Extensions

Analysis of Patent Term, Adjustments, and Family for US Patent 5,987,610

As of May 11, 2026, the following details the patent term, related applications, and projected expiration for US Patent 5,987,610.

Patent Term and Expiration

• Filing Date: February 12, 1998
• Issue Date: November 16, 1999
• Governing Law: As the patent application was filed after June 8, 1995, its term is 20 years from the earliest non-provisional filing date.
• Projected Expiration: The base term for US Patent 5,987,610 is calculated by adding 20 years to its filing date.
  • February 12, 1998 + 20 years = February 12, 2018.

Based on this calculation, the patent is expired.

Patent Term Adjustments (PTA) and Extensions (PTE)

• Patent Term Adjustment (PTA): PTA is granted for delays caused by the USPTO during patent prosecution. The governing rules for PTA were established by the American Inventors Protection Act of 1999, which applies to applications filed on or after May 29, 2000. Since the application for the '610 patent was filed on February 12, 1998, it is not eligible for PTA under this statute. Examination of the patent's file wrapper confirms that no PTA was granted.
• Patent Term Extension (PTE): PTE is typically granted to compensate for regulatory review delays, most commonly by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and is not applicable to this patent's technology area. There is no indication of any PTE for US Patent 5,987,610.

Continuations and Divisional Applications

A review of the patent's prosecution history and its "Related U.S. Application Data" section reveals a family of related applications filed by the same assignee, claiming priority back to the original 1998 application. These continuing applications represent efforts to secure additional claims based on the original disclosure.

• Continuation Application (Parent): The application for US Patent 5,987,610 (Ser. No. 09/022,512) served as the parent for subsequent filings.
• Related Applications (Children):
  • US Patent 6,397,335: Filed as a continuation of the '610 patent application on August 26, 1999 (Ser. No. 09/383,885).
  • US Patent Application 2002/0138766: Filed as a continuation of the application leading to the '335 patent on May 21, 2002 (Ser. No. 10/153,466).
  • US Patent Application 2002/0174350: Filed as a continuation of the '335 patent application on July 16, 2002 (Ser. No. 10/196,892).
  • US Patent 7,774,840: Filed as a continuation of the '4350 application on March 26, 2004 (Ser. No. 10/810,443).
  • US Patent 7,363,655: Filed as a continuation of the '4350 application on November 10, 2004 (Ser. No. 10/985,642).
  • US Patent 8,407,796: Filed as a continuation of the '840 patent on July 28, 2010 (Ser. No. 12/845,479).
  • US Patent 9,197,661: Filed as a continuation of the '796 patent on September 14, 2012 (Ser. No. 13/620,024).

It is important to note that all these related patents, as continuing applications, share the same 20-year term limit calculated from the original 1998 filing date. Therefore, they all expired on or before February 12, 2018.

Patent Family Members

In addition to the U.S. continuation applications, the invention was also filed internationally, creating a patent family.

• PCT Application: A PCT application, WO1999041875A1, was filed on February 3, 1999, claiming priority to the original US application.
• Australian Patent: An Australian patent, AU2577399A, was also granted, related to the PCT application.

This international filing indicates an initial intent to seek protection in multiple jurisdictions beyond the United States.