Extensions

Term, Adjustments, and Family of U.S. Patent 9,978,205

Issued: May 22, 2018
Application No.: 15/444,409
Filed: February 28, 2017

Based on an analysis of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) records for U.S. Patent No. 9,978,205, the following details pertain to its term, related applications, and projected expiration.

Patent Term Adjustments (PTA) and Extensions (PTE)

• Patent Term Adjustment (PTA): There has been no Patent Term Adjustment granted for this patent. The application was processed and issued by the USPTO within the timeframes that would trigger such an adjustment. PTA is intended to compensate for delays caused by the USPTO during prosecution, and none were recorded for this patent.
• Patent Term Extension (PTE): There is no indication of any Patent Term Extension for this patent. PTE is typically granted for patents covering products that require a lengthy pre-market regulatory review period, such as pharmaceuticals or medical devices, which is not applicable to the subject matter of the '205 patent.

Continuity and Related Applications

U.S. Patent 9,978,205 is a continuation of a prior application. This relationship is crucial for determining the patent's expiration date, as the term is calculated from the earliest non-provisional filing date in the chain of applications.

• Parent Application:

  • This patent is a continuation of U.S. Patent Application No. 12/488,241, which was filed on June 19, 2009.

• Provisional Application Priority:

  • The parent application (12/488,241) claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/074,572, filed on June 20, 2008. For the purpose of calculating the 20-year patent term, the filing date of the non-provisional application (June 19, 2009) is the relevant date.

There are numerous other U.S. patents and patent applications that are part of this patent's family, claiming continuity from the same parent applications. These related patents cover various aspects of the gaming system but share the same foundational priority date.

Projected Expiration Date

The term of a U.S. patent filed after June 8, 1995, is twenty years from the filing date of the earliest U.S. non-provisional application to which it claims priority.

• Earliest Non-Provisional Filing Date: June 19, 2009 (from Application No. 12/488,241)
• Standard 20-Year Term: Adding 20 years to this date results in an expiration date of June 19, 2029.

Therefore, the projected expiration date for U.S. Patent 9,978,205 is June 19, 2029. This date does not account for any terminal disclaimers that may have been filed in relation to other family members or the potential non-payment of maintenance fees, which could cause the patent to expire earlier. As of May 7, 2026, the patent is active.