Q: I have a box of my grandfather's patents from the 1940's. Do these have any value?
The types of patents included water desalinization and also many patents for improving parts for the automobile.
A: Utility patents (i.e. desalinization and car parts) last for 20 years from the priority or filing date. They also require maintenance fees to remain active (if the payments are missed, they cannot be retroactively paid for). You can check the PTO website, but it is very likely the patents have all expired and are now free to use by the public. Here is the link: https://www.uspto.gov/patent .
A:
Only as a collector item. Sorry, but patents from 1940s have expired 17 years from their issue date.
See if you can sell them on e-bay to collectors.
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