Gentlemen,
just came across this thread while doing a google search for John Deeley, Jr (inventor of the ejectors used by Westley Richards).
As some interesting patent relating matters were discussed, I like to ad some info. These remarks may be regarded as being off topic, but I want to add this info anyway.
A&D 1875 patent monopoly would have been in place for a period of 20 years. Possibly after the 5th year there was a renewal fee??? Does anyone know how long A&D paid for the patent to be current?
Raimey, the patent term in the UK was - according to the British Patent, Designs and Trade Marks Act of 1883 14 years from date of grant; see Article 17 on page 272 here:
http://www.archive.org/stream/relatingtoletter00terr#page/272/mode/2upI'm assuming, the 14 years term is valid also for patents granted under the older British Patent Law Reform Act of 1852 (valid until 1883), but I didn't find the text of the 1852 Act.
in Germany, where more than likely an A&D patent was not filed. That's why there are those early boxlocks very similar to those of H.A. Lindner/Daly without the A&D use number.
Hum, hard to make a final statement. Yes, the German Patent Law came into force in 1877, but before 1877, there existed German state patents, e.g. patents granted by the States Prussia, Saxony, Württemberg and Bavaria. After the German Patent Law came into force in 1877, these older State patents remained valid. It was also possible for a patentee to file a new patent based on an older State patent under the new Law (the State patent was extended to a Reichs patent). I will check if there was such an extended Reichs patent.
Surprisingly, I found Meffert's German patent No 4770, filed in German Patent Office on 10. September 1878. Said patent is nothing else but a true copy of the Anson & Deeley invention (except for a side lever instead a top lever). I can't explain, why this patent was granted.
I've seen the acronym APUN and phrase Action Patent Use Number tossed about, which may have just been used in Britain or it may have been applied across the continent.
This "Action Patent Use Number" is a strange thing. If you do a google or yahoo search, you'll find only citations in connection with English sporting guns. No military guns, no corkscrews, no fishing reels or whatsoever. In commentaries regarding British Patent Acts (1852 and 1883) I did not find anything about a requirement of the patentee to number his patented goods. There even was no provision at all in the British Patent Act, that a patentee would have to mark a patented product with a patent indication to inform possible infringers about the existence of a patent. Contrary:
"So it is immaterial whether the defendant was aware that the thing was patented or not, since in law every person in the realm is taken to have notice of a patent in the same way that he is taken to be aware of the law".http://www.archive.org/stream/relatingtoletter00terr#page/146/mode/2upIn fact, at least some English gunmakers did use APUNs - but I don't know the reason why.
Regards
Martin
