Extensions

To provide a comprehensive answer regarding US patent 12371685, I will access the USPTO database directly using the Patent Public Search tool. This is the authoritative source for the requested information.

Based on the information available in the Google Patents record for US12371685B2 and general USPTO procedures:

Patent Term Adjustments (PTA) and Patent Term Extensions (PTE):

• Patent Term Adjustment (PTA): PTA extends the term of a U.S. patent to compensate for certain administrative delays by the USPTO during prosecution of a utility or plant patent application. It adds to the standard 20-year lifespan of a patent. The final PTA amount is calculated at the time of patent issuance and is included in the Issue Notification Letter.
  • To definitively determine if US12371685 received PTA and the exact amount, one would need to review the issue notification for the patent, which is typically found in the patent's image file wrapper on the USPTO Patent Center or Patent Public Search. As of the current date, the patent has not yet issued (publication date 2025-07-29), so the final PTA calculation would not be available.
• Patent Term Extension (PTE): PTE is available under the Hatch-Waxman Act for patents covering pharmaceutical products, food additives, color additives, medical devices, animal drugs, and veterinary biological products. It restores a portion of the patent term lost during regulatory review by agencies like the FDA. The extension period cannot exceed five years, and the total patent term, including the restoration period, cannot exceed 14 years from the date of marketing approval.
  • To determine if US12371685 has received or is eligible for PTE, one would need to ascertain if the claimed invention is subject to regulatory review and if an application for PTE has been filed within 60 days of marketing approval. The current patent information does not indicate whether a PTE has been granted or applied for, as this typically occurs after product approval and patent issuance.

Continuation Applications, Divisional Applications, and Related Family Members:

The patent text explicitly states the family history of US12371685B2:

• US12371685B2 is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 17/327,568.
• U.S. application Ser. No. 17/327,568 is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 16/824,572, which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 11,041,149 on June 22, 2021.
• U.S. application Ser. No. 16/824,572 is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/226,489, which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 10,865,400 on December 15, 2020.
• U.S. application Ser. No. 15/226,489 is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/694,731, which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 9,447,401 on September 20, 2016.
• U.S. application Ser. No. 13/694,731 claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Application Nos. 61/631,313 (filed December 30, 2011) and 61/796,208 (filed November 1, 2012).

Therefore, the related family members include:

• Parent Applications: U.S. application Ser. No. 17/327,568, U.S. application Ser. No. 16/824,572, U.S. application Ser. No. 15/226,489, U.S. application Ser. No. 13/694,731.
• Issued Patents from the family: US 11,041,149 B2, US 10,865,400 B2, US 9,447,401 B2.
• Provisional Applications: U.S. Provisional Application Nos. 61/631,313 and 61/796,208.

Projected Expiration Date:

The patent is active and is stated to expire on 2033-08-10. The term of a U.S. utility patent generally extends 20 years from its earliest filing date, with potential adjustments for PTA and PTE.

Since the filing date of US12371685B2 is 2023-06-23, and it claims priority back to earlier applications, the 20-year term would typically be calculated from the earliest non-provisional filing date in its chain. The earliest priority date mentioned is 2011-12-30 (U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/631,313). However, provisional applications do not start the 20-year clock. The earliest non-provisional application in the chain is U.S. application Ser. No. 13/694,731, filed on December 28, 2012.

Therefore, the unadjusted 20-year term from the earliest non-provisional filing date (2012-12-28) would be December 28, 2032. The stated expiration date of 2033-08-10 suggests that some patent term adjustment (PTA) has likely been applied, extending the term beyond the standard 20 years from the earliest non-provisional filing date.