of $15 is required when the application is made, and a further fee of $20 when the patent is issued. Postage on model is at the rate of 1 cent per ounce.
"A patent for a design is granted to any person who has invented or produced any new and original design for the printing of woollen, silk, cotton, or other fabrics; any new and original impression, ornament, pattern-print, or picture to be printed, painted, cast, or otherwise placed on or worked into any article of manufacture; or any new, useful, and original shape or configuration of any article of manufacture, the same not being known or used by others before this invention or production thereof, or patented or described in any printed publication, upon payment of the duty required by law, and other required proceedings the same as in cases of inventions or discoveries. These are granted for three and one-half years, seven years or fourteen years, for which the respective fees of $10, $15, and $30 are paid the government.
"A caveat is a provisional protection to any person who has thought of an invention and desires the time to complete or perfect the same. It is procured at an expense of $10, and runs for one year with the permission of renewal from year to year.
"In Canada the patent office is a branch of the Department of Agriculture, and the Minister of Agriculture for the time being is the Commissioner of Patents.
"Any intending applicant for a patent who has not yet perfected his invention, and is in fear of being despoiled of his idea, may file in the patent office a description of his invention so far, with, or without plans, of his own will, and the Commissioner, on payment of the prescribed fee, shall cause the said document, which shall be called a caveat, to be preserved in secrecy, and, if application is made by any other person for a patent interfering in any way therewith, the Commissioner shall forthwith give notice, by mail, of such application to the person filing such caveat, who shall, within three months thereafter, if he wishes to avail himself of the caveat, file his petition, and take the other steps necessary on application for a patent. The application for the patent must be made within one year from the filing of caveat, otherwise the Commissioner is relieved from the obligation of giving notice.
"The following fees are payable: Full fee on patent for 18 years, $60.00; partial fee for 12 years, $40.00; partial fee for 6 years, $20.00; on filing caveat, $5.00; on registering assignment patent, $2.00; for copy of patent, with specification, $4.00.
"The disbursements for filing an application in Great Britain are $25.00; France, $20.00; Germany, $5.00, and $7.50 before issuing patent; Australia, $20.00; Russia, $75.00; British India, $20.00. The German and French patents cover not only Germany and France but their colonies also. The Russian patent extends to all of the Russian possessions.
"The disbursements for filing an application in the Australian states, namely, Queensland, Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania are $5.00 on filing the application, $10.00 on allowance of same, and $25.00 for preparation of the sealing of patent; New Zealand, $20.00; Mexico, $75.00; Natal, $50.00; Japan, $75.00; Jamaica, $150.00."