Frequently asked questions

 

Are there any documents regarding Einstein’s time at the Federal Office of Intellectual Property?

 

Numerous relevant documents can be found on the Federal Archives website.

 

What kind of information about Einstein is available at the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (IPI)?

 

Any material available is published on our website. The IPI has neither a collection of documents nor a historian who could prepare such materials.

 

Is there a list of the patents Einstein examined?

 

We can assume that the following patents were personally examined by Einstein (unfortunately, more exact details aren’t available):

 

  • Pat. no. 39619 (PDF): Meteorological station controlled by ambient humidity

    Alternative-current commentator motor with short-circuit brushes and opposite-mounted auxiliary coils for spark suppression

 

When was the IPI established and under what other names has it existed?

 

The IPI was established on 15 November 1888. Its official names have been:
1888 to 1979 – Federal Office of Intellectual Property
1979 to 1996 – Federal Intellectual Property Agency
As of 1 January 1996 – Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (IPI)
The IPI is a public law institution of the Confederation with its own legal personality.

 

What are the former addresses of the IPI?

 
  • 1888 – 1893 The former institute for the blind in the Lorraine quarter, Bern
  • 1893 – 1907 The federal telegraph building on Speichergasse, Bern (Haus der Kantone today):
Einstein's workplace on the Speichergasse
Einstein's workplace on the Speichergasse

 
  • 1907 – 1921 The old post office building, Outer Bollwerk, Bern. The building was demolished to make room for the train station and the offices of the Swiss Post:
Einstein's workplace in Bollwerk
Einstein's workplace in Bollwerk

 
  • 1921 – 1931 An office barrack constructed during World War I in the Spitalacker quarter, Bern
  • 1931 – 1960 The Kirchenfeld quarter, Bern (location of the Swiss National Library today)
  • 1960 – 2007 Einsteinstrasse 2 (previously named Eschmannstrasse)
  • June 2007 – present, Business Park Bern, 65 Stauffacherstrasse, in the Wankdorf quarter of Bern.
 

When was Einstein employed at the Federal Office of Intellectual Property?

 

Einstein started working as a level III technical expert on 23 June 1902. He earned 3,500 Swiss francs per year. When he was promoted to a level II technical expert on 10 March 1906, his salary increased to 4,500 francs per year. On 16 July 1909, he handed in his resignation and began a position as an associate professor of theoretical physics at the University of Zurich.

 

Is it possible to visit where Einstein worked on Speichergasse?

 

The building on Speichergasse is currently used by Swisscom. Einstein's former office has been remodelled, and there are no reminders of the famous patent clerk who worked there. Access to the building is not open to the public. Einstein's desk can be viewed at the Einstein House at 49 Kramgasse, where he lived from 1903 to 1905.

 

Where can I find out more about Albert Einstein and his time in Bern?

 

There's a vast amount of information available on the internet. The following websites have interesting facts about Einstein’s life in Bern:

 

 

Where can I find Einstein’s complete biography?

 

At www.einstein-bern.ch, for example.

 

Why didn't Einstein work at the Patent Office?

 

Einstein was actually employed by the Federal Office of Intellectual Property. People used to (and sometimes still do) casually refer to it as 'the patent office.' This is technically incorrect because the IPI is responsible for all federal matters concerning patents, trade marks, designs and copyright in Switzerland and it's involved in these areas internationally as well.

 

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