Extensions

US Patent 7,822,639: Term, Continuations, and Family Details

As of April 28, 2026, an analysis of the prosecution history and legal status of US Patent 7,822,639 reveals the following details regarding its term, related applications, and patent family.

Patent Term and Expiration

• Filing Date: The application for this patent (No. 10/996,491) was filed on November 24, 2004.
• Priority Date: The patent claims priority to an earlier application (No. 09/723,391) filed on November 28, 2000. Under US patent law, the 20-year term of a patent is calculated from the earliest claimed priority date.
• Issue Date: The patent was granted on October 26, 2010.
• Patent Term Adjustments (PTA): There is no indication of any Patent Term Adjustment (PTA) granted by the USPTO for this patent. PTA is typically granted to compensate for delays caused by the USPTO during prosecution.
• Patent Term Extensions (PTE): There are no Patent Term Extensions (PTE) for this patent. PTE is generally available for patents covering products that undergo a lengthy regulatory review process, such as pharmaceuticals, which is not applicable here.
• Projected and Actual Expiration Date: Based on the earliest priority date of November 28, 2000, the patent term was projected to end 20 years later. Public patent databases confirm that the patent's legal status is "Expired - Lifetime" with an adjusted expiration date of April 10, 2023. The specific reason for the April 10, 2023, date, rather than November 28, 2020, is not detailed in the available public information but likely accounts for other statutory adjustments or disclaimers made during the life of the patent family.

Continuation and Family History

US Patent 7,822,639 is part of a large family of related patents and applications, indicating a strategy by the assignee, Almondnet Inc., to build a broad portfolio around its off-site advertising technology.

• Continuation Of: The application for the '639 patent (Ser. No. 10/996,491) is a direct continuation of application Ser. No. 09/723,391 (filed November 28, 2000), which issued as U.S. Patent No. 6,832,207. This relationship is critical as it establishes the controlling priority date for the '639 patent.

• Subsequent Continuation Applications: The technology and disclosure of the '639 patent have given rise to a series of subsequent continuation applications, creating a chain of related patents. These include, but are not limited to, the following applications which have matured into granted patents or are still pending:

  • Application No. 12/911,601 (Filed October 25, 2010)
  • Application No. 13/368,686 (Filed February 8, 2012)
  • Application No. 13/585,765 (Filed August 14, 2012)
  • Application No. 14/091,285 (Filed November 26, 2013)
  • Application No. 16/033,035 (Filed July 11, 2018)

• Divisional Applications: There is no public record indicating that any divisional applications were filed from the '639 patent application. Divisional applications are typically filed when a single application is found to contain more than one distinct invention.

Summary of Patent Family

The '639 patent is a member of a significant patent family that traces its lineage back to the year 2000. This extensive family, developed through a series of continuation applications, demonstrates a persistent effort to claim various aspects and improvements of the core off-site targeted advertising invention. The legal and commercial value of this portfolio is evidenced by the significant litigation history, particularly the successful assertion of family members against major technology companies. All patents within this family share the same core disclosure and are bound by the earliest priority date of November 28, 2000, for term calculation purposes.