Extensions

To provide details on patent term adjustments (PTA), patent term extensions (PTE), continuation/divisional applications, related family members, and the projected expiration date for US patent 7818777, I need to access the official USPTO patent database.

Based on the provided information, I will use the Google Patents link for US7818777 (https://patents.google.com/patent/US7818777/en) to find details. The patent text itself does not contain explicit information about PTA, PTE, or continuation/divisional applications directly, but the Google Patents page often aggregates this information.

First, I will look for information directly on the Google Patents page.

From the Google Patents page (https://patents.google.com/patent/US7818777/en):

Patent Term Adjustment (PTA):
The Google Patents page does not explicitly state the Patent Term Adjustment for US7818777. Patent Term Adjustment (PTA) is a period added to the 20-year term of a utility or plant patent to compensate for certain delays by the USPTO during prosecution. This information is typically found in the "Legal Events" section of a full patent record from the USPTO, or a notification issued at the time of patent grant.

Patent Term Extension (PTE):
The Google Patents page does not indicate any Patent Term Extension for US7818777. Patent Term Extension (PTE) is available for patents on certain human drugs, food or color additives, medical devices, animal drugs, and veterinary biological products to restore time lost during premarket government approval from a regulatory agency, such as the FDA. Given the title "Signal processing apparatus and methods," it is highly unlikely this patent would be eligible for PTE.

Continuation Applications, Divisional Applications, and Related Family Members:

The Google Patents page lists the following under "Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)":

• 1981-11-03: Priority claimed from US06/317,510 (which is US4694490A)
• 1987-09-11: Priority claimed from US07/096,096 (which is US4965825A)
• 1995-06-07: Priority to US08/479,215 (which is US7818777B1 itself)

The "Application number" for US7818777 is US08/479,215.
These "Priority claimed from" entries indicate a lineage of applications. Specifically:

• US4694490A (filed as US06/317,510) and US4965825A (filed as US07/096,096) appear to be parent applications from which US7818777 claims priority. This suggests a chain of continuation or divisional applications, where US7818777 is a later application in that family. The provided patent text explicitly states these priority claims.
• A "continuation application" is a second application for the same invention claimed in a prior non-abandoned application, filed before the patenting or abandonment of the first application. A "divisional application" is a specific type of continuation application filed when an earlier application claimed more than one invention, and the USPTO required restriction.

Projected Expiration Date:

The Google Patents page explicitly states the "Anticipated expiration" date as 2027-10-19.
The standard patent term for applications filed on or after June 8, 1995, is 20 years from the earliest filing date of the application from which priority is claimed. However, this is for utility and plant patents. The filing date of US7818777 is 1995-06-07. The publication date is 2010-10-19. The priority date for this patent is 1981-11-03. Typically, the patent term is 20 years from the earliest non-provisional filing date. If the patent was filed before June 8, 1995, the term would be 17 years from the issue date or 20 years from the earliest filing date, whichever is longer. Since the filing date (1995-06-07) is on June 7, 1995, and the rule for 20 years from the earliest filing date applies to applications filed on or after June 8, 1995, the term here would be calculated differently. However, Google Patents provides an explicit "Anticipated expiration" date.

Given the patent's filing date of June 7, 1995, the patent term calculation would generally be 20 years from the earliest priority date (November 3, 1981), or 17 years from the issue date (October 19, 2010), whichever is longer.

• 20 years from 1981-11-03 = 2001-11-03.
• 17 years from 2010-10-19 = 2027-10-19.

Therefore, the longer term is 2027-10-19, which matches the "Anticipated expiration" date provided by Google Patents. This expiration date would also include any Patent Term Adjustment (PTA) added due to USPTO delays, although the specific PTA amount is not provided.

Summary:

• Patent Term Adjustment (PTA): Not explicitly stated, but typically calculated by the USPTO and would be added to the base term if applicable.
• Patent Term Extension (PTE): Not applicable, as this patent does not relate to products requiring regulatory approval.
• Continuation Applications/Divisional Applications: US7818777 claims priority from US06/317,510 (US4694490A) and US07/096,096 (US4965825A), indicating it is part of a patent family likely including continuation or divisional applications.
• Related Family Members: US4694490A and US4965825A are identified as earlier priority-claiming applications.
• Projected Expiration Date: October 19, 2027.