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Ham anxiously awaited the response with frequent stops at the Post Office. Ham was

disappointed when this message arrived:

The note was accompanied with a pamphlet entitled

―

Rules of Practice in the United

State Patent Office. Revised December 1, 1879.

‖

There were fifty pages of rules. He

contacted Joe Stanwood who explained to him he needed a petition or application, a

specification or description, an oath, a drawing, and a fee for the patent examiner. Ham

was a bit taken aback when he learned the non-refundable application fee was $15. He

couldn't afford it. Bessie's brother Tom McAllister was a friend of Joe and Ham. When

he heard about this dilemma, he offered to advance the money for shares of the profits

when the patent sold. Ham sat down with Joe and Tom to prepare the necessary papers.

First came the petition:

The lengthy specification was written with references to figure numbers and letters in

Ham's sketches. This was followed by claims: