[Gasification] patent length of protection

[Toby Seiler]

Dear list,
   
  I posted the Wiki information on US Patent length but found that it has changed.  Here is what I found at the USPTO site;
   
  For applications filed on or after June 8, 1995, utility and plant patents are granted for a term which begins with the date of the grant and usually ends 20 years from the date you first applied for the patent subject to the payment of appropriate maintenance fees. Design patents last 14 years from the date you are granted the patent.  No maintenance fees are required for design patents. For applications filed on or after June 8, 1995, utility and plant patents are granted for a term which begins with the date of the grant and usually ends 20 years from the date you first applied for the patent subject to the payment of appropriate maintenance fees. Design patents last 14 years from the date you are granted the patent.  No maintenance fees are required for design patents. 
   
  There are three basic fees for utility patents:
    
   The filing fee, which is non-refundable whether or not a patent is granted. (This is the cost to have your invention "examined" by the US Patent and Trademark Office - remember, you may or may not get a patent!)   
   The issue fee (you pay this only if your application is allowed)   
   Maintenance fees (paid at 3 1/2, 7 1/2, and 11 1/2 years after your patent is granted - these fees "maintain" your legal protection).   
   Additional fees may be required. 
  Typical fees are as follows (these are only intended to give you a "ballpark" estimate) these fees do not reflect all the possible variations in filing and patenting your invention - also, these fees are subject to change - thus, you are strongly advised to check the current fee schedule before submitting your application.
  Typical filing fees for an Inventor when application filed with a written assertion of small entity status (See Simplified Small Entity Status Practice):
   
          Filing a provisional application.     $100
    Filing a non-provisional application.     Approximately $150*
    Issue fee    Approximately $650
    Maintenance fees:
Due at 3 1/2 years
Due at 7 1/2 years
Due at 11 1/2 years    
Approximately $450
Approximately $1150
Approximately $1900

   
   
  Regards,  Toby Seiler, STC

       
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