the page thereof," or "by striking out the first and fourth claims appended thereto," or whatever may be the amendment desired by the applicant. 107. The forms of other amendments will readily suggest themselves. In each case, the exact words to be struck out or inserted should be clearly described, and the precise point where any insertion is to be made. 108. Where papers are returned to the applicant for amendment, the original papers must in all cases be returned to the office for preservation, together with the amendments. 109. In some cases amendments will be permitted to be made by writing out the entire paper anew; but even when this is done, the original paper must be returned and preserved. 110. No paper will be allowed to be taken from this office unless receipted for, or unless a written request be filed by the party entitled to control the case, nor until all interlineations and erasures are clearly noted on the paper in such a manner as to prevent the possibility of any change being made without the certainty of immediate detection. 111. The practice which has been sometimes pursued of placing the affidavit of the applicant on one piece of paper, and the signature to the specification on another, so that both may be detached and applied to other papers, will be looked upon with suspicion, and any such substitution will be carefully guarded against. No such specifications will be received unless attached together by a tape, both the ends of which are secured by the seal of the officer who administered the oath, or unless that officer at least has subscribed his name upon each separate sheet of paper, so as to show that the specification presented is the same that was subscribed an sworn to. RULES FOR RECONSIDERATIONS. The following rules will be strictly observed, except when, for cause shown, in special cases a modification shall be allowed by the Commissioner: 112. Upon the rejection of an application for a patent for the want of novelty, the applicant will be furnished with references to the cases on which the rejection was made, with a brief explanation of the cause of rejection. If he desires a copy of the cases so referred to or of the plates or drawings connected with them, these will all be forwarded to him on payment of the cost of making such copies. 113. If the applicant feels able to remove the objections raised by the office, he may himself, or by his agent, come before the proper examiner between two and three o'clock, P. M., on any Monday, Wednesday, or Friday of the week, for the purpose of making the desired explanations, or he may forward his reasons in writing, to be laid before the examiner. 114. Should there be-notwithstanding these reasonssecond rejection, the applicant may in person, or by his agent, or in writing, as above contemplated, bring the matter before the Commissioner, who will, it possible, examine the case in person ; but should he not be sufficiently at leisure, it will be referred to a board of examiners. The decision attained in either of these modes will be final, so far as the action of this office is concerned. The only remaining remedy will be by appeal in those cases allowed by law. OF GIVING OR WITHHOLDING INFORMATION. 115. Aside from the caveats, which are required by law to be kept secret, all pending applications are, as far as practicable, preserved in like secrecy. No information will therefore be given to those inquiring whether any particular patent is before the office, or whether any particular person has applied for a patent. 116. But information is given in relation to any case after a patent has issued, or after a patent has been refused, and the further prosecution of the application is abandoned. The models in such cases are so placed as to be subject to general inspection; the specifications and drawings in any particular case can be seen by any one having particular occasion to examine them, and copies thereof, as well as of patents granted, will be furnished to any one willing to pay the bare expense of making them. Copies will be made on parchment, at the request of an applicant, upon his paying the additional cost. 117. Even after a case is rejected, the application is regarded as pending until after the decision of an appeal thereon, or until after ihe party has withdrawn the case from the further consideration of the office; but if a party, whose application has been rejected, allows the matter to rest for two years without taking any further steps therein, he will be regarded as having abandoned his application, so far at least that it will no longer be protected by any rule of secrecy. The specification, drawings, and model will then be subject to inspection in the same manner as those of patented or withdrawn applications. 118. Information in relation to pending cases is given so far as it becomes necessary in conducting the business of the office, but no further. Thus when an interference is declared between two pending applications, each of the contestants is entitled to a knowledge of so much of his antagonist's case as to enable him to conduct his own understandingly. And where the rejection of an application is founded upon another case previously rejected, but not withdrawn or abandoned, the rejected applicant will be furnished with all information in relation to the previously rejected case which is necessary for the proper understanding and management of his own. 119. When an applicant claims a certain device, and the same device is found described but not claimed in another pending application which was previously filed, information of the filing of such second application is always given to the prior applicant, with a suggestion that, if he desires to claim a patent for that device, he should forthwith modify his specification accordingly. 120. But where the application which thus describes a device without claiming it is subsequent in date to that wherein such device is claimed, the general rule is, that no notice of the claim in the previous application is given to the subsequent applicant. But where there are any special reasons to doubt whether the prior applicant is really the inventor of the device claimed, or where there are any other peculiar and sufficient reasons for departing from the rule above stated, the office reserves to itself the right of so doing without its being regarded as a departure from established rule. 121. The office cannot respond to inquiries as to the novelty of an alleged invention, in advance of an application for a patent, in manner pointed out in these rules, (see section 25) for obvious reasons ; nor to inquiries founded upon brief and imperfect descriptions propounded with a view of ascertaining whether such alleged improvements have been patented, and if so, to whom ; nor can it act as an expounder of the patent law, or as counselor for individuals, except as to questions arising within the office. 122. All business with the office should be transacted in writing, unless, by the consent of all parties, the action of the office will be predicated exclusively on the written record. No attention will be paid to any alleged verbal promise or understanding, in relation to which there is any disagreement or doubt. CHARLES MASON, Commissioner. PATENT OFFICE, February 20, 1854. INDEX PENSIONS. PAGR 10 22 23 24 43 43 RELATING TO REVOLUTIONARY PENSIONS. May 1, 1820, RELATING TO REVOLUTIONARY HALF-PAY AND COMMUTATION. October 21, 1780, August 24, 1780, RELATING TO INVALID PENSIONS. April 24, 1816, 74 66 66 &6 75 66 66 66 94 66 66 |