us patent office,I have a patent # on a cast iron match statue.How do I use that to find out more information

Question

on the piece. There is no name and I know that it is early 1900's. Pat.DES.78993. Thank you for your time.

Answer 1

That patent as D078993 was issued in 1929.
Go here for search
http://patft.uspto.gov/netahtml/PTO/srchnum.htm
Go here for direct jump (if Answers can handle it)
http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=D078993.PN.&OS=PN/D078993&RS=PN/D078993
for basic information.
You will have to install a TIFF viewer to see the image of the actual patent as the site explains. Click Help if the image comes up blank.

Answer 2

I looked up your patent number in the US Patent and Trademark Office: http://patft.uspto.gov/netahtml/PTO/srchnum.htm (That will give you the search box.) You have to use D78993. There is a record for it that has a picture and a statement by the person who owns the patent (if you click 'Images' after the search). Unfortunately, there's very little information and it's all in frames that require some awkward scrolling.

The artist's name was Arthur von Frankenberg. Unfortunately, there seems to be very little information about him on the web. Here is a site about his work (although I'm not sure it relates to that particular piece):

http://www.davids-deco.com/news5.html