As it turns out, there are as many origin stories for barbecue as there are spellings of the word on neon signs. These explanations range from a linguistic attempt to connect barbecue to boucan (also French) to a tall tale tracing barbecue to a Texas rancher who happened to brand the initials B.Q. on his livestock.
Patent protection usually ends when the patent expires. Here are the expiration dates: For all utility patents filed before June 8, 1995, the patent term is 20 years from date of filing, or 17 years from date of issuance, whichever period is longer.
1 To stay in force for the entire 20 year term, utility patent owners must pay three maintenance fees. 2  If one of those fees is not paid then the patent will be seen as expired and no longer enforceable. 3  Most patentees do not pay all three fees-thus most patents expire before completion of the 20 year term.