Patent 9060561

Extensions

Patent term adjustments, term extensions, continuations, divisionals, family members, and expiration dates.

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Extensions

Patent term adjustments, term extensions, continuations, divisionals, family members, and expiration dates.

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To provide a comprehensive overview of US patent 9060561, I will consult the USPTO database and other reliable patent information sources for details on patent term adjustments (PTA), patent term extensions (PTE), continuation/divisional applications, related family members, and the projected expiration date.

Patent Term Adjustments (PTA) and Patent Term Extensions (PTE)

US patents filed on or after June 8, 1995, typically have a term of 20 years from the earliest filing date of the application. However, this term can be adjusted.

  • Patent Term Adjustment (PTA): PTA compensates for delays caused by the USPTO during the prosecution of a utility or plant patent application. It is an addition to the 20-year lifespan of the patent. The USPTO automatically determines and issues a notice of PTA with the patent. A PHOSITA in this field would be an engineer or product designer specializing in protective gear, particularly helmets, with expertise in materials science, biomechanics, and various energy absorption and dissipation mechanisms.
  • Patent Term Extension (PTE): PTE is available for patents covering pharmaceutical products and medical devices that undergo regulatory review (e.g., FDA approval) prior to commercial marketing. This extends the patent term to restore a portion of the time lost during this review process, up to a maximum of five years, and not beyond 14 years from the date of marketing approval.

Based on the nature of US patent 9060561, "Biomechanics aware helmet," it is not a pharmaceutical or medical device patent subject to FDA regulatory review. Therefore, it is highly unlikely to have received a Patent Term Extension (PTE) under 35 U.S.C. § 156.

To determine any specific Patent Term Adjustment (PTA) for US9060561, one would typically need to review the "Issue Fee Due" or "Patent" tab within the USPTO's Patent Center for the patent's file wrapper, as the USPTO does not publicly calculate expiration dates for patents but provides a calculator and guidelines to estimate them. Without direct access to the full patent prosecution history from the USPTO Patent Center, the exact PTA amount for US9060561 cannot be definitively stated here.

Continuation and Divisional Applications

  • Continuation Applications: A continuation application is a second application for the same invention claimed in a prior non-provisional application and filed before the patenting or abandonment of or termination of proceedings on the first application. It benefits from the filing date of the earlier application.
  • Divisional Applications: A divisional application is filed when an examiner determines that a patent application contains more than one invention. The applicant must then select one invention to proceed with, and the unselected inventions can be pursued in one or more divisional applications. Divisional applications also retain the benefit of the filing date of the original (parent) application.

The provided "Priority Applications" and "Related Parent Applications" sections of the patent indicate several related applications:

  • US14/485,993 (this patent application for US9060561B2) claims benefit under 35 U.S.C. §120 to U.S. application Ser. No. 13/554,471, entitled "BIOMECHANICS AWARE PROTECTIVE GEAR," filed Jul. 20, 2012.
  • US13/554,471 claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/510,401, entitled "SMART BIOMECHANICS AWARE ENERGY CONSCIOUS PROTECTIVE GEAR WITH TISSUE PROTECTION," filed on Jul. 21, 2011.

The patent lists several other related applications under "Priority Applications," all claiming the same priority date of July 21, 2011:

These numerous applications, all stemming from the same priority date, strongly suggest a strategy of filing a series of continuation and/or divisional applications to protect various aspects or embodiments of the "biomechanics aware protective gear" invention. This allows the applicant to pursue different claim scopes from the original disclosure.

Related Family Members

A patent family is a set of patent documents in various countries related to a single invention. The "Family Applications" section in the patent document indicates the following as family members, all sharing the same priority date of 2011-07-21:

  • US13/554,563 (US10238162B2)
  • US13/554,471 (US8863319B2)
  • US14/485,993 (US9060561B2 - this patent)
  • US14/714,093 (US9271536B2)
  • US14/809,142 (US9414635B2)
  • US14/927,093 (US9289022B2)
  • US15/050,357 (US9516909B2)
  • US15/050,373 (US9521874B2)
  • US15/202,173 (US9723889B2)
  • US15/348,757 (US9750296B2)
  • US15/631,713 (US20170280809A1)

Additionally, the "Country Status" section lists international family members:

  • EP (3 applications, e.g., EP3281543A1, EP2734071B1)
  • ES (1 application, ES2637796T3)
  • WO (1 application, WO2013013180A1)

These demonstrate a global patenting strategy for the underlying invention.

Projected Expiration Date

For utility patents filed on or after June 8, 1995, the patent term generally expires 20 years from the earliest filing date of the patent application. If the patent claims priority to an earlier application, the 20-year term starts from the filing date of the earliest priority application.

  • The earliest priority date for US9060561B2 is July 21, 2011 (from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/510,401).
  • Counting 20 years from this date, the base expiration date would be July 21, 2031.

The patent document on Google Patents itself lists an "Anticipated expiration" date of 2032-07-20. This indicates that there has likely been a Patent Term Adjustment (PTA) granted during prosecution. The difference between July 21, 2031, and July 20, 2032, is approximately one year. Without the specific PTA calculation from the USPTO file history, the exact breakdown of this adjustment (e.g., due to USPTO delays) cannot be detailed.

Therefore, the projected expiration date for US patent 9060561 is July 20, 2032.

Generated 5/28/2026, 8:43:13 PM