United States Patent and Trademark Office OG Notices: 12 September 2006
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 that were issued on September 2, 2003 for which maintenance fees due at 3 years and six months my now be paid. The patents have patent numbers within the following ranges: Utility Patents 6,611,959 through 6,615,408 Reissue Patents based on the above identified patents. Attention is drawn to the patents that were issued on August 31, 1999 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 5,943,694 through 5,946,718 Reissue Patents based on the above identified patents. Attention is drawn to the patents that were issued on August 29, 1995 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 5,444,870 through 5,446,924 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. Click on the "Site Index" link at the top of the homepage (www.uspto.gov), and then scroll down and click on the "Maintenance Fees" link for more information. 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 "Mail Stop M Correspondence, Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 22313-1450". 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 the most recently amended provisions in 37 CFR 1.20(e)-(g). To obtain the current maintenance fee amounts, please call the USPTO Contact Center at (800)-786-9199 or see the current USPTO fee schedule posted on the USPTO Internet web site. At the top of the USPTO homepage at www.uspto.gov, click on the "Site Index" link and then scroll down and click on the "Fees, USPTO" link to find the current USPTO fee schedule.