You should go back and find my posts on the topic if you want more detail. However, the process is basically this. SLTD filed a temporary US patent application that was good for one year. That started the patent protection for their tech. as of that date (Feb. 22, 2012). Then, just before that US temporary application expired, they moved to the international phase. That phase was set to expire this Friday, Aug. 22.
In the intl. phase, the patent office searches global patent info and then gives SLTD a report with its findings regarding potential patentability. SLTD then has to decide whether they want to undertake the expense of continuing the patent application process into the national phase. Only individual countries issue patents, so SLTD has to pay to apply in every country that it wants a patent from. Then, each country decides on their own, under their own standards, whether to grant SLTD a patent.
So, that's where we are now. After reviewing the international patent office's report, SLTD has decided to proceed.
SLTD still has "patent-pending" protection of its tech. and could mfgr. the cells anytime it chooses.
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