Extensions

Analysis of Patent Term, Adjustments, and Family for US Patent No. 5,978,773

Date of Analysis: April 29, 2026

This report details the terminological data, continuity, and family relationships for U.S. Patent No. 5,978,773.

Patent Term Adjustments (PTA) and Extensions (PTE)

• Patent Term Adjustment (PTA): There are no recorded Patent Term Adjustments for US5978773. The provisions for PTA were established for patents filed on or after May 29, 2000. Since the application for this patent was filed on October 3, 1995, it is not eligible for PTA.
• Patent Term Extension (PTE): There are no recorded Patent Term Extensions for US5978773. PTE is typically granted for delays caused by regulatory review (e.g., by the FDA) and does not apply to this patent.

Continuity Data: Divisional and Continuation Applications

The application that matured into US5978773 (application number 08/538,365) has a more complex lineage than a standard application.

• Divisional Application: A divisional application, U.S. Application No. 09/232,908, was filed on January 15, 1999. This application subsequently issued as U.S. Patent No. 6,199,048 B1 on March 6, 2001.

• Continuation Applications: The family of this patent includes a long chain of continuation applications, indicating a strategy to keep the invention protected over a prolonged period. This chain includes:

  • U.S. Application No. 10/768,991, filed January 29, 2004, which issued as U.S. Patent No. 7,383,209 B2.
  • U.S. Application No. 11/765,887, filed June 20, 2007, which issued as U.S. Patent No. 7,765,126 B2.
  • U.S. Application No. 12/827,814, filed June 30, 2010, which issued as U.S. Patent No. 8,131,597 B2.
  • U.S. Application No. 13/323,931, filed December 13, 2011, which issued as U.S. Patent No. 8,805,728 B2.
  • U.S. Application No. 14/456,635, filed August 11, 2014, which published as U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0361071 A1 and appears to be abandoned.

Patent Family Members

In addition to the U.S. patents and applications, US5978773 has a number of international counterparts, indicating that protection for this invention was sought in multiple jurisdictions. The known patent family includes:

• Australian Patent: AU6388496A
• European Patent: EP0832453B2 (with related applications in Austria and Germany)
• WIPO (PCT) Application: WO1997001137A1

Projected Expiration Date

For patents filed before June 8, 1995, the term was 17 years from the issue date or 20 years from the earliest non-provisional filing date, whichever was longer. For patents filed after that date, the term is 20 years from the earliest non-provisional filing date.

• Filing Date: October 3, 1995
• Priority Date: The application claims priority from a provisional application filed on June 20, 1995. The 20-year term is calculated from the filing date of the non-provisional application.
• Governing Law: The patent falls under the 20-year term rule.
• Calculation: 20 years from the filing date of October 3, 1995.

Therefore, the projected expiration date for U.S. Patent No. 5,978,773 was October 3, 2015. The patent is now expired.