The figure below shows you a compact characterization of the hourly average temperatures for the quarter of the year centered on February. The horizontal axis is the day, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the color is the average temperature for that hour and day.
The average time it takes to obtain a patent from the patent office at this time is about 32 months or a little under 3 years. [See the current wait time statistics at the USPTO website [ here ] (best viewed with Internet Explorer)].
US patents with a filing date before June 8, 1995 provide protection for up to seventeen years counting from the date of grant (the date given with reference numeral 45), or 20 years from the filing date, whichever expires later. However, the patent holder is required to pay maintenance fees to keep his patent valid. In most European countries, these fees are yearly. The USA requires maintenance fees to be paid at 3.5 years, 7.5 years, and 11.5 years after issuance. If the holder does not pay a maintenance fee, the patent becomes abandoned.