San Francisco Sun

The longest time between a patent being filed and granted in December in Acton was 521 days, according to the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

The patent application was filed by Anything for A Buck, Inc. for a valve with pump rotor passage for use in downhole production strings. It was filed on July 11, 2020 before being approved on Dec. 14, 2021.

It was the only patent approved in December from Acton.

Though patents are required for inventions and products, the granting of a patent is not a guarantee for success. Dennis Crouch, co-director of the Center for Intellectual Property & Entrepreneurship, said roughly 50 percent of patents expire prematurely due to costs.

Applicant Name	Days to be Granted
Anything for A Buck, Inc.	521