Term ended Aug 29, 2023 · High confidence
20-year base term ended Aug 29, 2023
Filed Aug 29, 2003 as application 10/652,923 · Granted Jan 1, 2008
Base term, 20 years from filing
Today
Term ended Aug 29, 2023
2003
2026
Clock starts
Aug 29, 2003
Aug 29, 2003
Term ended
Aug 29, 2023
Aug 29, 2023
Granted
Jan 1, 2008
Jan 1, 2008
base term
after the term ends
fee events
Updated Nov 14, 2026 · includes USPTO assignment & status data published Nov 14, 2026 and grant & fee data published Nov 10, 2026 (weekly) · how we know
None
Term adjustment
No prosecution delay on this record.
None
Terminal disclaimer
No disclaimer on this record.
3 of 3
Maintenance fees paid
Three maintenance fees fall due, at 3.5, 7.5 and 11.5 years from grant. This counts the ones the record shows paid.
10
Family applications on record here
Applications sharing this one's continuity chain whose file history this site holds. The family may have others.
This patent's term is its 20-year base term, with no adjustment for prosecution delay. All three maintenance fees were paid, so no fee lapse ended it. Confidence: High. from the record
How we calculated this date
One row per rule, each showing its own input and what it did to the date. A step we could not verify says so instead of resolving itself.
| Step | Input | Date after this step | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base term, 20 years from filing | Clock starts Aug 29, 2003, when this application, 10/652,923, was filed | Aug 29, 2023 | High confidence |
| Continuity chain | Every parent in the chain resolved | no change | High confidence |
| Patent term adjustment | None on file | no change | High confidence |
| Terminal disclaimer cap | None on record | no cap applied | High confidence |
| Patent term extension | None on file | no change | High confidence |
| Fee events | 3 of 3 maintenance fees paid | term ended | High confidence |
| Computed term end | The steps above, in order | Aug 29, 2023 | High confidence |
This family
| US 6,769,228 | Term ended Jul 2022 | Jul 2022 |
| US 7,313,898 | this patent Aug 2023 | Aug 2023 |
| US 7,995,831 | In force Dec 2026 | Dec 2026 |
| US 8,091,320 | Term ended Jul 2022 | Jul 2022 |
| US 8,295,582 | Term ended Jan 2023 | Jan 2023 |
| US 8,333,053 | Term ended Jul 2022 | Jul 2022 |
| US 8,571,297 | Term ended Jan 2023 | Jan 2023 |
7 of 10 applications in this family shown, earliest filings first. The applications whose file history this site holds. The family may have others.
Assignments
Assignment documents as recorded at the USPTO, oldest first, with the reel and frame each was recorded at. A recorded assignment is a filed document, not a statement of current ownership, and the absence of a later one is not evidence that the last one still stands.
| Recorded | Assignor | Assignee | Conveyance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 27, 2003 Reel 14635, frame 865 | Eller, Charles E.; Pegg, Thomas C. | Express Scripts, Inc. | Assignment of Assignor's Interest |
| Sep 14, 2017 Reel 43864, frame 335 | Express Scripts, Inc. | Express Scripts Strategic Development, Inc. | Assignment of Assignor's Interest |
Sources
Google Patents · The patent document at USPTO · Assignment records at USPTO
USPTO account required: This application in Patent Center · USPTO's maintenance fee lookup
Maintenance fee events come from USPTO's own fee records. Its fee lookup asks for the patent number and the application number.
Free plan: 3 watched companies. Pro: unlimited.
Alerts on its grants, lapses and transfers.
Citations
22
later US patents cite this one
That is above the median of utility patents granted in 2008 in our data, the only group it is compared against.
How we rank
Every date shows its work: the base term, any term adjustment or extension, any disclaimer cap, and the maintenance fee record, each with a confidence tier. How this record was built
Computed patent terms end on the dates shown. Related patents and pending applications may cover overlapping subject matter.