Patent drawings were once considered a work of art. If we create a gallery of patent drawings arranged chronologically since 1790 when the USPTO was started, it throws the light on present day drawings as nothing more than simple lines and computer-generated numbers. In the past 222 years, patent drawings have degraded from detailed works of art to simplistic line drawings that can barely be called illustrations. And this aesthetic degradation is all because of a fire that broke out in 1836. The raging flames destroyed many patents, and up went about 9,000 beautiful drawings in the smoke. Rules related to application filing and patent illustrations witnessed a radical change the following year. Details began to fade away; application rules demanded inventors to submit two illustrations —one for safekeeping in the patent office; the other attached to the patent grant transmitted to the applicant. Making duplicates of elaborate illustrations was not only cumbersome and costly, but also time consuming. The patent office no longer required patent applicants to hire an official draftsman to draw an invention. In 2000, the USPTO made another amendment that pushed the need of aesthetic patent drawings even lower on priority. It reduced the number of revisions required to correct drawings. Eventually, the USPTO enforced a rule that patent drawings must be in black ink to make them easier to reproduce. Even today, applicants can only submit a colour drawing if they file a petition and pay an extra fee. Specifically, the patent office stated that a drawing should just be informative enough to communicate the invention to the examiner and readable enough so as to usefully fit in published applications and patents. So, while a modern drawing does have to explain an invention, it holds no obligation to explain it in an aesthetic manner. This aesthetic degradation of patent illustrations might not be a surprising fact though. A closer analysis reveals that this is just a reflection of the cultural shift industries have gone through. With an increasing focus on cost-cutting, the pride in representing one’s invention artistically and making a mark has somehow disappeared over time. Isn’t it also sad that the patent draftsman, who once not just contributed livid drawings, but also added intricate, cursive labelling to the drawings, is no longer acknowledged in the patent? The labels used these days are also in rather plain fonts. Keeping in mind that too much detail can possibly limit a patent’s scope, today’s requirements call for fewer details with a deliberate shift towards a relatively vague technical drawing. Another motivation behind reducing drawing details is to make it easier incorporate requested revisions and modifications without much difficulty. As a result of this, artists whose work compelled patent officials to delve into the dense particulars, remain unheralded. Unfortunately, patent illustrations have no place for an artist

1. Aesthetic Degradation of
Patent Drawings

2. Still Design Patent, 1808 – US 912
Norman Chan
The drawing looks straight out of a da Vinci paintbrush with a complete
3-D view. The intrinsic detailing helps one guess the material of every
component that will be used when the invention comes to life.

3. Diving Dress, 1810 – US 1405
Chauncy Hall
From designing the invention on a wearer to illustrating how and
where the invention can be used, the illustrator went to great
lengths to add depth and detail.

4. Raft Design, 1818 – US 2912
David Gordon
The finer details of sailing the raft in swift waters and rocky terrain
powers up the invention.

5. Mechanical Fan, 1830 – US 6263
James Barron
The resting man in a couch is all the detail that one needs to believe
in the invention and the comfort that it promises to offer.

6. Harp Guitar, 1831
US 6788
E.N. Sherr
The drawing clearly
shows that the
strings can be
individually
plucked, true to
its name of a Harp
Guitar.

7. Fire Ladder, 1831
US 6490
James Johnson
From a raging fire to
fire fighters spewing
water and rescue
personnel, the
drawing is replete
with details of how
the Fire Ladder can
be put to use.

8. Artificial Arm, 1865 – US 51238 A
John Condell
A complete 3-D view of the invention, along with details of cross
sections, this drawing must have done absolute justice to the model of
the invention.

9. Typewriter, 1869
US 79265
Sholes, Glidden & Soule
From the platen knob to
the key top, the ribbon
spool to the type
wheel, the invention is
all clear in this one
illustration.

10. Life-Preserving Coffin, 1843 – US 3335
Christian Henry Eisenbrandt
Worried about being buried alive, the inventor created this life-
preserving coffin that would throw open the lid with the slightest
movement of the body. The springs and levers are all here in intricate
details, just in case you are wondering how!

11. Washing Machine, 1844 – US 1844
O. B. Wright
A cross-section of the rotating blades and its movement perspective
speaks more than the patent might have.

12. Flying Machine, 1869 – US 95513
W. F. Quinby
From hand positions to flexed muscles, tapering moustaches to arched
eyebrows, the illustrator has delved into detailing to bring the
invention to life on paper. It also defines the use of metal, strings
and wood in various parts of the invention.

13. Road Vehicle, 1895 – US 540648
C. E. Duryea
From a cushioned seat to sturdy metallic spokes, the vehicle’s design
complements the mechanical details of its functioning with pure
aesthetic sense.

14. Horse Blanket, 1905
US 806925
A. H. Meyers
After the 1880s, the USPTO did
not insist on models of the
invention accompanying the
patent. This lowered the
priority of drawings and saw
the downward spiral of their
aesthetic presence in patents.
This illustration created in
the early stages of this
change sticks to detailing,
albeit lower than its
predecessors. There’s emphasis
on the blanket design, with
the horse pushed to the
background.

15. Bird Cage, 1930
US 80524
F. E. Greene
Unlike earlier patents
that detailed even the
material used through
illustrations, black and
white drawings of the
1900s could resort to as
much detailing as this
illustration.
Silhouettes of persons
and the drawing of a
yacht in the sea is the
prime aesthetic aspect of
this image, while the
projections on the sides
describe the bird
perches.

16. Safety Helmet with Face
Guard, 1960 - US 2944263
D. H. Rayburn
Marking a radical shift
towards showcasing just the
technical aspects of an
invention, this drawing
details all parts of the
safety helmet, with a
reference image of its usage.
The illustrator, however, has
worked brilliantly within the
limits of using just black
ink. The stippling practically
brings the invention and the
wearer to life. Even the
labelling of the figure has an
artistic intent, though it is
more conformed to the style of
the 1960s.

17. Buoyant Bullet-Proof Combat
Uniform, 1968 – US 3398406
N. J. Waterbury
This illustration tolls us back to the
heydays with its intricate detailing.
The invention is shown in its
practical usage, including its role in
case of an attack.
The fire from a gun, crash landing of an
aircraft, its ensuing smoke and a
parachute-lander, coupled with the text
marking figures – all support its
aesthetic quality.

18. Apple Logo Telephone, 1985 – US 3398406
N. J. Waterbury
Illustrations begin to show excessive focus on specific details of
the patent. However, the artist has added a couple of nuances, such
as the stippling, that add more depth to the drawing.

19. Wearable Computing
Device, 1996
US 5798907 A
Craig M. Janik
Marking a nearly-complete
shift towards describing
just the invention, this
illustration in black ink
shows a perspective view
of how the invention can
be strapped on the wearer.
It also details the input/
output device.
The style of marking
figures also witnesses a
change from the 1960s and
1970s, getting more plain
and matter-of-fact.

20. PC Peripheral
Interactive Doll, 1998
US 6319010 B1
Dan Kikinis
Going… going… nearly gone.
That’s pretty much the
story with this patent
diagram.
Filled with technical
details of bi-directional
communication with a doll,
the illustration is purely
for patent purposes.

21. Wearable Electric Field
Detector, 2000
US 6329924 B1
William J. McNulty
A single invention
described in parts through
four images, the 2000s
herald the era of purely
subjective patent
illustrations. This is
reinforced with the
practical font of pointing
to figures, the artistic
curves of the past
forgotten altogether.

22. Head-Mounted Display Locks During Unnatural Movement, 2011
US 8223024 B1
David Petrou
With a basic diagram of the face, ears and eyes – parts of the body
that the invention encompasses, patent diagrams have traversed a long
and tedious path to become nothing more than simple lines and shapes
with subjective emphasis on the invention and nothing beyond that.