As a matter of law, design patents do not require maintenance fees. However, utility patents do require payment maintenance fees during 6 month windows occurring approximately 4, 8 and 12 years after issuance in order to maintain their enforceablity. Maintenance fees can be paid up to 6 months late with the payment of an additional surcharge. If you fail to pay the maintenance fee, the patent will lapse into abandonment and become unenforceable. So, only your utility patent No. 7,934,846 will require the payment of issue fees to maintain its enforceability. Accordingly, your first maintenance fee window opens, March 3, 2014 and should be paid prior to the surcharge date, November 4, 2014. A late payment of your maintenance fee with a surcharge will be accepted up until May 4, 2015. Your patent counsel should remind you of the deadline and cost to pay your maintenance fees and will offer to facilitate those payments. But, if you have a reliable docketing (calendaring) system, you can and should keep track of the maintenance fee deadlines yourself. Additionally, you can make the maintenance fee payments directly without assistance of counsel.
Answered on Mar 06th, 2013 at 12:18 AM