Extensions

To provide a comprehensive analysis for US patent 12401720, I will leverage information from the USPTO and Google Patents. It's important to note that the USPTO does not calculate patent expiration dates, but provides tools and guidance for estimating them.

Patent Term Adjustments (PTA)

Patent Term Adjustment (PTA) extends the term of a U.S. patent to compensate for certain delays caused by the USPTO during the prosecution of a utility or plant patent application. These delays are categorized as "A," "B," and "C" delays, with deductions for applicant-caused delays.

To determine the specific PTA for US patent 12401720, one would typically need to access the Issue Notification Letter or the patent's file history in USPTO's Patent Center. The provided patent text does not explicitly state the PTA awarded.

Patent Term Extensions (PTE)

Patent Term Extension (PTE) is available under the Hatch-Waxman Act for patents claiming products (like human drugs, food/color additives, medical devices, animal drugs) that require regulatory approval prior to commercial sale. The extension aims to restore a portion of the patent term lost during this regulatory review process, up to a maximum of five years.

Based on the title "System and method for server based control" and the general subject matter, US patent 12401720 does not appear to claim a product that would typically be eligible for a Patent Term Extension under 35 U.S.C. § 156. The patent text does not mention any FDA or other regulatory approval processes for the claimed invention.

Continuation and Divisional Applications, and Related Family Members

The Google Patents information for US12401720 lists the following related application numbers:

• US19/201,951 (Application number)
• US202519201951A (Other version)
• US20250274517A1 (Other version)
• US19/298,297 (Priority to)

The patent text also explicitly states a "Priority date: 2012-01-09". Additionally, the "Prior art" section of this analysis noted that all 30 patent citations listed by the examiner for US12401720 are by the same inventors (Yehuda Binder and Benjamin Maytal) and assigned to May Patents Ltd, and share the same priority date of 2012-01-09. These numerous cited patents, such as US20130006423A1 and US8577519B2, with titles like "SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONTROL IN A BUILDING OR IN A VEHICLE" or "SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SERVER BASED CONTROL," are clearly related family members, likely representing continuation or divisional applications stemming from the same original inventive disclosure.

A "patent family" is a collection of patent documents that cover the same invention and have at least one common inventor, linking patent iterations back to a priority date. Continuation and divisional applications are types of continuing applications filed during the pendency of an earlier, "parent" application, claiming subject matter disclosed in the parent application.

Projected Expiration Date

For U.S. utility patents filed on or after June 8, 1995, the patent term generally expires 20 years from the earliest filing date of the application, subject to any Patent Term Adjustments (PTA) or Patent Term Extensions (PTE). If the patent claims priority to an earlier application, the 20-year term starts from the filing date of the earliest such application.

For US patent 12401720:

• Earliest Priority Date: 2012-01-09
• Filing Date: 2025-05-08

The Google Patents page for US12401720 explicitly lists an "Anticipated expiration" date of 2033-01-03. This date is earlier than 20 years from the filing date (2025-05-08) and 20 years from the priority date (2012-01-09), which would be January 9, 2032. The discrepancy suggests that a terminal disclaimer might be in effect, or there might be specific PTA calculations or other factors not fully detailed in the provided abstract. The USPTO's official stance is that it does not calculate expiration dates for patents, but provides resources to help estimate them. However, the Google Patents information directly states an "Anticipated expiration" date.