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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE, ) June 30, 1858. j SIR—The specification and one drawing of your * * * * are herewith returned, to enable you to furnish a specification which shall more definitely and fully state the construction and operation of your alleged improvements. The claim should be more definite, and should contain the words " substantially as herein above described," or words to that effect. Your oath is not in proper form. The accompanying rules are sent for your guidance. Respectfully yours, c, J. HOLT, Commissioner. REMARKS.—We purposely omit the name of the invention, as well as that of the applicant, from the above official letter. It pertains to an application for a patent which was prepared by a lawyer, who, though probably well versed in legal lore, possessed no knowledge or facilities for doing patent business. His client's specification was consequently botched up, and the application rejected until proper papers should be filed. We publish this letter as an example of cases that are constantly being placed in our (Munn &Co., Patent At-tornies) hands, for the purpose of being straightened up, and conducted to a successful issue. It is not to be expected, especially in these days, when new inventions are so rapidly multiplying, that agents who live at a distance from the Patent Office, and have no facilities for the management of patent business, can carry it on with satisfaction, either to themselves or their clients. Now, we have at our command the combined facilities of the two largest patent agencies in the country, one being located at New York, and the other at Washington. These facilities include the constant daily access to all the official records, assignments, extensions, books, models, and papers pertaining to nearly all American patents ever granted, and to thousands of rejected cases and foreign patents. In addition to this, we have the advantage of many years experience in the business, during which we have, and do now maintain, a palpable preeminence over all other establishments of the kind in the world. We mention theae facts for the benefit of our brother agents, wherever they may happen to be located, and would say that the combined advantages of our agencies are always at their service. We shall be happy to render them every assistance in our power in any matters relating to patent business, whether it be in the prosecution of rejected cases, the preparation of specifications, drawings, assignments, searches of the records, extensions, re-issues or appeals, e. In new applications it will generally be advisable to have their papers pass through our hands for revision before being sent to the Patent Office, for it is usually more difficult to straighten a case after it has been improperly submitted, than before the documents are filed. Some agents may find it convenient to have us prepare the patent papers from beginning to end. When this is desired, the model should be forwarded to us. Copies of any desired claims, or the patents, with drawings in full, we can promptly furnish. Our brother agents are, no doubt, frequently applied to for their opinions relative to the novelty and patentability of new inventions. But such has been the wonderful augmentation of improvements within the past ten years, that few persons can give an opinion worth a straw, unless it is based upon or backed up by a thorough special examination of the models and patents at Washington. We therefore advise all agents to recommend their clients to have a Preliminary Examination made, at Washington, to ascertain whether their invention is actually new. This service will be promptly rendered by us, and, including a written report, will cost but a small fee. The client's name need not appear. A sketch and description of the improvement is all that we need. We shall be pleased to correspond with patent agents at all times, and to furnish any further information, by way of making arrangements, that they desire. (Address Munn &Co., New York). In respect to taking out foreign patents we would also say that our facilities, are of the most extensive and complete character. We employ the most experienced attornies abroad, so that those who commit business to our care will nowhere have it exposed to the risks of irresponsible and incompetent sub-agents.
