The Patent Finder
US

Lighted Cup Holder for Seating Arrangements

US 8,657,245 Term ended
OverviewFamilyAssignmentsSources & methods
Collateral for a security interest recorded Dec 12, 2016 (The Privatebank and Trust Company).

Term ended May 6, 2026 · High confidence

Filed Jul 30, 2010 as application 12/847,823 · Granted Feb 25, 2014
Base term plus 11 days of patent term adjustment (USPTO delay)
Today
20 years from filing
Term ended May 6, 2026
2006 2026
Clock starts
Apr 25, 2006
Term ended
May 6, 2026
Granted
Feb 25, 2014
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
11
Days of term adjustment
Read from the USPTO patent term adjustment record, not recalculated here.
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.
18
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 runs 11 days past its 20-year base term on 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.
StepInputDate after this stepConfidence
Base term, 20 years from filingClock starts Apr 25, 2006, when application 11/410,547, the earliest non-provisional in its chain, was filed (this one was filed Jul 30, 2010)Apr 25, 2026High confidence
Continuity chainEvery parent in the chain resolvedno changeHigh confidence
Patent term adjustment+11 days, USPTO patent term adjustment recordMay 6, 2026High confidence
Terminal disclaimer capNone on recordno cap appliedHigh confidence
Patent term extensionNone on fileno changeHigh confidence
Fee events3 of 3 maintenance fees paidterm endedHigh confidence
Computed term endThe steps above, in orderMay 6, 2026High confidence

This family

US 7,766,293In force
Mar 2027
Mar 2027
US 8,657,245this patent
May 2026
May 2026
US D643,252Term ended
Aug 2025
Aug 2025
US 8,714,505Term ended
Apr 2026
Apr 2026
US 8,973,882Term ended
Apr 2026
Apr 2026
US 9,089,221Term ended
Apr 2026
Apr 2026
US 9,192,241Term ended
Apr 2026
Apr 2026
US 9,254,043Term ended
Apr 2026
Apr 2026
8 of 18 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.
RecordedAssignorAssigneeConveyance
Oct 1, 2010
Reel 25081, frame 904
Stangl, Paul; Seidl, KenRaffel Systems, LLCAssignment of Assignor's Interest
Dec 12, 2016
Reel 40883, frame 956
Raffel Systems, LLCThe Privatebank and Trust CompanySecurity Interest
Aug 13, 2019
Reel 50040, frame 962
Raffel Systems, LLCEast West BankSecurity Interest
Aug 14, 2019
Reel 50051, frame 361
Cibc Bank USA, as Successor to the Privatebank and Trust CompanyRaffel Systems, LLCRelease of Security Interest
Dec 15, 2021
Reel 58518, frame 348
Innovative Motion Technologies, LLC; Raffel Systems, LLC; Micro-Air, LLCCibc Bank USA, as AgentSecurity Interest
Jun 13, 2022
Reel 60346, frame 177
East West BankRaffel Systems, LLC.Release of Security Interest
May 14, 2024
Reel 67410, frame 134
Raffel Systems, LLC; Micro-Air, LLC; Ma Imt Hold Co., LLC; Check Technology Solutions LLC; Innovative Motion Technologies, LLCCibc Bank USA, as AgentSecurity Interest
Mar 24, 2026
Reel 75186, frame 544
Raffel Systems, LLC; Micro-Air, LLC; Check Technology Solutions LLCTwin Brook Capital Partners, LLC, as AgentSecurity 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.

The Patent Finder CompaniesExpirationsCalculatorWatchlistPricing MethodologyCorrectionsLegalPrivacysupport@thepatentfinder.com Updated Nov 14, 2026 · includes USPTO assignment & status data published Nov 14, 2026 and grant & fee data published Nov 10, 2026 (weekly) Part of 137 Finder · © 2026 137 Finder LLC · Sources cited