For the record, they didn't officially make the most recent '336 NIRC'd reex. It was requested on May 24, 2009 by an "unknown party" through Fish & Richardson & was ordered on Nov. 14, 2009.

Officially, Nec, Toshiba & Pubat lost their merged reex's (90/008,237 & 90/008,306, 90/008,474) which was NIRC'd on Nov. 24, 2009 (requested back in 2006-7). The Dec. 18, 2007 tight-lipped settlement

http://patriotscientific.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=145&Itemid=29

was during the reex. Once the reex was ordered all they basically had to do was sit back & wait until it was completed. It would make sense that their grants by TPL would be contingent on the outcome (a la J's grant?).

BTW...previous to that NIRC, a request was made on Apr. 24, 2009 (90/010,551) by an unknown party through White & Case which was denied on July 31, 2009.

Perhaps they were the "unknown parties" trying to buy some time?

Keep in mind that NEC America's grant is differentiated from Toshiba's for some publicly unknown reason:

http://patriotscientific.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=16&Itemid=29&limit=5&limitstart=100

and that NEC America & HTC requested the merged (90/008,227 90/101,562) reex's on the '148 which is still pending.

All IMHO

GLTAL