Wylie
Enlightened
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink2.gif Hi folks,
I have just learned something that I think is worth sharing and could be very valuable information for people that have invested the time and effort there is involved with acquiring and maintaining a patent.
I have known since I was awarded my patent that maintenance fees are a monitory issue that must be taken care of or the patent would be delinquent and considered open game for manufactures to produce at will. These maintenance fees for a Utility Patent as I have are due in the forth and seventh year after the patent is awarded. Some how I was with the understanding that the date the patent was awarded would be the due date for the maintenance fees.
With this belief I consider myself very lucky that I started to gather information early that I needed to pay these maintenance fees. I found the date awarded would have been late for the payment of these maintenance fees and at least would have cost more to maintain the patent if not making the patent delinquent and non-recoverable.
After looking into the maintenance fees due date I found that if I were to have waited or tried to pay the maintenance fees on the same date as the patent was awarded I would have been delinquent by 181 days.
This is just a little friendly heads up for those of you that may be going through the same trials and tribulations I have been for the past 4+ years. With the time and efforts I have invested in my patent a simple clerical error such as this would have been at this point in my life the most devastating thing that would have ever happened to me and I wouldn't want to see this happen to anyone.
Keeping it real, bright, /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
Wylie
I have just learned something that I think is worth sharing and could be very valuable information for people that have invested the time and effort there is involved with acquiring and maintaining a patent.
I have known since I was awarded my patent that maintenance fees are a monitory issue that must be taken care of or the patent would be delinquent and considered open game for manufactures to produce at will. These maintenance fees for a Utility Patent as I have are due in the forth and seventh year after the patent is awarded. Some how I was with the understanding that the date the patent was awarded would be the due date for the maintenance fees.
With this belief I consider myself very lucky that I started to gather information early that I needed to pay these maintenance fees. I found the date awarded would have been late for the payment of these maintenance fees and at least would have cost more to maintain the patent if not making the patent delinquent and non-recoverable.
After looking into the maintenance fees due date I found that if I were to have waited or tried to pay the maintenance fees on the same date as the patent was awarded I would have been delinquent by 181 days.
This is just a little friendly heads up for those of you that may be going through the same trials and tribulations I have been for the past 4+ years. With the time and efforts I have invested in my patent a simple clerical error such as this would have been at this point in my life the most devastating thing that would have ever happened to me and I wouldn't want to see this happen to anyone.
Keeping it real, bright, /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
Wylie
