Friday, October 17, 2008

Marvella Mystery



Today I picked up this pretty Marvella bracelet which got me to wondering if Marvella had any patents. Although this particular bracelet has the copyright symbol, so I didn't really expect to find a patent (and didn't)

Looking at other research sites, I found that Marvella was created by the Weinreich Bros, so I was off to search for patents for either Marvella or the brothers. The other patent sites I did a quick check of, did not show any patents for Marvella.

However, a Google search turned up 3 possibilities. The names on the patents are either Sol E. Weinreich or Richard E. Weinreich. But were these THE Weinreich brothers of Marvella? Time for more research! (see below for the answer and more info)
Patent numbers: 163724, 153409 and 122619. Here are quick pics of the designs:







Are they Marvella patents? The quick answer is yes! It appears that they are! For more of the story (it's too much to put here in the blog), please visit the new Marvella page on the website, particularly if you need more details to try and verify a piece that you have found that matches the above patents.








Monday, October 13, 2008

Sarah Coventry - patents?

A question came up about whether Sarah Coventry patented their designs. I did a bit of research and the quick answer is that it doesn't look like it. However there are some utility patents and it was really interesting to read about patents all the back to 1892 for C.W. Stuart who started the companies that eventually included Sarah Coventry. I found so much info, that I put it all onto a page on the website.


I also got a kick out of one patent filed in 1972 for a "ring for two adjacent fingers". I wonder if they actually made this ring? oops, more research! LOL! Here's a drawing from the patent.




Thursday, October 9, 2008

New patents in the Patent Browser

I've been able to do some downloading lately and have added some new categories to the patent browser page on the website. Categories d11-15 thru d11-20 have lots of chains and links. As an example, this Coro linked necklace:


So they are good categories to search for necklaces and bracelets.






Monday, October 6, 2008

Viewing copyright records

As I spend a lot of time searching through the US patent office patents and trademarks websites, I started to wonder about the whole copyright thing, which is also part of the USPTO website.

Visiting the US copyright office pages, I saw that you can search online for records after 1978, and then it said that if you visit the library, you can search for older records.

In looking at the online records (the ones after 1978), I noticed that while there is a description, there isn't an actual drawing or photo or anything. For example when searching for Trifari, the record will say something like "Forever collar : style no. 52246 - Necklace - 1982". Which in itself might at least be a good starting point for identifying items, but you really couldn't verify an item's identity completely.

So, I wondered if, when you are actually at the library, whether you could see the drawing or whatever they normally supply with the copyright application. It was rapidly getting clear I am really unclear on this whole copyright records thing. So, I sent an email inquiry to the copyright office asking if, when searching in the library, it was possible to see the full information. They answered very quickly. Although they didn't quite answer my question, and I'm not much clearer. Here is what they said:

A work submitted for registration is part of the public record in the sense that someone wishing to examine the work can request that we retrieve the copy from our off-site storage facility and make it available for inspection here in our office. There is a $150 fee for this service.

To request an inspection of a work, please contact the Certifications and Documents Section indicating the original registration number. They can inform you if the work is available for inspection.

It is very important that the records be clearly identified to minimize the time required for searches by the Copyright Office staff. These searches require a search fee in addition to the inspection fee.


So, one thing for sure, it looks like it can get pretty expensive in a hurry!! Although I am still a bit confused, since the website indicates that you can go and do your own research at the library. I wonder if all you can see there is the summary type records unless you request to "examine" a copy.

If anyone knows how this all works, I'd love to hear! I do have some relatives in the DC area, maybe I can talk one of them into wandering over there to see what they can find..

Saturday, October 4, 2008

Would you wear it? A belt and brooch combined


I have to say this patent baffles me! An interesting idea, but somehow the practicality escapes me. LOL! Design patent number 106148 patented in 1937 by Herman Pomerantz of New York, it is simply described as a combined brooch and belt. The only detail in the description is that the pin has a conventional fastening mechanism on the back.

What do you think? I wonder if it was ever produced? Would you wear it?





Thursday, October 2, 2008

I'm from Missouri - You'll have to show me..

I was downloading patents today and ran across this watch fob patented in 1906. I thought, gee, kinda cheeky to say that about Missouri! And the guy that patented it was from Arizona. Here's the patent drawing:


Well, a quick google brought up an explanation of the saying and the story is kind of fun. Basically it says that in the 1800's Westerners liked to refer to Missouri as the "Show Me State" implying that Missourians were slow and not very bright. Missourians turned the definition around and claimed that "show me" meant that they were not easily fooled. You'll find more of the story here

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Wow! The new Brunialti books!

OMG! I just received the new books and they are wonderful! I had heard so much about the original ones, but had never seen them. If the new ones are anything like the old ones, I can see why they are so heralded! They have gazillions of photos and all have very detailed info. I haven't dug in completely yet, but of course, the first section I went to (after I flipped quickly oohing and aahing over the photos), was the patent section. Here's one thing that I have already learned ..so interesting!!!

Dating a piece by the "patent applied for" date rather than the "patent issued" date. I had thought that items were not produced until the patent was actually issued. In my mind, I figured that between the time the patent was applied for and when it was issued, the companies would not take the chance of someone copying the design, waiting until the patent was legally theirs before actually producing the piece. Brunialti points out that the reality was that the designs were probably produced and distributed right about the time that the patent was applied for. He writes that because the costume jewelry industry is a fashion industry, things moved very quickly. Designs were quickly outdated. So, more likely the pieces hit the streets as the patents were applied for and that by the time the patents were issued, they were outdated and the patent was something of a moot point.

The first post!

Okay, here I go with this new blog thing! Before I set the blog up, I was sure that I had lots to write about, since every day I discover new and interesting things about vintage costume jewelry and patent research. But darn if I can think of thing at this moment. thinking..thinking..thinking... oh! I've got an idea! On to the next post!