The Speed Dial Screen ........................................................................................................................ 13. Working in the Speed Dial Screen ........................................................................................................ 14. Managing Your Speed Dial List ...........................................................................................................
(As of year 2005). Answer: 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 the applications were filed. You must make the timely payment of the appropriate maintenance fees. Design patents last 14 years from the date you are granted the patent. No maintenance fees are required for design patents.
As with a utility patent, a design patent is subjected to an examination in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, which includes a prior-art search. The design patent has a term of 14 years from the date it is granted; a utility patent carries a 17-year term. In many circumstances, one may obtain a design patent in addition to a utility patent for the same invention. Naturally, to do this, the standards for each patent category must be satisfied.