William Howard Taft

“ D. C. 255, in speaking of a case presenting a similar question: 'While the rules that govern the finality and conclusiveness of adjudications at the common law do not apply, in the strict sense, to administrative or quasi judicial action in the Executive Department of government, yet in administrative action, as well as in judicial proceeding, it is both expendient and necessary that there should be an end of controversy. ”

“ He cannot be deprived of this right by proof that if he had filed his application immediately after the invention the patent would have been issued 2 years earlier than it was, and the public therefore would have come into possession of the free use of the invention 2 years sooner. The statute has given this right, and no consideration of public benefit can take it from him. Hir right exists because Congress has declared that it should. * * * A party seeking a right under the patent statutes may avail himself of all their provisions, and the courts may not deny him the benefit of a single one. ”

“ During the pendency of the application in this case, the period allowed was one year. We do not know on what principle we could apply the equitable doctrine of abandonment be laches in a case where the measure of reasonable promptness is fixed by statute, and no other ground appears by reason of which laches could be imputed to the applicant. ”

“ Certain claims made by him were repeatedly rejected by the Patent Office. Cowles complied with the requirements of section 4894, Revised Statutes (Comp. St. § 9438) , requiring an applicant to reply to the action of the Patent Office within a year, but on seven different occasions he delayed more than 11 months before filing his response to the Patent Office ruling. On May 20, 1911, the Patent Office finally rejected the only claim remaining in the application which was directed to the subject-matter in issue, holding that it was unpatentable on certain references. ”