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.
If these fees are not paid in a timely manner, the patent term expires prematurely and the patented subject matter enters the public domain. For the US, maintenance fees must be paid three and a half, seven and a half, and eleven and a half years after the patent issues to maintain it for the full term.