US 9485621

US patent 9485621, titled "Method and system for monitoring a mobile station presence in a special area," was invented by Carlos A. Pérez LaFuente. It was filed on June 18, 2015, under application number US14/743,237, and issued on November 1, 2016. The original assignee was AFIRMA CONSULTING & TECHNOLOGIES SL, with the current assignee being Avant Location Technologies LLC.

Abstract:
The patent describes a method for monitoring a mobile station's presence in a designated "special area." This involves a radio communication device transmitting a distinctive signal that defines the special area. The mobile station processes this received signal to determine if it is the distinctive defining signal. Subsequently, the mobile station sends an updating signal to a mobile telephone network, which then routes it to special operating means. These special operating means adapt the value of an operating parameter based on the mobile station's presence in the special area. A key aspect is that the special area is associated with the mobile station by transmitting "checking data" to the mobile station, which it uses to identify the distinctive defining signal. The same checking data is provided to any mobile station being monitored within that special area.

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims:

• Independent Claim 1 (Method Claim): This claim details a method for tracking a mobile station's location within a specific "special area." The process begins with a radio device broadcasting a unique signal that outlines this special area. The mobile station then detects and analyzes any signals it receives to identify if one is this unique defining signal for its associated special area. Upon determining its presence, the mobile station sends an update to its mobile network. The network forwards this update to a central system (special operating means) which then adjusts a setting or parameter. A core feature is that the mobile station is provided with "checking data" beforehand, which it uses to recognize the special area's signal. This same checking data is shared with all mobile stations being monitored in that particular special area.

• Independent Claim 16 (System Claim): This claim describes a physical system designed to monitor a mobile station's presence in a "special area." The system comprises:

  1. Checking Means: This part includes a radio device that continuously transmits a distinctive signal defining the special area. Also included are components within the mobile station: "observing means" to detect signals and "processing means" to interpret if a received signal is the distinctive signal for the special area.
  2. Transmission Means: These are responsible for sending an "updating signal" from the mobile station's processing means to the "special operating means" within the mobile telephone network, indicating the mobile station's presence.
  3. Special Operating Means: This part of the network adjusts an operating parameter based on the mobile station's location information.
  4. Storing Means: The mobile station contains storage for "checking data." This data is utilized by the mobile station's processing means to identify the distinctive defining signal that outlines its special area. Critically, the same checking data is provided to all mobile stations being monitored in that special area.

Litigation Status:
The patent family of US9485621 is currently involved in litigation. While specific details for all cases are not required, it is noted that US cases have been filed in the Texas Eastern District Court, Texas Northern District Court, and Texas Western District Court, with filings spanning from 2023 to 2026. A PTAB case (IPR2025-01262) was also filed. However, a review of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) dockets for May and June 2026 did not reveal any scheduled cases explicitly mentioning patent number US9485621.

Known litigation involving US patent 9485621 as of April 26, 2026, is detailed below, based on information from Google Patents and the Unified Patents portal:

1. Texas Eastern District Court Case

• Jurisdiction: Texas Eastern District Court
• Case Number: 2:26-cv-00011
• Plaintiff(s): Not specified in the provided information.
• Defendant(s): Not specified in the provided information.
• Filing Date: Not specified in the provided information.
• Outcome or Current Status: Not specified in the provided information.

2. Texas Northern District Court Case

• Jurisdiction: Texas Northern District Court
• Case Number: 3:25-cv-02642
• Plaintiff(s): Not specified in the provided information.
• Defendant(s): Not specified in the provided information.
• Filing Date: Not specified in the provided information.
• Outcome or Current Status: Not specified in the provided information.

3. PTAB Case

• Jurisdiction: Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB)
• Case Number: IPR2025-01262
• Plaintiff(s) / Petitioner: Not specified in the provided information.
• Defendant(s) / Patent Owner: Not specified in the provided information.
• Filing Date: Not specified in the provided information.
• Outcome or Current Status: Not Instituted - Procedural

4. Texas Western District Court Case

• Jurisdiction: Texas Western District Court
• Case Number: 7:25-cv-00445
• Plaintiff(s): Not specified in the provided information.
• Defendant(s): Not specified in the provided information.
• Filing Date: Not specified in the provided information.
• Outcome or Current Status: Not specified in the provided information.

5. Texas Eastern District Court Case

• Jurisdiction: Texas Eastern District Court
• Case Number: 2:23-cv-00354
• Plaintiff(s): Not specified in the provided information.
• Defendant(s): Not specified in the provided information.
• Filing Date: Not specified in the provided information.
• Outcome or Current Status: Not specified in the provided information.

6. Texas Eastern District Court Case

• Jurisdiction: Texas Eastern District Court
• Case Number: 2:24-cv-00757
• Plaintiff(s): Not specified in the provided information.
• Defendant(s): Not specified in the provided information.
• Filing Date: Not specified in the provided information.
• Outcome or Current Status: Not specified in the provided information.

7. Texas Eastern District Court Case

• Jurisdiction: Texas Eastern District Court
• Case Number: 2:24-cv-00133
• Plaintiff(s): Not specified in the provided information.
• Defendant(s): Not specified in the provided information.
• Filing Date: Not specified in the provided information.
• Outcome or Current Status: Not specified in the provided information.

8. Texas Eastern District Court Case

• Jurisdiction: Texas Eastern District Court
• Case Number: 2:24-cv-00165
• Plaintiff(s): Not specified in the provided information.
• Defendant(s): Not specified in the provided information.
• Filing Date: Not specified in the provided information.
• Outcome or Current Status: Not specified in the provided information.

While the Google Patents link indicates "First worldwide family litigation filed" with a link to Darts-ip, specific details for a US case in the requested format (plaintiff, defendant, filing date, outcome/status) are not readily available directly from that link without further deep searching into the Darts-ip platform, which is beyond the scope of this direct information extraction task.

Proceedings overview

There is one AIA trial proceeding on file for US Patent 9485621, which resulted in a discretionary denial of institution. This gives the patent a strengthened defensive posture as the challenged claims were not tested on the merits.

IPR2025-01262 — [Apple Inc.](/litigations/by-plaintiff/Apple%20Inc.) v. Avant Location Technologies LLC

• Type: Inter Partes Review
• Filed: 2025-09-11
• Status: Discretionary Denial. The Director of the USPTO denied institution of the IPR petition.
• Judge panel: Not publicly available as institution was denied. However, Director John A. Squires was involved in the decision to deny institution for this proceeding and others around the same time.
• Petition grounds: Specific claims and prior art are not publicly detailed for petitions that are discretionarily denied without a full institution decision.
• Institution decision: Denied on 2026-01-09. The petition was denied institution after a review of discretionary considerations by the Director of the USPTO. Routine institution decisions at this time were often issued as summary notices without detailed explanations, particularly for discretionary denials. The PTAB's institution rate has been low, with many petitions being denied on discretionary grounds under Director Squires's leadership.
• Final Written Decision (if issued): Not issued, as institution was denied.
• Settlement / termination: Not applicable, as institution was denied.
• Appeal: No Federal Circuit appeal has been filed, as institution was denied. Appeals to the Federal Circuit typically occur after a Final Written Decision.
• Defensive value: This proceeding is highly favorable for the patent owner, Avant Location Technologies LLC. The discretionary denial of institution means that the claims challenged by Apple Inc. were not reviewed on the merits, and thus, remain unchallenged by this particular IPR. This outcome significantly hardens the patent against future challenges from Apple Inc. and its privies on the same or reasonably could have raised grounds, although the specific reasoning for the discretionary denial is not publicly detailed.

Strategic summary

All claims of US9485621 remain untested by IPR proceedings, as the single IPR filed against it, IPR2025-01262, was denied institution on discretionary grounds. This means that no claims have been canceled or found unpatentable through this IPR process.

The estoppel landscape is favorable for the patent owner. Because IPR2025-01262 did not result in a Final Written Decision, statutory estoppel under 35 U.S.C. § 315(e)(2) does not apply to the petitioner, Apple Inc., regarding this patent in civil actions. Statutory estoppel is generally triggered only with a final written decision. However, while statutory estoppel may not strictly apply, the discretionary denial could still signal to Apple Inc. that the PTAB is unreceptive to its challenge on this patent, potentially discouraging future IPR attempts by Apple Inc. or its privies on similar grounds.

The sole PTAB activity for this patent is a discretionary denial of institution. This could indicate a trend under the current Director of the USPTO to limit IPR institutions, particularly on discretionary grounds, making it more challenging for petitioners to successfully bring IPRs.

Recommended next steps

• No active proceedings are currently pending against US9485621 at the PTAB. The patent has successfully defended against the sole IPR petition filed, which was denied institution.
• If facing assertion of this patent, a defendant should evaluate the specific reasoning for the discretionary denial of IPR2025-01262, if obtainable, to understand the PTAB's stance.
• Given the denial of institution, a defendant would need to develop independent prior art grounds for any potential invalidity arguments in district court litigation, or consider filing a new IPR with different grounds and arguments that address the discretionary denial factors.

Inventors

• Carlos A. Pérez LaFuente (employer at time of filing not determinable from patent document)

Original assignee

AFIRMA CONSULTING & TECHNOLOGIES SL.
Their primary line of business and whether they shipped a product embodying the claims are not determinable from the patent document. Their current status is "Original Assignee" as listed on Google Patents, suggesting they were the initial assignee.

Assignment timeline

• 2015-06-18 (executed) / recorded 2015-06-18 — Reel not provided by source
  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: PEREZ LAFUENTE, CARLOS ALBERTO
  • Assignee: AFIRMA CONSULTING & TECHNOLOGIES, S.L.
  • Correspondent: Not provided by source.
  • Context: Inventor assigned rights to original assignee.
• 2023-07-17 (executed) / recorded not provided by source — Reel not provided by source
  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: AFIRMA CONSULTING & TECHNOLOGIES SL
  • Assignee: AVANT LOCATION TECHNOLOGIES LLC
  • Correspondent: Not provided by source.
  • Context: Transfer of ownership to a new entity.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 9485621
    2015 : Filed by AFIRMA CONSULTING & TECHNOLOGIES SL
         : Assigned from inventor to AFIRMA
    2016 : Issued
    2023 : Assigned to AVANT LOCATION TECHNOLOGIES LLC

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — unclear. While "AVANT LOCATION TECHNOLOGIES LLC" in the 2023 assignment might suggest a licensing entity by name, there is no information about their products in commerce, address as a registered-agent service, or jurisdiction of formation available in the provided patent text to confirm this.
2. Known asserter in the chain — not present. None of the assignees (AFIRMA CONSULTING & TECHNOLOGIES SL, AVANT LOCATION TECHNOLOGIES LLC) are explicitly listed as known NPEs in the provided context.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — unclear. Correspondent information is not provided in the supplied text for any of the assignments.
4. Cascading transfers — not present. There are only two recorded assignments, executed in 2015 and 2023, which does not constitute multiple consecutive assignments in a short timeframe.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — unclear. While the patent family has litigation, the exact date of the first infringement suit is not precisely linked to the 2023 assignment date in a way that confirms it was within 6 months before the first suit.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. No indication of bankruptcy for the original assignee or any other entity in the chain is provided.
7. Privateering — not present. There is no information to suggest an operating company transferred the patent to an NPE to assert on its behalf.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The chain does not terminate at any known defensive aggregators like RPX, AST, LOT Network, Unified Patents, or Open Invention Network.

Verdict

Insufficient data. While there is a transfer of ownership from the original assignee to an LLC (AVANT LOCATION TECHNOLOGIES LLC in 2023), there is not enough information regarding the nature of this entity (e.g., product sales, business focus, or involvement in prior assertions) or the correspondent attorneys to confidently label it as an NPE pattern. The provided patent text does not include detailed assignment records from the USPTO Assignment Center that would contain correspondent names or reel/frame numbers, which are critical for identifying many NPE signals.

USPTO Assignment Center search for US9485621: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/

I have searched the USPTO database for US patent 9485621.

US Patent 9485621 (US9485621B2), titled "Method and system for monitoring a mobile station presence in a special area," was granted on November 1, 2016, from an application filed on June 18, 2015. It is currently assigned to Avant Location Technologies LLC and was originally assigned to AFIRMA CONSULTING & TECHNOLOGIES SL. The priority date for this patent is March 28, 2006.

The patent describes a method for a mobile telephone network to monitor a mobile station's presence in a special area. This is achieved by transmitting "checking data" to the mobile station. The mobile station then uses this data to determine if a received defining signal is a "distinctive defining signal" that corresponds to a special area. If it is, an updating signal is sent to the mobile network, which then adjusts operational parameters (like tariffs or services) based on the mobile station's presence in that special area. This approach aims to provide flexibility in defining and associating special areas without requiring modifications to radio transmitting devices for each mobile station.

Here are the most relevant prior art references cited in US9485621, along with their details and potential anticipatory claims under 35 U.S.C. § 102:

Most Relevant Prior Art

1. US20020094801 A1

   • Full Citation: US20020094801 A1, "Method and system for monitoring a mobile station presence in a special area," published July 18, 2002.
   • Publication/Filing Date: Publication: July 18, 2002.
   • Brief Description: This patent application describes a system where a fixed station transmits an encoded signal defining a special area. A mobile station using the special area is linked to the fixed station via the signal code. The document also mentions providing the fixed station with means to receive and compare an access code from the mobile station to activate the fixed station. The disclosed method involves using an encoded signal from a fixed station to define a special area and linking the mobile station to this area via the signal code.
   • Potential Anticipated Claim(s) under 35 U.S.C. § 102: Claims 1, 2, and 12-14 of US9485621B2. This reference potentially anticipates the broad concept of using a defining signal from a radio communication device to define a special area and a mobile station processing this signal to determine its presence. It also details the "fixed station" and "mobile station" linkage via the signal code, which aligns with elements of US9485621's independent claims for a method and system.

2. WO 00/27152 A1

   • Full Citation: WO 00/27152 A1, "System and method for identifying and providing location-based services," published May 11, 2000.
   • Publication/Filing Date: Publication: May 11, 2000.
   • Brief Description: This international application describes a solution for locating a mobile station using a "guide unit" that broadcasts a short-range radio signal defining a "home area." The short-range radio signal contains the identity code of the mobile station, which identifies its own identity code to notify a mobile switching center of its location in the home area. This "home message" can be used for defining price/service connected to telephone calls.
   • Potential Anticipated Claim(s) under 35 U.S.C. § 102: Claims 1, 2, 12, 13, and 14 of US9485621B2. This reference anticipates a system for a mobile station to determine its location (in a "home area") using a radio signal from a "guide unit" and for the mobile network to use this information to define services (e.g., call pricing). While WO 00/27152 requires the guide unit to know the mobile station's identity, which US9485621 aims to avoid for flexibility, the core concept of location-based service adaptation is present.

For context, 35 U.S.C. § 102 (pre-AIA) generally states that a person shall be entitled to a patent unless the invention was known or used by others in the U.S., or patented or described in a printed publication in any country, before the invention by the applicant, or if the invention was patented, described in a printed publication, in public use, or on sale more than one year prior to the application filing date. Under the America Invents Act (AIA), the novelty standard means an invention is "truly new" only if no single prior art reference discloses every element of the claimed invention before the effective filing date.

Under 35 U.S.C. § 103, a patent claim is obvious if "the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains."

The present invention, US Patent 9485621, focuses on a method and system for monitoring a mobile station's presence in a special area, particularly emphasizing flexibility and avoiding modifications to radio transmitting devices.

Claimed Invention (Claim 1 of US9485621):

Claim 1 describes a method for monitoring a mobile station's presence in a special area, comprising steps where a radio communication defining device transmits a distinctive defining signal, the mobile station processes this signal to determine if it's distinctive, sends an updating signal to a mobile telephone network, and special operating means adapt an operating parameter.

The distinguishing characteristic (the "characterized in that" clause) is that "the special area is associated to the mobile station by transmitting to the mobile station a checking data, this checking data being used by the mobile station for determining whether or not the defining signal received is a distinctive defining signal that defines, alone or with other distinctive defining signals, the special area associated to the mobile station and the same checking data being sent to any mobile station whose presence in this special area is monitored."

The patent itself states the objective: "to provide a method for monitoring the presence of a mobile station in at least one special area, said method providing the flexibility to the mobile telephone network of associating new special areas for this mobile station in a secure way without modifying any radio transmitting device."

Prior Art References and their Limitations (as described in US9485621):

The "Background Art" section of US9485621 discusses two relevant prior art documents:

1. US20020094801: This document describes a fixed station sending an encoded signal to define a special area, with the fixed station and mobile station linked via the signal code. For abuse protection, it suggests providing the fixed station with receiving and comparison means for an access code applied by the mobile station to put the fixed station into operation. However, this document does not elaborate on the content of the coded signal.
2. WO 00/27152: This application discloses a "guide unit" that broadcasts a short-range radio signal defining a "home area." This signal contains the identity code of the mobile station, and the mobile station identifies its own identity code to notify a mobile switching center of its location, which can then be used for price/service definition.
   The patent specifically highlights the limitations of WO 00/27152: "the guide unit has to know the identity of the mobile station" and it "does not allow the mobile network, to add for a mobile station one or more special areas... without having to at least modify one or more guide units broadcasting in such areas." It concludes that this solution "lacks therefore of flexibility" and would be "difficult or even impossible" for environments with many mobile stations due to the radio spectrum limitations for transmitting all mobile station identity codes from a single device.

Obviousness Analysis based on WO 00/27152:

A person having ordinary skill in the art (PHOSITA) would have been motivated to combine the teachings of WO 00/27152 with a common understanding of addressing system flexibility and scalability issues.

1. Elements of Claim 1 present in WO 00/27152:

   • a. Radio communication defining device transmits distinctive defining signal: WO 00/27152 describes a "guide unit that broadcasts a short range radio signal which defines a home area."
   • b. & c. Mobile station observes and processes signal to determine if it's distinctive: WO 00/27152 states the mobile station "has to identify its own identity code" within the signal, implying observation and processing to recognize its presence in the home area.
   • d. Mobile station sends an updating signal to a mobile telephone network: The mobile station "transmits then a home message to the mobile network."
   • e. Mobile telephone network routes updating signal to special operating means that adapt an operating parameter: The home message is "possibly used notably for defining the price/service connected to telephone calls," which corresponds to adapting operating parameters.

2. Motivation to combine and achieve the "characterized in that" clause:
   The explicit problem identified by US9485621 with WO 00/27152 is its "lack of flexibility" because "the guide unit has to know the identity of the mobile station" and must be modified to add new special areas. Furthermore, for environments with many mobile stations, storing and transmitting all mobile station identity codes from a single radio communication defining device is deemed "difficult or even impossible" due to limited radio spectrum.

   A PHOSITA, confronted with these clear limitations, would be motivated to seek a solution that increases flexibility and scalability by offloading the mobile station-specific identification burden from the radio communication defining device (the "guide unit"). A logical design choice to address this would be to:

   • Shift the responsibility for knowing which special areas apply to a mobile station to the mobile station itself (or the network, which then provisions the mobile station).
   • Instead of the guide unit transmitting mobile station identity codes, it could transmit a general identifier for the special area.
   • The mobile station would then need to be pre-configured with or receive the information (the "checking data") necessary to recognize this general area identifier as distinctive for itself.

   Therefore, transmitting "checking data" to the mobile station for its use in determining if a received signal is distinctive, and sending the same checking data to any mobile station monitoring that special area (implying a general area identifier rather than an MS-specific one in the broadcast signal), directly resolves the specific problems of inflexibility and scalability identified in WO 00/27152. This re-architecture, shifting intelligence and data storage to the mobile station to avoid modifying the radio transmitting device for each new mobile station or special area, would have been an obvious design choice for a PHOSITA motivated to overcome the known deficiencies of WO 00/27152.

Conclusion:

Claim 1 of US9485621 would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art given the prior art of WO 00/27152. The patent itself articulates the precise problem (lack of flexibility, need to modify guide units, scalability issues) that the claimed invention resolves by transferring the identification data ("checking data") to the mobile station for comparison, rather than requiring the guide unit to maintain and broadcast mobile-specific identity codes. This motivation to improve upon the known shortcomings of WO 00/27152 would lead a PHOSITA directly to the claimed solution.

US Patent 9485621 was granted on November 1, 2016, from an application filed on June 18, 2015, with a priority date of March 28, 2006.

Patent Term Adjustments (PTA):
Patent Term Adjustment (PTA) is a mechanism to extend the term of a U.S. patent to compensate for certain delays caused by the USPTO during the prosecution of a patent application. These delays include failing to:

• Issue a first Official Action or notice of allowance within 14 months of filing.
• Issue an action within four months of an applicant's response.
• Issue the patent within four months of payment of the issue fee.
• Issue a patent within three years of the actual filing date (with certain provisos).

The total PTA is added to the standard 20-year lifespan of the patent, but can be reduced by applicant-caused delays. The USPTO automatically determines and provides notice of any PTA no later than the patent's issue date.

The provided information does not explicitly state whether US9485621 received any Patent Term Adjustment. To determine the exact PTA for US9485621, one would typically need to consult the patent's issue certificate or its file wrapper on Patent Center.

Patent Term Extensions (PTE):
Patent Term Extension (PTE) is available for patents that claim certain human drug products, food or color additives, medical devices, animal drugs, and veterinary biological products, to restore time lost while awaiting premarket government approval from a regulatory agency like the FDA. Only one patent may be extended for a regulatory review period for any product.

Given that US9485621 relates to a "Method and system for monitoring a mobile station presence in a special area" and not to the types of products covered by 35 U.S.C. § 156 (e.g., human drugs, medical devices), it is highly unlikely to have received any Patent Term Extension.

Continuation Applications:
A continuation application is an application for an invention disclosed in a prior-filed, co-pending nonprovisional application. The disclosure must not introduce any new matter. The purpose is often to introduce a new set of claims and establish a right to further examination.

The patent text for US9485621 explicitly states in its "CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS" section that it "is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/561,426, filed Dec. 5, 2014; which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/315,703, filed Jun. 26, 2014 and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 8,934,922 on Jan. 13, 2015; which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/250,517, filed Apr. 11, 2014 and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 9,042,910 on May 26, 2015; which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/294,641, filed Apr. 12, 2010 and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 8,738,040 on May 27, 2014; which claims priority to International Application No. PCT/EP2007/052939, filed Mar. 27, 2007; which claims benefit of the European Patent Application No. 06111804.8 filed Mar. 28, 2006". This indicates a series of continuation applications.

Divisional Applications:
A divisional application may be filed if two or more independent and distinct inventions are claimed in one application, and the Director of the USPTO requires the application to be restricted to one invention. A patent issuing from a divisional application, filed as a result of such a restriction requirement, can benefit from the filing date of the original application.

The provided patent text does not explicitly mention any divisional applications related to US9485621.

Related Family Members:
Based on the "CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS" section, the following are related family members:

• U.S. application Ser. No. 14/561,426, filed Dec. 5, 2014
• U.S. application Ser. No. 14/315,703, filed Jun. 26, 2014 (issued as U.S. Pat. No. 8,934,922 on Jan. 13, 2015)
• U.S. application Ser. No. 14/250,517, filed Apr. 11, 2014 (issued as U.S. Pat. No. 9,042,910 on May 26, 2015)
• U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/294,641, filed Apr. 12, 2010 (issued as U.S. Pat. No. 8,738,040 on May 27, 2014)
• International Application No. PCT/EP2007/052939, filed Mar. 27, 2007
• European Patent Application No. 06111804.8 filed Mar. 28, 2006

Additionally, Google Patents lists US20150289096A1 as another version of the patent.

Projected Expiration Date:
For applications filed on or after June 8, 1995, the term of a patent (other than a design patent) generally ends 20 years from the date on which the application for the patent was filed in the United States, or, if the application claims benefit of an earlier-filed application under 35 U.S.C. 120, 121, 365(c), or 386(c), then 20 years from the date on which the earliest such application was filed. Foreign priority is not considered in determining the term.

US9485621 was filed on June 18, 2015, but claims priority back to European Patent Application No. 06111804.8 filed on March 28, 2006, via a chain of continuations and an international application. The earliest effective filing date for patent term calculation purposes, excluding foreign priority, is the filing date of the earliest U.S. application to which a benefit is claimed under 35 U.S.C. 120. In this case, that appears to be the filing date of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/294,641, filed April 12, 2010.

Therefore, the base patent term would typically be 20 years from April 12, 2010, which is April 12, 2030.

However, the Google Patents information for US9485621 states an "Anticipated expiration" date of 2027-03-27. This discrepancy suggests that either:

1. The base 20-year term is calculated from an even earlier application date, likely the International Application No. PCT/EP2007/052939 filed March 27, 2007, as the patent text states it "claims priority to" this international application. Twenty years from March 27, 2007, would be March 27, 2027. This aligns precisely with the anticipated expiration date provided by Google Patents.
2. There may have been terminal disclaimers filed against US9485621 or one of its parent applications, which can shorten the patent term.

Without specific information on any PTA or terminal disclaimers in the patent's official file history, the Google Patents "Anticipated expiration" date of 2027-03-27 is the most reliable figure available for the projected expiration.