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United States Circuit Court.--;Bletrlct of New Jersey . FLOWER V. EAYNBE.--;PATENT FOE DBOOEATING TIN PLATES. Nixon J. : L The statutory provisions concerning reissues require that the original patent must be inoperative or invalid eithei; from a defective or insufficient specification or from claiming as new more than the patentee has the right to claim; and, in addition to this, the error which is sought to be corrected must have arisen by inadvertence, accident, or mistake, and without any fraudulent or deceptive intention. If the party interested can bring himself within these conditions and hmitations, the Commissioner is authorized to issue a new patent for the same invention. When the original shows upon its face that the grounds and reasons for the reissue do not exist, or where a comparison of the letters patent discloses different inventions, the reissue is void, as an act unauthorized by the law. 2. The reissued letters patent No. 7,556, dated March 13, 1877, for improvement in decorating tin plates, cans, etc., held to be invalid, as being an undue expansion of the original letters patent. l nlted States Circuit Court.--;District of Delaware, WILT V. GEIEE.--;PATENT FRUIT DRIEE. Bradford, J. : This is a bill in equity brought by the complainant Wilt against the defendant Grierfor alleged infringement of said Wilt's Letters Patent No. 190,368, issued May 1, 1877, originally to A. Quincy Reynolds, of Chicago, 111., for an improvement in automatic fruit driers. 1. Where a person procures a patent for the building of a machine which produces certain results which are novel and useful, by reason of certain mechanical contrivances and appliances, any person who attempts to accomplish the same results by mere substitutions, which are equivalents of the means employed by the first patemtee, is an infringer. 2. Any application of known mechanical powers which will produce that result, although different in form from the means employed by the orignal patentee, is a mechanical substitute and equivalent of the same. How Raisins are made In California. In Mr. Blowers' vineyard, Yolo county, the grapes are allowed to remain on the vine until of a golden color and translucent. Then they are picked and put on wooden trays two bythree feet in size, placed between the rows, slopingto the sun. When half dried they are turned by putting a tray on top, and by inverting them both, are transferred to the new tray. When the grapes lose Iheir ashy appearance, and after removing the green ones, tlie rest are put into large sweat boxes, placing sheets of papei- between every twenty-five pounds of raisins. They are lift there for two weeks, when the stems are tough and the raisins soft. The packing follows, in which iron or steel packing frames are used, the raisins being assorted, weighed, inspected, and made presentable. Mr. Blowers prefers a rich, moist, sandy loam. In a warm climate, for raisins, and believes that winter irrigation will destroy insects and keep the vines in a thrifty condition. He prefer* to plant vines eight by ten feet apart, or even ten by ten feet, and uses fertilizers. What Becomes of the Soapstone t The Times, of Bethlehem, Pa., is anxious to know what is done with the soapstone which is largely quarried and ground at Easton. The industry has lately received a wonderful impetus, and the mills are running day and night. The product is shipped to New York; thence where? " It is claimed to be used In paper pulp. It may be," the Times says, " to some extent. It is alleged to be used in hatter's felt. Perhaps so; but where is so large an amount disposed of? Soapstone, or steatite, is a combination of silica and magnesia. It Is soft and greasy, and hence it is sometimes called lardstone. From its adaptability to making vessels, in some sections It is called pot rock. When ground, it is a soft, smooth, greasy, and almost impalpable powder. No one who has seen It in its ground state will question its almost diamond value for adulteration. Candies, sugars, fiour, butter, it Is alleged, can be adulterated to the extent of 20 to 25 per cent without any chance of detection." Fortunately detection in such cases is not at all difficult. Dissolve the suspected candy or sugar; the insoluble mineral will remain. Burn a .sample of suspected flour; anexcess of ash will betray the cheat. Melting and filtering will do the same for suspected lard or butter.
