Term ends Apr 4, 2028 · High confidence
20-year base term ends Jul 31, 2027
Held by Pioneer Corporation and Tohoku Pioneer Corporation
Filed Dec 20, 2013 as application 14/136,598 · Granted Sep 20, 2016
Base term plus 248 days of patent term adjustment (USPTO delay)
Today
2007
2028
Clock starts
Jul 31, 2007
Jul 31, 2007
Term ends
Apr 4, 2028
Apr 4, 2028
Granted
Sep 20, 2016
Sep 20, 2016
base term
patent term adjustment
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
248
Days of term adjustment
Read from the USPTO patent term adjustment record, not recalculated here.
None
Terminal disclaimer
No disclaimer on this record.
2 of 2
Maintenance fees paid
Two maintenance fees can end this term early, the ones due 3.5 and 7.5 years from grant; the third one's grace period runs past the term end. This counts the ones the record shows paid.
8
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 248 days past its 20-year base term on prosecution delay. 2 of 2 maintenance fees are paid so far. 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 Jul 31, 2007, when application PCT/JP2007/065007, the earliest non-provisional in its chain, was filed (this one was filed Dec 20, 2013) | Jul 31, 2027 | High confidence |
| Continuity chain | Every parent in the chain resolved | no change | High confidence |
| Patent term adjustment | +248 days, USPTO patent term adjustment record | Apr 4, 2028 | 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 | 2 of 2 maintenance fees paid | In force | High confidence |
| Computed term end | The steps above, in order | Apr 4, 2028 | High confidence |
This family
| US 8,638,976 | In force Feb 2029 | Feb 2029 |
| US 9,451,344 | this patent Apr 2028 | Apr 2028 |
| US 10,560,770 | In force Jul 2027 | Jul 2027 |
| US 10,932,025 | In force Jul 2027 | Jul 2027 |
| US 11,617,032 | In force Sep 2027 | Sep 2027 |
| US 12,538,059 | In force Jul 2027 | Jul 2027 |
| Application 19/438,760 | Pending not computed | not computed |
7 of 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 31, 2014 Reel 32107, frame 755 | Watanabe, Kazuaki | Pioneer Corporation; Tohoku Pioneer Corporation | Assignment of Assignor's Interest |
| Jan 31, 2014 reel/frame not recorded | Watanabe, Kazuaki | Pioneer Corporation | Assignment of Assignor's Interest |
| Jan 31, 2014 reel/frame not recorded | Watanabe, Kazuaki | Tohoku Pioneer Corporation | 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.
What's changing
Apr 2028
Term ends Apr 4, 2028. No further fees fall due before then
Note
The 248 days of patent term adjustment (USPTO delay) are read from the USPTO record, not recalculated by us
Citations
0
later US patents cite this one
That is below the median of utility patents granted in 2016 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.
In force means the term is running and no lapse is on record. It is not a finding that the patent is valid.