BUSY BRAINS

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 147, 19 December 1933, Page 21

BUSY BRAINS

INVENTORS AT WORK

PATENT OFFICE RETURNS

The annual report of tho Patent Office, presented •to Parliament a few days ago, indicates that there is no waning in tho inventive genius of New Zealandcra. Applications for patents received during the year totalled 1845, 1216 of these being lodged by New Zealandeva.

A table in the report shows that more patents had to do with telephony and telegraphy (which classification includes photographs, etc.) than with any other subject. Patents were applied for to the number of 210 in respect of this class. Electrical and magnetic inventions were the subject of 95 patents, and inventors to thfi number of 65 turned their inventive genius to indicating and calculating apparatus. Medical and surgical appliances were patented in larger numbers than usual, 49 applications being made under this heading. The present popularity of knitting is reflected in that "sewingl and knitting" applications numbered 32 as against only 11 in the previous year. Inventors are apparently under the impression that New Zealandors, or their clothes, are not as clean as they might be, for "washing and cleaning" patents applied for numbered 45, as against 32 in. the previous year. Aeronautical patents totalled 18. In the patents applied for relating to building construction, boxes and casks, vehicles, bottles, brewing, furniture, and printing and photography there were decreases on the previous year's figures. Inventors resident outside- New Zealand to the number of several hundred thought it wise to register their inventions in tho Dominion. Of those, 267 resided in Great Britain, nearly 200 in Australia,, 78 in the United States, and 51 in Germany. The Philippine Islands, the Argentine, Estonia, and Spain were among the countries which produced one inventor each who registered his patent in New Zealand. Trade-marks registered during the year were just under a thousand in number. The greatest number of applications in any one class was in that relating to food, clothing coming second. Designs registered totalled 164.

; The total fees received by tho Patent Office during the year amounted to a little over £12,000. As the expenditure, was under £5000, a handsome surplus was shown.