Gulyassy Sledgehammer "Patent Pending Cue and Ferrule"

I have a purpleheart Mike Gulyassy Sledgehammer that I purchased in 2005 just as Gulyassy's sale to McDermott was being finalized. This cue is a three-piece J/B with radial pins and phenolic tip. The buttcap has the registered Sledgehammer trademark and "patent pending cue & ferrule" on one side and "MG 2005" on the other. I have seen many Sledgehammers with the trademark and "patent pending" on the buttcap but none which have included "cue & ferrule", plus "MG" and a year. Any Sledgehammer experts out there who can tell me how long buttcaps such as this one were used?