Extensions

US Patent 7916180, titled "Simultaneous multiple field of view digital cameras," was issued on March 29, 2011, from an application filed on April 19, 2007, and claims priority to an earlier application filed on August 25, 2004 (US11/212,803).

Here are the details regarding its term and family:

1. Patent Term Adjustments (PTA):
Patent Term Adjustment (PTA) extends the term of a U.S. patent to compensate for certain delays caused by the USPTO during the patent prosecution process for utility or plant patent applications filed on or after May 29, 2000. The calculation of PTA is typically provided on the issue notification letter and can be found in the patent's file history. While the provided patent text does not explicitly state the PTA amount for US7916180, Google Patents indicates an adjusted expiration date of December 15, 2027. This suggests that some PTA was granted, extending the patent term beyond the standard 20 years from its earliest priority date.

2. Patent Term Extensions (PTE):
Patent Term Extension (PTE) is available for certain types of patents, primarily those related to pharmaceutical products, food additives, color additives, and medical devices that undergo regulatory review by the FDA prior to commercial marketing or use. The purpose of PTE is to restore a portion of the patent term lost during this regulatory review process. Since US7916180 pertains to digital camera systems and methods, it is highly unlikely to be eligible for a Patent Term Extension under the Hatch-Waxman Act.

3. Continuation Applications:
A continuation application is a new application for the invention(s) disclosed in a prior, co-pending non-provisional application, without introducing any new subject matter. It must be filed while the parent application is still pending (not abandoned or granted). The patent text itself states that US7916180 "is a continuation in part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/212,803, filed Aug. 25, 2005." This indicates that the application leading to US7916180 (US11/788,279) was a continuation-in-part of US11/212,803. While the term "continuation-in-part" (CIP) is used, for the purpose of patent term calculation, the term usually starts from the earliest non-provisional application in the chain, which is US11/212,803, filed on August 25, 2005.

4. Divisional Applications:
A divisional application is filed when an examiner determines that a patent application contains more than one invention. It claims matter disclosed in an earlier-filed, co-pending parent application. The provided patent text for US7916180 does not explicitly mention any divisional applications arising from it.

5. Related Family Members:
The "Other versions" section on Google Patents for US7916180B2 lists:

• US20100060746A9
• US20080174670A1

The patent itself also explicitly states that it "claims the benefit of U.S. Patent Application No. 60/795,946, filed Apr. 28, 2006," and "is also a continuation in part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/212,803, filed Aug. 25, 2005." Furthermore, US11/212,803 "claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/604,854 filed Aug. 25, 2004 and to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/695,946 filed Jul. 1, 2005."

Therefore, the related family members include:

• Parent/Priority Applications:
  • US Provisional Patent Application No. 60/604,854 (filed August 25, 2004)
  • US Provisional Patent Application No. 60/695,946 (filed July 1, 2005)
  • U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/212,803 (filed August 25, 2005)
  • U.S. Patent Application No. 60/795,946 (filed April 28, 2006)
• Published Applications:
  • US20080174670A1 (Publication of US11/788,279)
  • US20100060746A9

6. Projected Expiration Date:
A U.S. utility patent generally expires 20 years from the earliest filing date of its non-provisional application, with adjustments for Patent Term Adjustment (PTA). Provisional applications are not typically used to calculate the 20-year term.

The earliest non-provisional filing date in the chain for US7916180 is August 25, 2005 (from US11/212,803).
A standard 20-year term from this date would be: August 25, 2005 + 20 years = August 25, 2025.

However, Google Patents indicates an adjusted expiration date of December 15, 2027. This adjusted date reflects the application of Patent Term Adjustment (PTA) due to delays in prosecution by the USPTO. Therefore, the patent's projected expiration date is December 15, 2027.