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Analysis of Patent Term, Adjustments, and Family for US8942252B2

As of May 10, 2026, a detailed analysis of U.S. Patent No. 8,942,252B2 reveals the following information regarding its term, related applications, and expiration status.

Patent Term Adjustments (PTA) and Extensions (PTE)

• Patent Term Adjustment (PTA): A review of the patent's prosecution history indicates that no Patent Term Adjustment was granted. PTA is typically awarded to compensate for administrative delays by the USPTO during the examination of a patent application.
• Patent Term Extension (PTE): There is no record of any Patent Term Extension for this patent. PTE is generally granted to compensate for delays caused by pre-market regulatory review, such as by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and is not applicable to this technology area.

Continuity and Family Data

This patent is part of a larger family of applications that claim priority back to a provisional application filed in 2001. The chain of prosecution is as follows:

• Provisional Application: The earliest priority date is December 17, 2001, based on U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/341,574. Provisional applications are not published unless a subsequent non-provisional application claiming priority to it is published or granted.

• Parent Applications (Continuation Chain): US8942252B2 is a continuation of several earlier applications. The direct lineage is detailed in the patent's "Priority Claim" section:

  • Direct Parent: The application for this patent, US13/850,260 (filed March 25, 2013), is a continuation of application US12/710,146 (filed February 22, 2010), which issued as US Patent 8,406,257B2.
  • Grandparent: Application US12/710,146 is a continuation of application US11/933,194 (filed October 31, 2007), which was abandoned.
  • Great-Grandparent: Application US11/933,194 is a continuation of application US10/322,335 (filed December 17, 2002), which issued as US Patent 7,391,791B2. This is the earliest non-provisional application in the chain.

• Divisional Applications: No divisional applications have been identified as stemming from the application that led to US8942252B2.

Projected and Actual Expiration Date

The term of a U.S. patent is typically 20 years from the filing date of the earliest non-provisional application to which it claims priority.

• Earliest Non-Provisional Filing Date: The 20-year term is calculated from the filing date of application US10/322,335, which is December 17, 2002.
• Calculated Expiration Date: Based on the earliest non-provisional filing date, the patent term was projected to expire on December 17, 2022.
• Official Status: A review of the USPTO's public records confirms the patent's status as "Expired - Fee Related." This indicates that the patent expired prematurely due to the non-payment of required maintenance fees. Maintenance fees for utility patents are due at 3.5, 7.5, and 11.5 years after the patent's issue date. Failure to pay these fees results in the patent expiring. Therefore, regardless of the calculated 20-year term, the patent is no longer in force.