Extensions

Patent Term and Expiration for US8131597

Washington, D.C. - An analysis of the prosecution history and family data for U.S. Patent No. 8,131,597 provides clarity on its term and projected expiration. As of April 28, 2026, the patent has expired.

The governing rule for this patent's term is 20 years from the filing date of the earliest non-provisional application to which it claims priority.

Key Dates and Calculations:

• Application Filing Date (US8131597): The application for this specific patent (Ser. No. 12/827,814) was filed on June 30, 2010.
• Earliest Priority Date: The patent is part of a long chain of continuing applications and claims priority to the earliest non-provisional application in its family, which is U.S. Application Ser. No. 08/538,365.
• Earliest Non-Provisional Filing Date: The '365 application was filed on October 3, 1995.
• Projected Expiration Date: The 20-year patent term, calculated from the earliest non-provisional filing date, concluded on October 3, 2015.

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

A review of the patent's file history indicates no Patent Term Adjustments or Extensions were granted that would have extended its term beyond the calculated 2015 expiration date. The official status of the patent is "Expired - Fee Related," which confirms that it is no longer in force.

Application and Family Details:

• Continuations: US8131597 is a continuation of application Ser. No. 11/765,887 (now U.S. Patent 7,765,126). This patent itself is part of a chain of continuations tracing back to the 1995 application.
• Child Applications: Following the grant of US8131597, the same applicants filed at least one subsequent continuation, application Ser. No. 13/323,931 (which issued as U.S. Patent 8,805,728). This "child" application also has a term limited by the original 1995 filing date and is likewise expired.
• Divisional Applications: No applications have been identified as a direct divisional of the application leading to US8131597. However, the broader patent family includes U.S. Patent 6,199,048, which was a divisional of the parent '365 application.
• Patent Family: The patent is a member of a large family of U.S. patents and applications, all of which claim ultimate priority to the provisional application 60/000,442 filed on June 20, 1995, and the subsequent non-provisional application Ser. No. 08/538,365 filed on October 3, 1995. Key members of this family include U.S. Patents 5,978,773; 6,199,048; 7,383,209; 7,765,126; and 8,805,728. Due to the shared 1995 priority date, all patents within this family have expired.