Extensions

Term, Adjustment, and Family Details for U.S. Patent 8,438,120

Date of Analysis: 2026-04-30

Based on a review of the patent data provided and public records from the USPTO, the following details pertain to the term and lineage of U.S. Patent 8,438,120.

Projected Expiration Date

The projected expiration date for U.S. Patent 8,438,120 is September 6, 2030. This date includes a significant Patent Term Adjustment (PTA). The standard 20-year term from its filing date of April 25, 2008, would have resulted in an expiration date of April 25, 2028.

Patent Term Adjustment (PTA)

The patent was granted a substantial term adjustment due to administrative delays by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) during its prosecution. While the exact day-by-day calculation is not provided in the reference text, the difference between the standard expiration date (April 25, 2028) and the adjusted date (September 6, 2030) indicates a total adjustment of 865 days. This extension compensates the patent holder for delays that were not attributable to the applicant.

• Patent Term Extension (PTE): There is no indication that this patent has received any Patent Term Extension under 35 U.S.C. § 156, which is typically granted for delays associated with regulatory review by agencies such as the FDA and is not applicable here.

Continuity Data

U.S. Patent 8,438,120 issued from application number US12/597,257. This application was a U.S. national stage entry of the international PCT application PCT/NL2008/050247.

• Continuation or Divisional Applications: A review of the patent data does not indicate that any continuation or divisional applications have been filed that claim priority back to application US12/597,257. Therefore, this patent does not appear to be part of a chain of subsequent U.S. applications.

Patent Family Members

This U.S. patent is part of a family of related patent documents filed in multiple jurisdictions, all claiming priority to the original European patent application EP07106963A, filed on April 25, 2007.

Key members of this patent family include:

• International (WIPO): WO2008133509A1 - The international application published under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT).
• European Patent Office (EPO): EP2156377A1 - The application filed at the EPO. The status of this application is listed as "Withdrawn."
• United States: US20100280979A1 - The U.S. patent application publication, which published before the patent was granted.

This family structure indicates an initial filing in Europe, followed by an international PCT application to extend the filing into other member countries, including the United States.