Patent Model

Patent model, wooden case and gears, with metal fittings and some metal parts; function of device unknown. It was discovered in the basement of the Griffin Building (old New Bern high school) at the southwest corner of Johnson and Hancock Streets. Evidence suggests that it was purchased from Columbia University. Prior to 1877 the US Patent Office required inventors to submit a patent model with their patent application. The models were used to verify the originality of the patent and displayed for the public. During the second half of the 19th-century there was a large increase in the number of patent applications, this coupled with a fire in the building in 1877 lead them to drop the requirement. Some inventors continued to submit patent models but by 1900 the practice had largely been abandoned. Beginning in early 20th-century the patent office began distributing its collection of patent models to museums and colleges, including Columbia University.

Collection ID: TP.1989.009.007