We hold a number of letters patent and patent specifications in our collections, but knew very little about them, or the innovations they might reveal. Do they hold much research potential? Surely they would only contain minimal details, to protect from imitations? We did some digging to find out more…
Very basically, a patent gives sole right to a process or invention for a stated period of time (14 years until 1920, 16 years after 1920). It protects the patentee from others using or selling the invention without permission. The history of patent law and process is, in itself, fascinating (as is this recent blog post by the Intellectual Property Office ‘The Man who Invented Invention‘.)
The information they contain is formulaic, and can be limited, but can also very useful, including the name of the patentee, occupation, brief description of invention, money involved, time period, and date. Earlier patents, in particular, are often visually impressive, written on large pieces of parchment, with decorative borders and attached royal seals.
Their value, obviously, lies in scientific or technical research, for example tracing the development of a particular technology. However, they could also be used for family or local history, to find out about particular inventors (patents can generally be searched by number or name).
The patents in our collections, are ones which have survived in business collections. These are the ones which the business had a particular interest in keeping, most likely because they developed/used the invention. Alongside financial papers, licenses, minute books etc., they can be a real insight into the technological processes which a company chose to use, areas of special concern at particular times, and the effect the patent had on the company (e.g. monopoly over certain processes, increased productivity or profit).
Yorkshire Imperial Metals (Ref. LAC/126/F)
Vivian and Sons was one of the two major copper smelting firms in Swansea, and their papers include UK, French, Austrian-Hungarian, Canadian and German patents. They date between 1816 and 1924, and relate to improvements in copper manufacturing.
During his time as owner of Hafod Smelting Works, Swansea, Sir H H Vivian took out several patents, taking the company (and the metallurgical industry in Swansea) in additional directions with with the manufacture of spelter, gold, silver, nickel, and cobalt.
Old Castle Tinplate Company (Ref. LAC/87/G)
Whilst most of the patent records in this collection relate to applications and inventions by Old Castle Tinplate Company, for tinplate processes, equipment and furnaces, there is an unexpected find. This letters patent was for Gustav Scheurmann, music publisher of Newgate Street, London for the invention of ‘improvements in printing music when type is employed’ in 1856. Why would the company possess, and retain, this patent as, on first glance, it appears to have nothing to do with the business of tinplate? After doing a little research, we found reference to Gustav Scheurmann, in 1856, inventing a system of double printing of music, printing the staves and notes separately from moveable type. So, we could guess that this system might have included tin in either the type or the equipment used for the printing. Unfortunately, it seems the process may never have took off, as a few years later Gustav Scheurmann was facing bankruptcy.
We’d love to know more about the connection between music publishing and the Old Castle Tinplate Company, but it does prove that even the most formulaic documents in business collections could have interesting stories to tell!
How to search
- The National Archives- ‘Inventions: patents and specifications’ for where, and how, to search.
- British Library- ‘Collections Guide, Patents‘ established in the mid 19th century as the library of the British Patent Office.
- The Espacenet database contains information about patents worldwide from 1782 to the present day.