Extensions

U.S. Patent 8,677,398: Term, Application History, and Family Details

Date of Analysis: April 30, 2026

An analysis of the public records for U.S. Patent No. 8,677,398 ("the '398 patent") reveals a complex prosecution history, including several continuation applications and a significant patent term adjustment. This activity directly impacts the patent's enforceability and projected expiration date.

Patent Term and Expiration

• Issue Date: March 18, 2014
• Original Expiration: The standard 20-year term for a U.S. patent is calculated from the filing date of the earliest non-provisional application in its family. The '398 patent's lineage traces back to U.S. Application No. 11/736,544, filed on April 17, 2007. This would normally result in an expiration date of April 17, 2027.
• Patent Term Adjustment (PTA): The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) granted a Patent Term Adjustment to compensate for administrative delays during the patent's prosecution. While the precise calculation of this adjustment is detailed in the patent's file history, public records indicate an adjusted expiration date.
• Projected Expiration Date: The adjusted expiration date for U.S. Patent 8,677,398 is May 1, 2027. This date incorporates the granted PTA.
• Patent Term Extension (PTE): There is no indication in the public record that the '398 patent has been granted a Patent Term Extension (PTE). PTE is typically associated with delays in regulatory approval for products like pharmaceuticals and is not applicable in this case.

Application and Family History

The '398 patent is part of a larger family of patents and applications, descending from an initial filing in 2007. This is a common strategy used to pursue claims of varying scope related to the core invention.

• Application Number: The application that matured into the '398 patent is U.S. Application No. 13/167,605, filed on June 23, 2011.

• Continuity Data: This application is a continuation of a prior application, creating a chain of lineage that establishes its priority date.

  • This application (13/167,605) is a continuation of U.S. Application No. 12/860,666, filed on August 20, 2010 (now U.S. Patent No. 8,281,336).
  • Application No. 12/860,666 is, in turn, a continuation of U.S. Application No. 11/736,544, filed on April 17, 2007 (now U.S. Patent No. 7,861,260).

• Parent Patents:

  • U.S. Patent No. 8,281,336
  • U.S. Patent No. 7,861,260

• Child Applications: The family originating from the initial 2007 application has been significantly expanded with numerous subsequent continuation and divisional applications, indicating an active and ongoing strategy by the assignee, Intent IQ LLC, to protect its technology. Public records show a series of newer applications claiming priority to this family, including applications filed as recently as April 26, 2024 (U.S. Application No. 18/647,861).

There are no divisional applications directly from the 13/167,605 application apparent in the immediate public record, with the subsequent filings being structured as continuations that build upon the earlier applications in the chain.