PATENTS
BY Bob Mueller

It’s surprising to me how many items Mr. Carder had patented during his time at Steuben Glass and Corning Glassworks. Mr. Carder filed quite a number to protect his creations and ideas. I would have thought that in the early 1900s most people wouldn’t be focused on the importance of protecting a creative idea.

However, I must observe that a few years back I patented the idea of an object I created. I know I felt my idea was protected because I patented it. I knew then if later someone either comes up with a similar idea or tried to copy mine that then my idea was protected from someone infringing it.

Back in the days of Frederick Carder, L.C. Tiffany, Hawkes, Oscar Bach and Frankart all sought to protect their creations so that competitors could not freely copy them and profit from copying the other person’s ideas.

In my paper (ephemera) collection, I have documents on 16 items that Mr. Carder patented. However, I am also missing some. Most items in my collection are Mat-su-no-ke items that Mr. Carder patented. He also had some of his table decorations protected, which I have found.

Some of the articles I have in my collection show the day Mr. Carder filed for the patent, followed by the day it was, in fact, officially patented.

Shown in the following link http://www.kddk.com/alans/Patents_1.pdf are some of these items Mr. Carter patented over the years. I have shown a Mat-su-Noke compote that Mr. Carder filed for. Also in my collection are items from T.G. Hawkes, Oscar Bach and Frankart.

On Mr. Carder’s Mat-su-no-ke pieces I note that they were only patented for 3½ years, but his table decorations were patented over a period of 14 years. I can find no explanation for this difference of time periods.

I never realized people who own companies needed to resort of seeking patents, but when I personally created my own creative object, I too sought to protect it by seeking a patent.

Robert Mueller
Osseo , Minnesota
January 25, 2010