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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...""

5 of 281 comments (clear)

  1. No Subscribe Link by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    Reg-Free Link

  2. Re:Worthless info. by Martin+Blank · · Score: 4, Informative

    Historical reference. There are patents today which refer to older patents, which refer to still older patents, etc. Sometimes it's interesting to trace the developments of current ideas from their initial inspirations.

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    You can never go home again... but I guess you can shop there.
  3. Re:1826 the first engine ? by SEE · · Score: 4, Informative

    Not first engine, first internal combustion engine. Steam engines -- even ones running on gas -- are external combustion engines. The technologies are quite distinct.

  4. Re:What is the distribution pattern by nebaz · · Score: 4, Informative

    Doing a little research I have indexed "round number" patents and gotten the following results.

    Patent 10000 was issued in 1853 , 50000 was issued in 1865, 100000 was issued in 1870, 200000 was issued in 1878, 500000 was issued in 1893, 1000000 was issued in 1911, 2000000 was issued in 1935

    Patent 3000000 was issued in 1955, 4000000 was issued in 1976, 5000000 was issued in 1991, 6000000 was issued in 1999, 6500000 was issued in 2002,

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    Rhymes that keep their secrets will unfold behind the clouds.There upon the rainbow is the answer to a neverending story
  5. Re:Hmmm. Is that the solution? by 0x0d0a · · Score: 4, Informative

    Uh, the Nazis *did* bill the Reichstag Fire as a terrorist conspiracy, and a reason for extended police powers, and a reason for the nation to need to "stand together" and not criticize them.

    There should be a term that refers to events like the Reichstag Fire and 9/11.

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    May we never see th