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Some Of The Lost X-Patents Found

Posted by Hemos on from the recovering-the-past dept.

Jerry Browne writes " The New York Times (reg req) is carrying a story about the recent discovery of some lost patents. Apparantly a fire at a temporay storage site in July 1836 destroyed the first 10000 patents issued. From the article..."The Patent and Trademark Office has issued nearly seven million patents; the first 10,000 are known as the X-patents. They were issued from July 1790, when the United States patent system was created under an order signed by George Washington, to July 1836, when every one of them burned in a fire...In the 168 years since the fire, only about 2,800 have been recovered....Until this spring, that is, when two lawyers...a clue to several important patents from the 1790's - including one from 1826 for the first internal combustion engine...""

15 of 281 comments (clear)

  1. Burned by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Maybe some of the new tech patents will 'accidently' get burned.. we can only hope

    1. Re:Burned by RLW · · Score: 5, Funny

      Don't forget to burn everyone who filed one of these insipid patents written in bombastic pseudo techno/legalese.

      Build a fire for a patent lawyer and keep him warm for a day.
      Set a patent lawyer on fire and keep him warm for the rest of his life.

    2. Re:Burned by Demonspawn · · Score: 5, Funny

      Actually, works better phrased this way:

      Set a patent lawyer a fire and keep him warm for a day.
      Set a patent lawyer afire and keep him warm for the rest of his life.

      Extremly humorous that your post is moded 'flamebait' tho ;)

      --Demonspawn

    3. Re:Burned by ChairmanMeow · · Score: 5, Funny

      No, there's prior art for that from 1836.

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  2. Hmmm. Is that the solution? by FFFish · · Score: 5, Funny

    Perhaps the solution to this madness of patenting algorithms, genes, etcetera... is to burn down the patent office again!

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  3. Ironically by Megaweapon · · Score: 5, Funny

    one of the patents burned in the fire was the first internal sprinkler system...

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  4. X-reposts by LiquidCoooled · · Score: 5, Funny

    In other news, the first recorded original story on slashdot has been found.

    It has been carbon dated to within the mid 1830's.

    It has been duped 4796 times since then.

    I actually like these kind of outlandish irrelivent stories, must be a slow news day... :)

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  5. Newly discovered patents from 1790 by 1gor · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...included patent on a business method of "using silly patents for intimidation and extortion".

    There should be consequences...

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  6. Of course! by iamdrscience · · Score: 5, Funny

    All this time looking for a solution to the problems with the U.S. patent office and the solution was right in front of my face the whole time. Arson! How could I have missed that one?

  7. X-patents? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    The truth is out there. And it's already been patented.

  8. X-patents? by iamdrscience · · Score: 5, Funny

    X-patents, eh? Sounds like the patent office is trying to jazz up their image to attract more young patent holders. Makes sense though, I heard they haven't been doing so well marketing to 18-25 year olds.

  9. US Patent Number 1 by drphil · · Score: 5, Funny

    Of course the first US patent is the one for the time machine -- or at least it will be when it gets invented. (Insert shameless plug for Cheapass games here)

  10. Pay up! by Stonent1 · · Score: 5, Funny

    My great-great-great-grandfather patented Hyperlinking, Rambus memory, and Unix back in the 1800's. I'll be setting up a paypal account shortly so you can pay.

  11. Patent Office Spokesperson by teamhasnoi · · Score: 5, Funny
    Ms. Quinn describes him as the inventor "who arguably discovered the first internal combustion engine." You'd think that someone who is the spokeperson for the Patent Office would know the difference between discovered and invented. Or maybe not.

    Perhaps I'm wrong - maybe the internal combustion engine *was* discovered.

    "Where did you say you heard those noises?"
    "Just up here, around this bend in the cave"
    "Wait! I hear it! What sort of infernal creature is it?"
    "God save us, I think it is coming this way!"
    "Hold the lantern higher and brace yourselves!"
    .....
    "Aww, it's just a baby! It's no danger to anyone!"
    "Let us call it 'Infernal Combustion Engine'."
    "We did find it in this cave, how about 'Internal Combustion Engine'?"
    "Brilliant!"
    "This discovery will bring peace and prosperity to all the peoples of the world!"

    (cue evil Doom3 music)...

  12. Patent #10001 by jimand · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...rubber fire hoses