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.
Patents with 1380+ answers. Most utility patents expire 20 years after the earliest filing date, assuming the owner pays maintenance fees. Design patent expire in 14 years after they are issued. Depending on how slow is the US patent office, some US patents may get term extensions; however, no matter what, all patents do eventually expire. For more details, read: 2701-.