Extensions

U.S. Patent 6,185,590: Term, Family, and Expiration Analysis

Washington, D.C. - An analysis of U.S. Patent 6,185,590, titled "Process and architecture for use on stand-alone machine and in distributed computer architecture for client server and/or intranet and/or internet operating environments," provides the following details regarding its term, related applications, and legal status.

Application and Term Details:

• Application Number: 08/950,838
• Filing Date: October 15, 1997
• Issue Date: February 6, 2001
• Patent Term: As this patent was filed after June 7, 1995, its term is 20 years from the earliest non-provisional filing date.

Patent Term Adjustments (PTA) and Extensions (PTE):

A review of the USPTO's public records for this patent indicates no Patent Term Adjustments (PTA) or Patent Term Extensions (PTE) were granted. The prosecution history does not show any unusual delays by the USPTO that would warrant a PTA. PTE is typically granted for delays caused by regulatory review (e.g., by the FDA) and is not applicable to this technology.

Continuations and Divisional Applications:

• Continuation-in-Part: The application for this patent (08/950,838) is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/911,083, filed on August 14, 1997. This earlier filing date is the one used for calculating the patent term.

Related Family Members:

U.S. Patent 6,185,590 claims priority from several provisional applications filed on October 18, 1996:

• 60/028,129: "COMPUTER PROCESS FOR IMAGE CONTROL"
• 60/028,522: "COMPUTER PROCESS FOR IMAGE CONTROL"
• 60/028,128: "COMPUTER PROCESS FOR ENGINE BENCHMARKING"
• 60/028,697: "COMPUTER PROCESS FOR DESK TOP IMAGING"
• 60/028,639: "COMPUTER PROCESS FOR IMAGE VIEWING"
• 60/028,685: "COMPUTER PROCESS FOR IMAGE CAPTURE"

Furthermore, the patent is part of a larger family of related patents and applications that claim priority back to it, including:

• U.S. Patent 7,986,426 (Application No. 12/328,104)
• U.S. Patent 8,488,173 (Application No. 13/182,857)
• U.S. Patent Application Publication 2013/0208318 (Application No. 13/839,344)
• U.S. Patent Application Publication 2013/0208316 (Application No. 13/838,689)
• U.S. Patent Application Publication 2013/0208317 (Application No. 13/838,916)

These subsequent filings represent efforts to continue and expand upon the technology disclosed in the original '590 patent.

Projected Expiration Date:

The term of a U.S. patent filed after June 7, 1995, is 20 years from the filing date of the earliest U.S. or international (PCT) application to which priority is claimed (excluding provisional applications).

1. Earliest Non-Provisional Filing Date: The application for U.S. Patent 6,185,590 is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 08/911,083, which was filed on August 14, 1997. This is the critical date for calculating the patent term.
2. Calculation: Adding 20 years to the earliest filing date:
   • August 14, 1997 + 20 years = August 14, 2017.

Barring any unrecorded term adjustments or disclaimers, and assuming all required maintenance fees were paid in a timely manner, the patent expired on August 14, 2017. The Google Patents legal status of "Expired - Lifetime" confirms this calculation.