Extensions

Patent Term and Expiration

The subject patent, U.S. 9,929,240, has a projected expiration date of May 13, 2028. This is based on the standard 20-year term from its earliest non-provisional priority filing date.

• Earliest Non-Provisional Filing Date: May 13, 2008 (from U.S. Patent Application No. 12/152,518, now U.S. Patent No. 8,063,434).
• Patent Term Adjustment (PTA): The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) granted 0 days of Patent Term Adjustment. There were no prosecution delays on the part of the USPTO that would warrant an extension.
• Patent Term Extension (PTE): There is no evidence of any Patent Term Extension (PTE) under 35 U.S.C. § 156, which typically applies to products requiring pre-market regulatory review and is not applicable here.

Therefore, the calculated expiration date remains unaffected by any adjustments or extensions.

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Continuity and Patent Family

U.S. Patent No. 9,929,240 is part of a large family of patents and applications originating from a provisional application filed in 2007. The patent claims a long chain of priority through multiple parent applications.

Direct Priority Chain:

The '240 patent, which issued from Application No. 15/335,180, has the following direct lineage as detailed in its "Cross-Reference to Related Applications":

• It is a continuation of Application No. 14/811,346 (filed Jul. 28, 2015).
• Which is a continuation of Application No. 14/159,315 (filed Jan. 20, 2014), now U.S. Patent No. 9,093,318.
• Which is a continuation of Application No. 13/539,466 (filed Jul. 1, 2012), now U.S. Patent No. 8,633,537.
• Which is a continuation-in-part of Application No. 13/288,919 (filed Nov. 3, 2011), now U.S. Patent No. 8,859,374.
• Which is a divisional of Application No. 12/152,518 (filed May 13, 2008), now U.S. Patent No. 8,063,434.
• Which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/940,160 (filed May 25, 2007).

Additional Known U.S. Family Members:

The following patents and applications are also part of this family, claiming priority back to the '518 application:

• U.S. Patent No. 10,446,656 (from Application No. 15/376,282)
• U.S. Patent No. 10,312,336 (from Application No. 15/864,832)
• U.S. Patent No. 10,903,325 (from Application No. 16/429,464)
• U.S. Patent No. 11,056,565 (from Application No. 16/600,768)
• U.S. Patent No. 11,456,365 (from Application No. 17/157,350)
• U.S. Patent No. 11,721,733 (from Application No. 17/366,934)
• U.S. Patent No. 12,009,401 (from Application No. 17/952,796)
• U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2024/0332385 A1 (from Application No. 18/739,179)