In reference to the patent: US6910697.
Is the patent US 6,910,697 B2 still valid and in force? Also I noticed it was first submitted in 2000 and approved in 2005. This is 2017. And I have thought of this idea since 1999, though I didn't know it had been patented. Can I go ahead and get a patent for it, if it is no longer in use?