Extensions

To determine the most accurate and up-to-date information on US patent 8642491 regarding patent term adjustments, extensions, continuation/divisional applications, related family members, and projected expiration date, a direct search of the USPTO's Patent Center database would be ideal. However, based on the provided search results and the authoritative patent text, here's a detailed breakdown:

US Patent 8642491: Fining of boroalumino silicate glasses

• Filing Date: 2010-12-10 (Application number US12/965,032)
• Issue Date: 2014-02-04
• Original Expiration Date (20 years from filing): 2030-12-10

1. Patent Term Adjustments (PTA):
Patent Term Adjustment (PTA) is granted to compensate for delays caused by the USPTO during the prosecution of a patent application. These delays can include failing to issue an office action within 14 months of filing, failing to respond to an applicant's reply within 4 months, or failing to issue a patent within 4 months of the issue fee payment, or failing to issue the patent within 36 months from the filing date. The USPTO calculates the PTA and it is indicated in the issue notification letter and on the patent itself.

The provided patent text states the "Adjusted expiration" date as 2027-11-21. This indicates that the patent has received a Patent Term Adjustment, and its term has been adjusted from the original 20-year term from its filing date (2010-12-10) to this new date. The details of the calculation are not explicitly provided in the patent document or search snippets, but it is clear an adjustment was made.

2. Patent Term Extensions (PTE):
Patent Term Extensions (PTE) are available for patents on certain products (like human drugs, medical devices, food additives) to restore time lost due to premarket regulatory review by agencies such as the FDA.

Since US patent 8642491 relates to "Fining of boroalumino silicate glasses" for flat panel display devices, it does not fall into the categories of products eligible for PTE (e.g., human drugs, medical devices). Therefore, it is highly unlikely that this patent would have received any Patent Term Extensions under 35 U.S.C. § 156. The provided information does not indicate any PTE for this patent.

3. Continuation Applications:
A continuation application is filed before the patenting, abandonment, or termination of proceedings on an earlier application to introduce new claims and seek further examination. Filing a continuation application from a parent patent is often seen as an implicit admission of obviousness-type double patenting, requiring a Terminal Disclaimer to avoid ODP. New fees for continuation applications filed six or nine years after their earliest benefit date have been implemented by the USPTO, effective January 19, 2025.

The provided patent information states that US8642491B2 is a "continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/478,493, filed Jun. 28, 2006, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,851,394" (under Section I. CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS). This confirms that US8642491B2 is a continuation application of US Pat. No. 7,851,394.

The "Family Applications" section also lists:

• US11/478,493 (US7851394B2), filed 2006-06-28, which is the parent application.
• US12/965,004 (US8640498B2), filed 2010-12-10, titled "Fining of boroalumino silicate glasses." This appears to be a co-pending or related continuation, given the identical title and filing date to US8642491B2's application number (US12/965,032).

4. Divisional Applications:
A divisional application is typically filed when an examiner makes a restriction requirement, separating claims to independent and distinct inventions within a single patent application. Divisional applications must be filed before the patenting or abandonment of the prior application.

The provided text for US8642491B2 explicitly states it is a "continuation" (of US7851394B2), not a "divisional" application. There is no information in the provided text or search results to indicate that US8642491B2 is a divisional application or that any divisional applications were explicitly filed from it.

5. Related Family Members:
The patent text lists the following related family members:

• Parent Application: US7851394B2 (application number US11/478,493, filed 2006-06-28).
• Other continuation of the same parent: US8640498B2 (application number US12/965,004, filed 2010-12-10).
• Priority Applications: US60/694,478, filed 2005-06-28.
• Publication: US20110082022A1 (published 2011-04-07).
• International/Foreign Equivalents: The "Country Status" section lists family members in EP, JP, KR, CN, TW, and WO jurisdictions. Specific patent numbers include EP3296274B1, JP5142996B2, KR101346446B1, CN101208276B, TWI387571B, and WO2007002865A1.

6. Projected Expiration Date:
Based on the "Legal status" information from the Google Patents page, the patent is "Active, expires 2027-11-21". This "Adjusted expiration" date reflects any Patent Term Adjustments. Therefore, the projected expiration date for US Patent 8642491 is November 21, 2027.