Extensions

Analysis for U.S. Patent 5,115,326

Based on a review of USPTO records and patent law as of April 29, 2026, the following details pertain to the term and application history of U.S. Patent 5,115,326.

Patent Term Adjustments (PTA) and Extensions (PTE)

• Patent Term Adjustment (PTA): There are no Patent Term Adjustments for this patent. The PTA system was established under the American Inventors Protection Act of 1999 to compensate for certain USPTO processing delays for applications filed on or after May 29, 2000. As this patent's application was filed in 1990, it does not qualify for PTA.
• Patent Term Extension (PTE): There are no Patent Term Extensions for this patent. PTE under 35 U.S.C. § 156 is typically granted for delays caused by regulatory review, such as by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and is not applicable to this technology.

Application Continuity

A search of the USPTO's continuity data for the application leading to this patent, US07/543,998, shows no parent or child applications. This means:

• No Continuation or Divisional Applications: This patent is not a continuation or divisional of a prior U.S. application, nor were any continuation or divisional applications filed that claim priority to this patent's application. It is a standalone utility application.

Patent Family and Related Applications

The patent claims priority to its U.S. filing on June 26, 1990. The extended (INPADOC) patent family includes several foreign counterparts, indicating that the applicant sought protection for this invention in multiple countries. The known members of the patent family are:

• United States: US5115326A (This patent)
  • Application Number: US07/543,998
  • Filed: June 26, 1990
• Europe: EP0465011A2
  • Application Number: EP91305122A
  • Filed: June 6, 1991
• Germany: DE69122991T2
  • This is the German validation of the European patent.
• Japan: JPH05199388A (Also published as JP3181995A)
  • Application Number: JP15580691A
  • Filed: June 26, 1991

Projected Expiration Date

The expiration date for this patent must be calculated according to the laws established by the 1994 Uruguay Round Agreements Act (URAA). For patents that were in force on June 8, 1995, the patent term is the longer of:

1. 17 years from the issue date.
2. 20 years from the earliest effective filing date.

Let's calculate both for US 5,115,326:

1. Issue Date: May 19, 1992
   • May 19, 1992 + 17 years = May 19, 2009
2. Filing Date: June 26, 1990
   • June 26, 1990 + 20 years = June 26, 2010

The longer of these two terms is the one that applies. Therefore, the projected expiration date was June 26, 2010.

Conclusion: U.S. Patent 5,115,326 officially expired on June 26, 2010. All maintenance fees were paid throughout its term, and the patent remained in force for its full, legally-defined lifetime.