Seismic wave - Notation. 1  The path that a wave takes between the focus and the observation point is often drawn as a ray diagram. 2  For example... 3  ScP is a wave that begins traveling towards the center of the Earth as an S wave. 4  sPKIKP is a wave path that begins traveling towards the surface as an S-wave.
A patent is a legal right granted by the UK Intellectual Property Office for a new invention. It allows the owner of the patent (the patentee) to take legal action against others who use his invention without his permission. The right has a maximum life-time of 20 years in most countries, from the date of the patent application. What a patent does not do is give the owner an automatic right to use the invention.
If the patent term has not expired, you will then want to check with the USPTO to see if the required maintenance fees have been paid. There are three maintenance fees due for utility patents (design patents do not have maintenance fees): 3 years, 7 years and 11 years. U.S. Patent No. 6,854,555). 2  If the competitor's product does not have a patent number directly on it, check the packaging, marketing materials and website for any patent notices. 3  After you have identified a patent number of interest, you can perform a patent number search to view the patent.