Extensions

Patent Term and Family Analysis for US 11,971,612

Based on a detailed analysis of the patent's prosecution history and related documents, here is the information regarding its term, adjustments, and family members.

Term Calculation and Expiration

• Earliest Filing Date: The patent's term is calculated from the earliest non-provisional application in its family. According to the "Cross-Reference to Related Applications" section, this is U.S. Application No. 13/735,887, which was filed on January 7, 2013.
• Standard 20-Year Term: A standard utility patent term is 20 years from the earliest effective filing date.
• Statutory Term End Date: 20 years from January 7, 2013, is January 7, 2033.
• Patent Term Adjustment (PTA): The USPTO may grant Patent Term Adjustment to compensate for delays during the prosecution of the patent. For US 11,971,612, a total of 33 days of PTA was granted.
• Projected Expiration Date: Adding the 33 days of PTA to the statutory end date results in a projected expiration date of February 9, 2033. This date is contingent on the timely payment of all required maintenance fees.

Patent Term Extension (PTE)

There is no indication that a Patent Term Extension (PTE) under 35 U.S.C. § 156 was sought or granted for this patent. PTE is typically associated with delays in regulatory review for products like pharmaceuticals and medical devices, which does not apply here.

Continuity and Family Data

U.S. Patent 11,971,612 is part of a large family of applications and is a continuation of several prior applications. This indicates a long-term strategy by the applicant to pursue and refine their invention.

• Direct Parent Application: US 11,971,612 issued from application Ser. No. 17/935,468, filed on September 26, 2022. This application is a continuation of the application below.

• Genealogy (Chain of Priority): The full chain of continuation applications leading to this patent is as follows:

  • U.S. Pat. No. 11,971,612 (the patent in question) is a continuation of:
  • Ser. No. 16/819,262, filed on March 16, 2020 (now abandoned), which is a continuation of:
  • Ser. No. 15/975,353, filed on May 9, 2018 (now abandoned), which is a continuation of:
  • Ser. No. 14/808,239, filed on July 24, 2015 (now U.S. Pat. No. 10,114,235), which is a continuation of:
  • Ser. No. 13/735,887, filed on January 7, 2013 (now U.S. Pat. No. 9,122,083).

• Provisional Priority: The entire family claims priority to four provisional applications filed in 2012:

  • U.S. Application No. 61/583,940, filed January 6, 2012
  • U.S. Application No. 61/622,092, filed April 10, 2012
  • U.S. Application No. 61/638,150, filed April 25, 2012
  • U.S. Application No. 61/640,425, filed April 30, 2012

There are no divisional applications identified in the prosecution history of this specific patent family branch. Divisional applications are typically filed when an original application is determined by the USPTO to contain more than one distinct invention.