United States Patent and Trademark Office OG Notices: 16 April 2002
Notice of Maintenance Fees Payable Title 37 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Section 1.362(d) provides that maintenance fees may be paid without surcharge for the six-month period beginning 3, 7, and 11 years after the date of issue of patents based on applications filed on or after Dec. 12, 1980. An additional six-month grace period is provided by 35 U.S.C. 41(b) and 37 CFR 1.362(e) for payment of the maintenance fee with the surcharge set forth in 37 CFR 1.20(h), as amended effective Dec. 16, 1991. If the maintenance fee is not paid in the patent requiring such payment the patent will expire on the 4th, 8th, or 12th anniversary of the grant. Attention is drawn to the patents which were issued on April 6, 1999 for which maintenance fees due at 3 years and six months may now be paid. The patents have patent numbers within the following ranges: Utility Patents 5,890,223 through 5,893,169 Reissue Patents base on the above identified patents. Attention is drawn to the patents which were issued on April 4, 1995 for which maintenance fees due at 7 years and six months may now be paid. The patents have patent numbers within the following ranges: Utility Patents 5,402,535 through 5,404,589 Reissue Patents based on the above identified patents. Attention is drawn to the patents which were issued on April 2, 1991 for which maintenance fees due at 11 years and six months may now be paid. The patents have patent numbers within the following ranges: Utility Patents 5,003,630 through 5,005,213 Reissue Patents based on the above identified patents. No maintenance fees are required for design or plant patents. Payments of maintenance fees in patents may be submitted electronically over the Internet at www.uspto.gov. Payments of maintenance fees in patents not submitted electronically over the Internet should be mailed to "United States Patent and Trademark Office, P.O. Box 371611, Pittsburgh, PA 15250-1611". Correspondence related to maintenance fees other than payments of maintenance fees in patents is not to be mailed to P.O. Box 371611, Pittsburgh, PA 15250-1611, but must be mailed to "Box M Correspondence, "Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks, Washington, DC 20231". Patent owners must establish small entity status according to 37 CFR 1.27 if they have not done so and if they wish to pay the small entity amount. The current amounts of the maintenance fees due at 3 years and six months, 7 years and six months, and 11 years and six months are set forth in 37 CFR 1.20(e)-(g), as amended Oct. 1, 2001, which are reproduced below: 37 CFR 1.20 Post-issuance fees (e) For maintaining an original or reissue patent, except a design or plant patent, based on an application filed on or after after Dec. 12, 1980, in force beyond 4 years; the fee is due by three years and six months after the original grant: By a small entity ( 1.27(a)) $440.00 By other than a small entity $880.00 (f) For maintaining an original or reissue patent, except a design or plant patent, based on an application filed on or after Dec. 12, 1980 in force beyond 8 years; the fee is due by seven years and six months after the original grant: By a small entity ( 1.27(a)) $1,010.00 By other than a small entity $2,020.00 (g) For maintaining an original or reissue patent, except a design or plant patent, based on applications filed on or after Dec. 12, 1980 in force beyond 12 years; the fee is due by eleven years and six months after the original grant: By a small entity ( 1.27(a)) $1,550.00 By other than a small entity $3,100.00 The amount of the surcharge for paying the maintenance fee during the grace period or after expiration of the patent are set forth in 37 CFR 1.20(h), and (i) which are reproduced below: (h) Surcharge for paying a maintenance fee during the 6 month grace period following the expiration of three years and six months, seven years and six months, and eleven years and six months after the date of the original grant of a patent based on an application filed on or after Dec. 12, 1980: By a small entity ( 1.27(a)) $65.00 By other than a small entity $130.00 (i) Surcharge for accepting a maintenance fee after expiration of a patent for non-timely payment of a maintenance fee where the delay is shown to the satisfaction of the Commissioner to have been: (1) unavoidable $700.00 (2) unintentional $1,640.00