Extensions

Patent Term and Application Family Analysis for US 6,266,674

This section details the prosecution timeline, related applications, and term calculation for US Patent 6,266,674. This analysis confirms the patent is a standalone invention with no related family members and that its term has expired.

Application History and Related Applications

A review of the patent's file history in the USPTO Patent Center database for application number 07/851,903 shows no priority claims to any earlier applications. Furthermore, no subsequent continuation or divisional applications claim priority back to this patent.

• Continuation Applications: None
• Divisional Applications: None
• Related Family Members: There are no foreign or domestic patent family members related to this application. The invention was only ever filed and prosecuted in the United States.

Patent Term Calculation and Expiration

The projected expiration date is determined by the laws in effect at the time of filing.

• Filing Date: March 16, 1992
• Issue Date: July 24, 2001
• Applicable Law: Because the application was filed before June 8, 1995, its term is the later of 17 years from the issue date or 20 years from the filing date.
  • 20 years from filing: March 16, 1992 + 20 years = March 16, 2012
  • 17 years from issue: July 24, 2001 + 17 years = July 24, 2018
• Nominal Expiration Date: The later of the two dates is July 24, 2018.

Patent Term Adjustments (PTA) and Extensions (PTE)

• PTA: The current system of Patent Term Adjustment (PTA) for delays caused by the USPTO was established for applications filed on or after May 29, 2000. As this patent was filed in 1992, it was not eligible for PTA.
• PTE: There is no record of any Patent Term Extension (PTE) under 35 U.S.C. § 156. Such extensions are typically granted for regulatory review delays (e.g., by the FDA) and do not apply to this technology.
• Terminal Disclaimers: The file history shows no terminal disclaimers were filed, which would have shortened the patent's term.

Conclusion on Term and Status

The patent's natural term expired on July 24, 2018. However, as established in the prior litigation summary, this patent was declared invalid by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas on September 21, 2015. This judicial ruling rendered all claims unenforceable long before the patent's natural expiration date. Therefore, for all practical purposes, the patent has been expired and unenforceable since the court's final judgment. The official status of the patent in the USPTO database is "Expired - Lifetime".