I just answered my own question, Nissan has them now.
Will that be the type every auto maker uses when the patents expire?
Yes, it's the only trans available in the current Maxima. A bad fit in a "sport sedan", IMO. I've driven rental Altimas with CVTs, didn't like it at all. The fact that Nissan has "gears" in the form of programmed upshift/downshift overrides of the CVT's normal operation tells me that they *know* that people generally dislike it.