Extensions

Analysis of Patent Term, Adjustments, and Family for U.S. Patent 5,602,377

As of April 28, 2026, the following details pertain to the term, related applications, and family members of U.S. Patent 5,602,377.

Patent Term and Expiration

• Filing Date: March 1, 1995.
• Issue Date: February 11, 1997.
• Governing Law for Term: Because the application for this patent was filed on March 1, 1995, it falls under the provisions of the Uruguay Round Agreements Act. This means the patent's term is the longer of either 17 years from the issue date or 20 years from the filing date.
  • 17 years from issue date (Feb 11, 1997) would be February 11, 2014.
  • 20 years from filing date (Mar 1, 1995) would be March 1, 2015.
• Projected Expiration Date: The longer of the two terms is 20 years from the filing date. Therefore, the patent expired on March 1, 2015.

Patent Term Adjustments (PTA) and Extensions (PTE)

• Patent Term Adjustment (PTA): The provisions for PTA, which compensate for certain delays caused by the USPTO during prosecution, apply to patent applications filed on or after May 29, 2000. Since patent 5,602,377 was filed in 1995, it was not eligible for, and did not receive, any PTA.
• Patent Term Extension (PTE): PTE under 35 U.S.C. § 156 is available to compensate for delays caused by the pre-market regulatory review process, typically by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), for products like human drugs, medical devices, and food additives. The technology described in patent 5,602,377—a bar code scanning and labeling apparatus—is not subject to such regulatory review. A search of USPTO and FDA records confirms that no PTE was sought or granted for this patent.

Continuity Data: Continuation and Divisional Applications

A review of the USPTO's continuity data for patent 5,602,377 (based on application number 08/396,519) shows no continuation or divisional applications. The patent does not claim priority to an earlier application, nor did it serve as the parent for any subsequent applications in the United States.

Patent Family Members

U.S. Patent 5,602,377 is part of a larger international patent family, indicating that protection for this invention was sought in multiple countries. This was achieved through the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) system, based on the original U.S. filing. The key family members identified are:

• PCT Application: WO/1996/027852 (Publication Date: September 12, 1996)
• European Patent: EP0829067
• Japanese Patent: JP3731165B2
• Australian Patent: AU706063B2
• Canadian Patent: CA2213137
• Chinese Patent: CN1177408A
• Mexican Patent: MX9706620A

These patents are all related through the priority claim to the U.S. application filed on March 1, 1995. As with the U.S. patent, the terms for these international counterparts have also expired.