[The following note describes a series of litigation records and has no documents attached to it. For that reason, a "no Documents found" message will appear if the "List Documents" button at the bottom of the note is used. To see the records described here, use the "Which Series Notes?" button to enter the Series Notes or use the "Next Text" button to move to the first item in the series.]

These records, which cover the years 1879-1893, contain testimony, exhibits, arguments, and other documents involving interference proceedings before the U.S. Patent Office. The patent examiner placed patent applications in interference when they embodied similar claims. The inventors were notified and allowed time to take testimony and collect evidence that would establish the priority of their own work. Edison was involved in numerous patent interferences relating to telegraphy, telephones, electric light and power, and iron ore separation.

Interferences pertaining to conflicting claims over who invented the telephone have not been selected, because significant portions of the printed record for these proceedings can be found in Thomas A. Edison Papers, Part I (1850-1878).