35 patents currently held
Held is read from USPTO's recorded assignments; a transfer never recorded there does not appear.
The next term ends in Feb 2028. from the record
Free plan: 3 watched companies. Pro: unlimited.
Alerts on its grants, lapses and transfers.
4
Ending by 2030
Feb 2028
Next term end
16
Patent families
When these terms end
Held patents by the year their term ends
notable patents
fee due within 90 days
all others
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
Notable: the highest-ranked patents in this portfolio by citations and family size. Fee due within 90 days: a maintenance fee is due within 90 days of when this page was computed and not yet paid.
Notable patents
Ranked by citations and family size, against patents of the same kind granted the same year. How we rank
Notable
Ends Aug 2040 · High confidence
Also notable
Ends Jun 2040 · High confidence
Also notable
Ends Sep 2032 · High confidence
Tie Plate Dispenser and Method Therefore
US 11,427,408
Cited by 20 later US patents, top 5% of utility patents granted in 2022 in our data. Protection runs to 2040.
Tie Plate Orientation Device
US 11,572,660
Cited by 11 later US patents, top 10% of utility patents granted in 2023 in our data. Protection runs to 2040.
Tie Plate Separator and Method Thereof
US 9,038,542
Cited by 25 later US patents, top 25% of utility patents granted in 2015 in our data, and renewed at every maintenance window due so far. Protection runs to 2032.
Fee deadlines
Maintenance fees fall due 3.5, 7.5 and 11.5 years after grant. A missed fee ends a patent at the end of the six month grace period that follows, not on the due date.
- 1 fee due Nov 26, 2026The maintenance fee for Tie Plate Separator and Method Thereof (US 9,038,542) comes due Nov 26, 2026. Unpaid by May 26, 2027, it lapses early.
- 2 fees due Dec 11 to 25, 2026 · next Dec 11
- 2 fees due Apr 1 to 3, 2027 · next Apr 1
- 2 fees due Jul 30, 2027
- 1 fee due Aug 13, 2027The maintenance fee for Railroad Tie Plate Distribution Apparatus and Method Therefore (US 11,898,311) comes due Aug 13, 2027. Unpaid by Feb 14, 2028, it lapses early.
- 1 fee due Nov 3, 2027The maintenance fee for Tie Plate Separator and Method Thereof (US 9,328,465) comes due Nov 3, 2027. Unpaid by May 3, 2028, it lapses early.
Recent changes
Nothing was recorded against this company's patents in the last 90 days.
What they patent
The 5 largest of its 16 families, grouped by real patent family and labeled by the earliest filing in each. No technology classification is inferred from titles.
| Tie Plate Separator and Method Thereof | 10 in force | to Mar 2035 |
| Tie Plate Orientation Device | 4 in force | to Jun 2040 |
| Tie Plate Dispenser and Method Therefore (2020) | 3 in force | to Feb 2041 |
| Tie Plate Dispenser and Method Therefore (2019) | 3 in force | to Aug 2040 |
| Railroad Tie Plate Distribution Apparatus and Method Therefore | 2 in force | to Mar 2040 |
Patents held now
Soonest term end first.
| Patent | Title | Status | Expires | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US 7,827,916 | Sensor and Apparatus for Positioning Railroad Tie Plates Along a Railroad Track In force · High confidence | In force | High confidence | |
| US 8,166,883 | Slide Rail for a High-Rail Vehicle In force · High confidence | In force | High confidence | |
| US 8,443,733 | Sensor and Apparatus for Positioning Railroad Tie Plates Along a Railroad Track and Method In force · High confidence | In force | High confidence | |
| US 8,316,774 | Auxiliary Drive System for a High-Rail Vehicle In force · High confidence | In force | High confidence | |
| US 9,328,465 | Tie Plate Separator and Method Thereof In force · High confidence | In force | High confidence | |
| US 10,094,071 | Tie Plate Separator and Method Thereof In force · High confidence | In force | High confidence | |
| US 9,745,150 | Tie Plate Separator and Method Thereof In force · High confidence | In force | High confidence | |
| US 10,427,876 | Tie Plate Separator and Method Thereof In force · High confidence | In force | High confidence | |
| US 9,038,542 | Tie Plate Separator and Method Thereof In force · High confidence | In force | High confidence | |
| US 10,316,471 | Tie Plate Separator and Method Thereof In force · High confidence | In force | High confidence |
Also on record, not counted in the 35: 2 patents ended · 3 applications pending. List them
Sources and methods
Compiled from USPTO application file histories, grants and recorded assignments, with the company's own names reviewed by hand. How this record was built
Portfolio grouped automatically from ownership conveyances to the names matched to this company, usually every name that begins with its own, so it counts patents an affiliate holds; each list row names the holder of record. Security interests are excluded and ambiguous records are not reviewed by hand.
Fee due within 90 days marks a patent with a maintenance fee due within 90 days of the date this page was computed and not yet recorded paid, so it can end earlier than the bar shows. A fee left unpaid ends the patent at the close of the six month grace period that follows its due date, not on the due date itself. It is not a prediction that the fee will be missed.
Computed patent terms end on the dates shown. Related patents and pending applications may cover overlapping subject matter.