Extensions

Term, Application History, and Expiration of U.S. Patent 12,543,922

Report Date: May 1, 2026

This analysis details the prosecution history, patent term data, and projected expiration for U.S. Patent 12,543,922 (the '922 patent), based on the provided patent text and associated metadata from the USPTO.

Patent Term Adjustments (PTA) and Extensions (PTE)

As of the date of this report, the public record for the '922 patent does not specify any awarded Patent Term Adjustment (PTA) or Patent Term Extension (PTE). The standard term for a U.S. patent is 20 years from the earliest effective non-provisional filing date. Any adjustment for prosecution delays by the USPTO would be explicitly stated as PTA. No such adjustment is noted in the provided data.

Application History and Related Family Members

The '922 patent is part of a larger family of applications that claim priority to the same initial invention. The history shows a series of continuation applications, indicating a strategy by the assignee, Whirlpool Corp, to pursue and protect various aspects of the technology.

• Continuation Chain: The '922 patent, which issued from application US 19/297,954 (filed Aug 12, 2025), is a continuation of a prior application. The full lineage, as detailed in the "CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS" section of the patent, is as follows:

  • It is a continuation of US 19/039,228 (filed Jan 28, 2025).
  • Which is a continuation of US 18/535,327 (filed Dec 11, 2023), now issued as US Patent 12,232,681.
  • Which is a continuation of US 17/830,947 (filed Jun 2, 2022), now issued as US Patent 11,864,712.
  • Which is a continuation of the original parent application, US 16/833,984 (filed Mar 30, 2020), now issued as US Patent 11,375,874.

• Parent Application: The earliest non-provisional application in this chain is US 16/833,984, filed on March 30, 2020. This date serves as the priority date for the entire patent family and the starting point for the 20-year patent term calculation.

• Divisional Applications: There is no indication of any divisional applications in the provided record. The prosecution history consists solely of continuation applications.

• Foreign Counterparts: The patent family includes granted patents in other jurisdictions, indicating international protection for this invention. These include:

  • European Patent: EP3888522B1
  • Chinese Patent: CN113455987B

Projected Expiration Date

The expiration date for the '922 patent is calculated based on its priority date.

• Calculation: The patent term is 20 years from the earliest effective filing date of the non-provisional application, which is March 30, 2020.
• Projected Expiration: Barring any terminal disclaimers or adjustments not noted in the record, the patent is projected to expire on March 30, 2040. This date is listed in the patent's metadata as the "Anticipated expiration." This calculation does not include any potential PTA, which would extend this date, or any failure to pay maintenance fees, which would cause it to expire earlier.