Description of series:
174 bound volumes, each 10"x8", and of varying thicknesses (from 1"to2") containing printed copies of specifications of inventions for letters patent which were received, lodged and registered at the Patents office, Melbourne, under the Patents act 1903-1909. Each specification bears a registration number (single number followed by the year of registration), date of application, name of the actual inventor and applicant, date of receipt of application, date complete specification lodged, date specification advertised, class, and title of the invention.
 
History Prior/Subsequent to Transfer:
"Prior to transfer-"Prior to 1904 each Australian State had independent jurisdiction in respect of Patents and enacted their own laws in the matter. The Commonwealth Constitution Act(9th July,1900)gave the Federal Government power to legislate concerning Patents and the first Commonwealth Patents Act was passed in 1903. The Act came into force on the 1st June 1904 on which date the administration of the States Patent Acts of each Australian State was transferred to the Commonwealth. Under the Act the powers and functions vested under State laws became vested in the Commonwealth. The Act was administered by a Commissioner of Patents who was appointed to that office on 20th January 1904. Within the Department of Trade and Customs, the Commonwealth Patents Office was established on the 26th February,1904 and sub offices also established in each State. In Queensland a master set of the publications for the period 1904-1910 was arranged primarily in order of class, i.e. Classes 00-1 to 99-8. Each class was then arranged in numerical order, with gaps, and bound into volumes. Over- lapping of classes is common in many volumes. An index to the contents of each volume was then compiled. On the 9th November 1936, control of the Commonwealth Patents Office was transferred from Dept. of Trade & Customs to the Investigation Branch of the Commonwealth Attorney General's
Department.
 
Administrative information
 
The following data was keyed from the paper documentation:
Form number:              CA 17
Creating department:      TRADE & CUSTOMS, PATENTS SUB OFFICE
                          BRISBANE
Transferring department:  ATTORNEY-GENERAL'S, PATENT, TRADEMARKS
                          DESIGNS AND COPYRIGHT SUBOFFICE, BRISBANE
Date of transfer:         15/05/1969
Archives file number:     RWB7/3/4