Is there any further information about the recent news that the U.S.
Patent and Trademark Office is discarding many of its old files, after first
scanning and digitizing the documents?  Once they are scanned and digitized,
apparently it is believed there is no need to keep the original documents.
"Anything the office considers in the category of 'historic papers' is being
preserved or turned over to the National Archives."  It is said that one
individual who has been going through Patent Office trash bins has retrieved
"countless intriguing documents, including some bearing the name of T.A.
Edison." The agency says that it has no room to store everything.