-- --> What can I say? When dealing with government there are actions to be taken and changes to be made. It is a sure bet that nothing will stay static for long.

-- Before corresponding with any government agency, it is best to check the status of the 'players' in charge. Don't take chances. Without your going to the inner workings of the USPTO, you might send in the fees and the documents incorrectly. -- Of course, it won't be their fault, it will be your fault and you will pay dearly for it.

-- --> Call USPTO: 1-800-PTO-9199
-- --> Help - General Information

--> For instance: -- "Pre-Official Gazette (OG) Notices Archives"

--> "Pre-Official Gazette (OG) Notices"

--> "Consolidated Listing of Official Gazette (OG) Notices Re-Patent and Trademark Office Practices and Procedures"

--> "(g) EFFECTIVE DATES OF FEES- No fee established by the Director under this section shall take effect until at least 30 days after notice of the fee has been published in the Federal Register and in the Official Gazette of the Patent and Trademark Office."

--> "Official Gazette Notices for 2005"
"Official Gazette Notices for 2006"
--> "Official Gazette Notices for 2007" --

-- "USPTO Receives Record Number of Patent and Trademark Applications for 2005"
-- "Overall patent filing fees have inched up since 2004. Total filing costs for small inventors are 17 percent higher today than three years ago."

-- "Strategic Plan 2007-2012" --

-- THE KNOWLEDGE CONCERNING THE PROVISIONAL APPLICATION FOR PATENT IS VERY IMPORTANT -- It can save you hundreds, if not thousands of dollars? --> "Provisional Application for Patent (PAP) --> Fees for the Provisional Application for Patent..$105.00 beginning 09/30/2007

-- Designing My Idea - Provisional Patent Application --

--> From UIAUSA: "Most foreign countries define a "public disclosure" as a publication, oral presentation, public display or public use. It would not be possible to obtain a valid patent in that particular country if the invention is publicly disclosed prior to filing a patent application in that paticular country. -- Absolute novelty countries include Canada, France, Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom." -- "Treaties and Foreign Patents" --

--> "Ladas & Parry - Intellectual Property Law" --

-- -- I want to create a brain trust..and you will be a part of it. -- Start thinking about these subjects: --> "Buck Rodgers, Watch Out!" -- --> "Space Robots" -- --> "The Right Stuff for Super Space Exploration"

-- "Technology could let people read books without exposing them." --

-- "Scientists are developing a device which will allow people to read a book without opening it. The team from Leeds University says terahertz waves are sensitive to the writing on each page within a book.

-- The waves will read in different ways to different chemicals, so should differentiate between paper and ink to produce a readable image when passed through a book. -

-- Terahertz waves are between microwaves and infared on the electromagnetic spectrum. The Yorkshire Post reports the electrical engineers in Leeds have been given a $4.5 million grant to explore potential uses of the new technology together with collegues from Cambridge University. -

-- They'll also be working with the York Archaeological Trust to develop hand-held scanners that will let archaeologists see through layers of corrosion on ceramics and printed glass to view the decoration underneath. Other possible uses include allowing people to read sensitive historical manuscripts without handling them. -

-- Researcher Dr. Robert Miles said, "Terahertz waves make molecules vibrate and the frequency of the vibration can tell you the chemicals present and if there are chemical reactions taking place."