I caught a line in today's annc "...pursue the interest we have...

I caught a line in today's annc "...pursue the interest we have received from potential investors and off-take customers..." and did some more research. I think this article's been mentioned before but this is a pretty mammoth analysis here:

http://www.nextminingboom.com/index.php/junior-mining-company-to-ride-surge-in-demand-for-key-material-used-in-next-generation-smart-phones-and-lcd-tvs/?utm_source=CWCL#!prettyPhoto

The chart comparison about a quarter the way down the page caught my eye. Is there really such a risk that the patents will be turned down? Is patent procurement gonna be the catalyst for financing the pilot plant? Is it worth waiting til the patents are/aren't granted?