US patents in 1856

A scenario for the US patent system, patent office and granted patents 150 years ago is outlined, based on the annual report of the Commissioner of Patents for 1856. Particular topics covered include input and workload; some comparisons of US, English, and French patent offices in 1856; annual fees; repeal of invalid patents; and the provision of patent copies. A tabulation of granted patents by subject matter, and comments and drawings from some typical and some interesting patents, complete the article.