Extensions

Patent Term and Continuity Analysis: US 6,161,149

To: File
From: Senior Patent Analyst
Date: 2026-05-11
Subject: Term, Related Applications, and Expiration of US Patent 6,161,149

This report details the patent term, application continuity, and projected expiration date for U.S. Patent 6,161,149 ("the '149 patent").

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1. Patent Term Adjustment (PTA) and Patent Term Extension (PTE)

A review of the USPTO prosecution history for the '149 patent indicates that there were no Patent Term Adjustments (PTA) or Patent Term Extensions (PTE) granted.

• PTA: Patent Term Adjustment, which compensates for certain administrative delays by the USPTO during prosecution, was not awarded.
• PTE: Patent Term Extension, typically granted for delays caused by pre-market regulatory review (e.g., by the FDA), is not applicable to this technology.

Therefore, the term of the '149 patent is not extended beyond its original statutory term.

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2. Continuity and Related Applications

The '149 patent, which issued from application 09/041,599, is the parent document in a family of related patents and applications.

• Continuation-in-Part Application:

  • Application No. 09/709,441, filed November 13, 2000, is a continuation-in-part of the '149 patent's application. This application matured into US Patent 6,772,229, issued on August 3, 2004.

• Continuing Applications:
  The following applications claim priority to and are continuations of the original application (09/041,599):

  • Application No. 10/375,358, filed February 28, 2003. This application issued as US Patent 8,015,495.
  • Application No. 10/887,326, filed July 9, 2004. This application was published as US 2006/0090013 A1.
  • Application No. 13/188,943, filed July 22, 2011. This application was published as US 2012/0158869 A1.

These related applications represent efforts to continue prosecution and potentially capture different aspects or improvements of the original invention.

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3. Expiration Date

The expiration of US Patent 6,161,149 is calculated based on its filing date and the patent laws in effect at that time.

• Filing Date: March 13, 1998.

• Applicable Law: For patents filed after June 7, 1995, the term is 20 years from the earliest effective non-provisional filing date.

• Calculation:

  • Start Date: March 13, 1998
  • Statutory Term: + 20 years
  • PTA/PTE: + 0 days

• Projected Expiration Date: March 13, 2018.

This date has passed, and as of May 11, 2026, the patent is expired and its claims are now in the public domain. The "Expired - Lifetime" status noted in the USPTO records confirms this.