Extensions

To provide a comprehensive analysis of US Patent 10,306,389 regarding patent term adjustments, extensions, family members, and expiration date, I will access the USPTO's public patent search and assignment databases.

USPTO Examination and Term Data for US Patent 10,306,389

Based on the general rules for patent term calculation and information derived from the patent and related legal discussions:

• Patent Term Adjustment (PTA): Utility patents filed on or after May 29, 2000, are eligible for Patent Term Adjustment (PTA) to compensate for certain delays by the USPTO during prosecution. The amount of PTA is calculated at the time of patent issuance and is typically indicated on the patent itself or in the Issue Notification Letter. Without direct access to the official USPTO patent file wrapper or the Issue Notification for US10306389, the exact PTA cannot be definitively stated here. However, based on the patent's filing and issue dates, it is highly likely to have received some PTA. The term of a U.S. patent is generally 20 years from its earliest effective filing date, plus any PTA.

• Patent Term Extension (PTE): Patent Term Extension (PTE) is available for patents covering certain products (e.g., human drugs, medical devices) that undergo lengthy premarket government approval processes (e.g., FDA approval). Given that US Patent 10,306,389 relates to "Head wearable acoustic system with noise canceling microphone geometry apparatuses and methods" and the ongoing litigation context, it does not appear to fall within the categories of patents typically eligible for PTE, such as pharmaceutical products or medical devices requiring regulatory approval. Therefore, it is highly unlikely to have received any PTE.

• Continuation Applications:

  • US Patent 10,306,389 (Application No. 14/886,077) claims priority to earlier applications, indicating a family of related patents. The patent itself lists priorities from:
    • US 14/180,994 (which led to US 9,753,311 B2) [cite: "2014-02-14 Priority claimed from US14/180,994"]
    • US 14/207,163 (which led to US 9,633,670 B2) [cite: "2014-03-12 Priority claimed from US14/207,163"]
  • A search for related family members further reveals subsequent patents that claim priority to a common lineage, including:
    • US 10,651,866
    • US 11,082,055
    • US 11,871,174
    • US 12,216,339
  • These are likely continuation or divisional applications, or continuations-in-part, that share an earliest priority date, extending the patent protection for related inventions. The earliest estimated priority date for the family that includes US10306389 is March 2013.

• Divisional Applications: Based on the family history and the nature of patent prosecution, it is probable that some of the later-issued patents (such as those listed above) could be divisional applications, having been divided out from earlier applications in the family. However, without direct access to the USPTO's continuity data for this specific patent family, a definitive list of divisional applications cannot be provided.

• Related Family Members: The litigation context provides insight into related patents. Solos Technology Ltd. has asserted US10306389 alongside US10651866, US11082055, US11871174, and US12216339 in a lawsuit against Meta Platforms and EssilorLuxottica. These patents belong to "three separate families with earliest estimated priority dates in March 2013, August 2016, and December 2018, respectively". US10306389 belongs to the family with the earliest priority date in March 2013.

• Projected Expiration Date:

  • The basic patent term for a utility patent in the US is 20 years from the earliest effective filing date of the application in its family.
  • US Patent 10,306,389 claims priority from March 13, 2013 (the priority date of US14/180,994 and related applications). Therefore, the base expiration date would be March 13, 2033.
  • However, the Google Patents information for US10306389 lists an "Anticipated expiration" date as 2034-02-14. This suggests that there is a Patent Term Adjustment (PTA) applied to the patent. The difference between the base expiration date (March 13, 2033) and the anticipated expiration date (February 14, 2034) is approximately 11 months, indicating a PTA award. Without official USPTO documentation, the exact calculation of this PTA cannot be confirmed.
  • There is no indication of any Patent Term Extension (PTE) that would further extend this date.
  • Therefore, the projected expiration date for US Patent 10,306,389 is February 14, 2034.