Original Design patent 19,140 for Schedler's "Toy Money Safe"

Schedler, H. / Schedler, Herman

[Original art, Design Patent] DESIGN PATENT 19,140 "Toy Money Safe" patented June 4, 1889

Jersey City, NJ: Self-published 1889. First Edition. One sheet of 15 x 10 inch bristol board. Black ink on white paper with pasted on photograph of the item. Several old cellotape repairs, margins significantly chipped. Marginal notes in red and black ink. Design witnesses William Miller and Eduard Wolff. His attorney was Van Santwood & Hauff. The assigned patent application serial number was 309,291 and it was received by the US Patent Office (USPTO) on May 1, 1889. The patent was issued on June 4, 1889, and given design patent number 19,140 with a term of 7 years. We have included a printout of the patent text for reference.

NOTE: This is part of a collection of original design patent art we are selling. If you are interested in knowing about additional items please let us know. Fair. [28098]


Hand-drawn patent drawings, while critical to the patent process, don't often appear for sale. With only the inventor, attorney, and USPTO the likely recipients, few were made, and after expiring many were discarded.

This design example is a toy money safe by Hermann Schedler of Jersey City, NJ. Schedler made a number of globes, and at least a few examples of this design were manufactured (with one selling in 2019 for almost twelve hundred dollars). Schedler had an office at 96 Church Street in NY according to an 1890 Seeger and Guernsey directory. A rare and unique survival of an American globe maker.

DESIGN PATENTS: what they are, how long they last, and records management

Design patents "protect the way an article looks." Historically important, they verify new design innovations, document changing cultural tastes, and establish valuable competitive business advantages. New patents preserve for the stated term the inventor's sole ownership and use of the design.

The US Patent Office (USPTO) calls “the drawing disclosure ... the most important element of the application...As the drawing or photograph constitutes the entire visual disclosure of the claim, it is of utmost importance that the drawing or photograph be clear and complete, that nothing regarding the design sought to be patented is left to conjecture”

To obtain a Design patent, inventors submit an original black pen and ink drawing and a description of the innovation to the USPTO (typically with the assistance of a patent lawyer familiar with the process). The USPTO assigns the new application a "serial number" and "application date." USPTO patent examiners then vet the application to ensure it is unique and not already protected, often with additional communication between the USPTO, the inventor, and their legal representation. This process can take months if not years. Only if determined to be a new invention will the USPTO issue the inventor a Design Patent number and patent date.

During the active term of the design patent, the USPTO retains the inventor's application and drawings for use in patent dispute cases and other inquiries. After the term of the patent, the USPTO may discard or return the materials if no longer relevant to their core mission. Today, most issued patents are digitized for preservation. Older paper records and patent models have been periodically discarded most often with little fanfare and to address space or fiscal management issues.

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