A PATENT CASE

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4306, 15 March 1901, Page 3

A PATENT CASE

In the Supreme Court yesterday, M Justice Edwards heard an appeal in tin matter of an application of Charle, - Lewis Benedict, of Brockville, Leeds > Ontario, Canada, inventor, fer letter. 1 - patent No. 12391, for an ‘Tmprove-men! • in books or tablets,” and in the mattei of the opposition of the Postmasteri General (Hon J. G. Ward; to the a-ppli-I cation. i Air Kirk appeared for the applicant, and Mr Myers for the opponent. ■This was a motion to reverse, vary or discharge a decision of the Registrar of Patents of _ the 19th September, 1900, v. hereby he’refused to grant the application of C. L. Benedict for the abovenamed invention. The grounds of the appeal were as follows:—1. That the Registrar erroneously decided that the appellant’s specification was devoid of novelty. 2. That the'Registrar erroneously held that the appellant’s system, as described in his specification, had been in use in New Zealand for some considerable time prior to the date of tlio application and the invention, and in particular that it had -been in use by tbe Postal and Telegraph Department of New Zealand, having been invented by an officer of that department. 3. That the Registrar erroneously held that the appellant’s invention was the same, or substantially the same, as the invention last mentioned. 4. That the Registrar’s decision was against the weight of evidence adduced before him. 5. That the Registrar’s decision was otherwise erroneous in point of law. The invention in question is a combined letter-form and envelope, such as it was announced some time ago was to bo used in this colony for telegrams. The witnesses for the appellant wore Richard Brown and S. N. von Sturmer, and those for the opponent were D. Robertson (chief clerk, Postal and Telegraph Department), John -Mockay (Government Printer) and IV. J. Lankshear. His Honor reserved judgment.