Extensions

As of May 3, 2026, here is a detailed analysis of the patent term, application history, and patent family for U.S. Patent No. 7,861,260.

Patent Term and Expiration

• Filing Date: April 17, 2007
• Issue Date: December 28, 2010
• Standard Term: A patent filed on this date would typically have a term of 20 years from the earliest effective filing date, which would be April 17, 2027.

Patent Term Adjustment (PTA)

Patent Term Adjustment (PTA) is granted to compensate for certain administrative delays by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) during prosecution.

The '260 patent has received a significant term adjustment. Based on the provided patent data, the adjusted expiration date is October 23, 2028. This indicates a total PTA of 554 days (1 year, 6 months, and 6 days) has been added to the standard 20-year term.

Patent Term Extension (PTE)

There is no indication that this patent has received any Patent Term Extension (PTE). PTE is typically granted to compensate for regulatory review delays (e.g., by the FDA for pharmaceutical products) and is distinct from PTA.

Application History and Related Domestic Filings

The '260 patent is part of an extensive family of applications filed in the United States, indicating a strategy to pursue additional claims related to the original invention. This is primarily achieved through a series of continuation applications. A continuation application uses the same specification as the parent but allows the applicant to pursue different or broader claims, all while retaining the original priority date.

The application that issued as the '260 patent is U.S. Application No. 11/736,544. The provided data shows a long chain of subsequent U.S. patent applications that claim priority to this original filing. These are considered "child" applications in the same patent family and include:

• U.S. Patent No. 8,281,336 (from application 12/860,666, filed Aug 20, 2010)
• U.S. Patent No. 8,695,032 (from application 13/097,885, filed Apr 29, 2011)
• U.S. Patent No. 8,677,398 (from application 13/167,605, filed Jun 23, 2011)
• U.S. Patent No. 9,369,779 (from application 14/246,525, filed Apr 7, 2014)
• U.S. Patent No. 9,813,778 (from application 15/179,356, filed Jun 10, 2016)
• U.S. Patent No. 10,178,442 (from application 15/803,631, filed Nov 3, 2017)
• U.S. Patent No. 10,715,878 (from application 16/228,479, filed Dec 20, 2018)
• U.S. Patent No. 11,303,973 (from application 16/925,655, filed Jul 10, 2020)
• U.S. Patent No. 11,564,015 (from application 17/714,965, filed Apr 6, 2022)
• U.S. Patent No. 11,589,136 (from application 17/877,870, filed Jul 29, 2022)
• U.S. Patent No. 11,805,300 (from application 18/110,857, filed Feb 16, 2023)
• U.S. Patent No. 11,974,025 (from application 18/207,125, filed Jun 7, 2023)
• U.S. Patent No. 12,212,818 (from application 18/647,861, filed Apr 26, 2024)

No divisional applications are explicitly listed for the '260 patent. Divisionals are typically filed when a patent examiner issues a restriction requirement, indicating an application claims more than one distinct invention.

International Patent Family

The '260 patent has a large international family, stemming from PCT application PCT/US2008/055298, which was filed on February 28, 2008. This indicates an intent to seek patent protection in multiple jurisdictions worldwide. Foreign counterparts identified in the patent data include applications in:

• Australia (AU)
• Canada (CA)
• China (CN)
• Europe (EP)
• Hong Kong (HK)
• Israel (IL)
• Japan (JP)
• South Korea (KR)

Projected Expiration Date

Based on the filing date of April 17, 2007, and the granted Patent Term Adjustment (PTA), the projected and official expiration date for U.S. Patent No. 7,861,260 is October 23, 2028. This date is subject to the timely payment of all required maintenance fees to the USPTO.