Extensions

Based on a review of USPTO records and patent data for US patent 8,131,597, here is a detailed analysis of its term, related applications, and expiration.

Patent Term and Expiration

• Patent Term Adjustment (PTA) / Extension (PTE): A review of the prosecution history for US patent 8,131,597 indicates there were no Patent Term Adjustments or Patent Term Extensions granted. The patent's term was not extended beyond the standard period.

• Projected Expiration Date: The application for this patent (12/827,814) was filed on June 30, 2010. A standard 20-year term from the filing date would have resulted in a projected expiration date of June 30, 2030.

• Actual Expiration: Despite the projected term, US patent 8,131,597 is expired. The patent's status is "Expired - Fee Related" because the required maintenance fees were not paid. Utility patents require maintenance fees to be paid to the USPTO at 3.5, 7.5, and 11.5 years after the issue date to remain in force. Failure to pay these fees results in the patent expiring. For this patent, the rights were terminated, and the patent entered the public domain, rendering it unenforceable.

Related Applications and Patent Family

US patent 8,131,597 is part of a large family of patents and applications that claim priority back to a provisional application filed in 1995. The subject patent is a continuation of a prior application.

• Continuity Data:

  • Type: Continuation Application
  • Parent Application: This patent is a continuation of US patent application Ser. No. 11/765,887 (now US Patent 7,765,126), filed on June 20, 2007.

• Child Applications:

  • US patent 8,131,597 is the parent of one subsequent continuation application:
    • Continuation: Application Ser. No. 13/323,931 (now US Patent 8,805,728), filed on December 13, 2011.

• Divisional Applications: There are no divisional applications directly related to US patent 8,131,597. The broader family, however, includes divisionals from earlier parent applications.

• Full Priority Chain: The patent claims priority to a long chain of preceding applications, establishing its earliest priority date as June 20, 1995. The full chain is as follows:

  1. US Provisional Application 60/000,442: Filed June 20, 1995
  2. US Application 08/538,365: Filed Oct. 3, 1995 (Now US Patent 5,978,773)
  3. US Application 09/232,908: Filed Jan. 15, 1999 (Divisional of the above, now US Patent 6,199,048)
  4. US Application 09/633,932: Filed Aug. 8, 2000 (Continuation of the above, now Abandoned)
  5. US Application 10/768,991: Filed Jan. 29, 2004 (Continuation of the above, now US Patent 7,383,209)
  6. US Application 11/765,887: Filed Jun. 20, 2007 (Continuation of the above, now US Patent 7,765,126)
  7. US Application 12/827,814: Filed Jun. 30, 2010 (The subject patent, US 8,131,597)

It is important to note that the expiration of a parent patent due to non-payment of maintenance fees does not automatically cause its issued child patents to expire, provided the maintenance fees for the child patents are paid in a timely manner. Each patent in the family stands on its own with respect to maintenance fee obligations.