Extensions

US Patent 12156781: Patent Term Adjustments, Extensions, and Related Applications

As of April 26, 2026, a search of the USPTO database for US patent 12156781 reveals the following information regarding its prosecution history and projected expiration:

Patent Term Adjustments (PTA)

Patent Term Adjustment (PTA) is an extension of the patent term to compensate for delays caused by the USPTO during the prosecution of a utility or plant patent application. The calculation of PTA is based on specific timeframes the USPTO must meet, such as issuing a first office action within 14 months of filing and responding to applicant replies within four months.

To determine the exact PTA for US12156781, a detailed review of its prosecution history on the USPTO Patent Center is necessary. The PTA determination is typically provided with the Issue Notification Letter and indicated on the face of the patent. Without direct access to the full prosecution history, a precise PTA cannot be stated.

Patent Term Extensions (PTE)

Patent Term Extension (PTE) under 35 U.S.C. § 156 is a separate mechanism that restores a portion of the patent term lost due to pre-market regulatory review by agencies like the FDA for certain products, including human drugs, medical devices, and food additives. A patent can receive a PTE if it covers an approved product that has undergone a regulatory review period before its commercial marketing, among other criteria. Only one patent can be extended for a regulatory review period for any given product, and the extension is limited to a maximum of five years.

Given that US12156781 pertains to a "Screw-attached pick-up dental coping system and methods," which falls under the medical devices category, it could potentially be eligible for PTE if it covers a Class III medical device subject to review under section 515 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) and other conditions are met. However, without information on any FDA approval for a specific product covered by this patent, it is not possible to confirm if a PTE has been applied or would be applicable. The USPTO typically updates lists of PTE applications and grants quarterly.

Continuation and Divisional Applications

• Continuation Applications: A continuation application shares the same disclosure as its parent but pursues different claims. No new subject matter can be added. US12156781 states in its "CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS" section that it is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/328,730, filed on Jun. 3, 2023, which itself is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/691,108, filed on Mar. 9, 2022, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/596,361, filed on Oct. 8, 2019, and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 11,311,354 on Apr. 26, 2022. It also claims priority to several U.S. provisional patent applications: No. 62/742,942 (filed Oct. 9, 2018), No. 62/774,402 (filed Dec. 3, 2018), and No. 62/818,082 (filed Mar. 13, 2019).
• Divisional Applications: A divisional application arises when the USPTO determines that a single application contains two or more independent and distinct inventions and issues a restriction requirement. The provided information for US12156781 does not explicitly state the filing of any divisional applications.

Related Family Members

The patent explicitly identifies the following as related family members through its continuation claims and priority claims:

• U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/328,730 (filed Jun. 3, 2023)
• U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/691,108 (filed Mar. 9, 2022)
• U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/596,361 (filed Oct. 8, 2019), which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 11,311,354 on Apr. 26, 2022.
• U.S. provisional patent application No. 62/742,942 (filed Oct. 9, 2018)
• U.S. provisional patent application No. 62/774,402 (filed Dec. 3, 2018)
• U.S. provisional patent application No. 62/818,082 (filed Mar. 13, 2019)

Projected Expiration Date

The general rule for utility patents filed on or after June 8, 1995, is that the term ends 20 years from the date on which the application for the patent was filed, or 20 years from the filing date of the earliest application to which it claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §§ 120, 121, or 365(c).

US12156781 claims priority to U.S. provisional patent application No. 62/742,942, filed on October 9, 2018. This is the earliest priority date mentioned.

Therefore, the anticipated expiration date for US12156781, without considering any potential Patent Term Adjustment (PTA) or Patent Term Extension (PTE), would be October 9, 2038 (20 years from the earliest priority date of October 9, 2018). The Google Patents page for US12156781B1 states an "Anticipated expiration" of 2039-10-08. This discrepancy of one year (October 9, 2038 vs. October 8, 2039) suggests that there might be a Patent Term Adjustment (PTA) of approximately one year, or a difference in how the earliest priority date is being calculated in the Google Patents system. Without the official USPTO PTA calculation for this specific patent, the precise adjustment cannot be confirmed.