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.
Draw up a chair. First, no one can just look at a patent and tell at a glance when it expires. In answer to the question when does this patent expire, you should hear some lawyer waffle-words: It looks like this patent may have expired.. Here is a checklist of items and information you should look for to figure out when a patent will or has expired. 1. Look at the front page of the patent.