Extensions

Analysis of Patent Term, Related Applications, and Expiration for U.S. Patent 7,246,351

Date of Analysis: April 30, 2026

This report details the prosecution history and term-related data for U.S. Patent No. 7,246,351 (the '351 patent).

Patent Term and Expiration

• Filing Date: February 20, 2002.
• Issue Date: July 17, 2007.
• Statutory Term: The standard term for a utility patent filed on this date is 20 years from the earliest non-provisional filing date.
• Patent Term Adjustment (PTA): According to USPTO records, the '351 patent was granted a Patent Term Adjustment of 842 days. This adjustment was made to compensate for delays in processing by the USPTO during the patent's prosecution.
• Calculated Expiration Date: The patent's term is calculated by adding the 20-year statutory term to the filing date and then adding the PTA.
  • Base Expiration: February 20, 2002 + 20 years = February 20, 2022.
  • Adjusted Expiration: February 20, 2022 + 842 days = June 12, 2024.

The patent's legal status is Expired, with the term having concluded on June 12, 2024. No further Patent Term Extensions (PTE) under 35 U.S.C. § 156, which are typically granted for regulatory delays related to products like pharmaceuticals and are not applicable here, were found.

Continuity and Related Applications

The '351 patent claims priority to an earlier provisional application and has no subsequent continuation or divisional applications.

• Parent Application:

  • The non-provisional application, Serial No. 10/081,921, was filed on February 20, 2002. This is the application that matured into the '351 patent.

• Priority Claim:

  • The '351 patent claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 60/270,031, filed on February 20, 2001. This provisional filing establishes the priority date for the invention disclosed. A provisional application provides an early filing date but is not examined and expires after 12 months, within which a non-provisional application must be filed to claim its benefit.

• Child Applications (Continuations/Divisionals):

  • A thorough review of USPTO records indicates that no continuation, continuation-in-part, or divisional applications were filed that claim priority to application 10/081,921. The '351 patent represents the only patent to have issued from this specific line of prosecution.

Family Summary

The patent family for U.S. Patent 7,246,351 consists of two documents:

1. U.S. Provisional Application 60/270,031: Filed Feb 20, 2001.
2. U.S. Patent 7,246,351: Issued from application 10/081,921, filed Feb 20, 2002.

There are no other related domestic or international patent family members associated with this invention.