Whiting & Davis "Florodora Bracelets" 1902

From the Jeweler's Circular Weekly, 1902, this ad for the new "Florodora" bracelets by Whiting & Davis. Shown is a snake bracelet with mention of 50 other patterns! These bracelets used a newly patented hinge mechanism that is described in the patent as allowing the bracelet to be "opened and held open until desired to be closed...and closed until desired to be opened".

click to enlarge the ad

Can a patent number be used on an item before the patent is issued?

Quick answer: Nope

Common sense would tell us that when you see a patent number on an item, it means that the patent has been formally granted/issued. But then, we are dealing with the government here, so I thought it might be a good idea to look it up to make sure. I was wondering if possibly the patent number was given to an applicant early in the process - just for record keeping. And if that was true, would some companies mark an item with a patent number before it was granted?

What I've been able to find on the US Patent site is, that it is definitely against the rules to include a patent number on an item before it is issued. And that the words "patent pending", or "patent applied for" have no legal effect. There is a separate "application number" that is issued at the time that the patent is applied for.

So, yep, if you see a patent number written on an item, it was manufactured on or after the date the the patent was issued.

Richelieu Design Patents

Recently I found 46 design patents that I suspected belonged to the Joseph H Meyer Bros company who made Richelieu jewelry. While neither the Joseph H Meyer Bros company, nor Richelieu are mentioned in the patents, they are designs by Maximilian C Meyer, who according to a NY Times article from 1941 was the President of the company. Today I received an adverstisement from 1942 that confirms at least some of the patents! Here is an example of one patent, shown with a cut out from the ad of the item that matches. To see all the design patents, click here (page on the main JPP site). To see more about the patents, advertisements and grading systems for Richelieu, click here (page on the main JPP site)

Tips on Reading Patents

Found a nice website with an illustrated example on how to read patents. It is nice in that it gives some detail on each of the sections of the patent and what they mean. For example, it explains that the filing date is generally used to determine the date that the inventor came up with his/her invention. Check out more here: http://www.inventorbasics.com/Patent%20Layout.htm

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?

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.