234 patents currently held
10 more in force are now held by other companies
Held is read from USPTO's recorded assignments; a transfer never recorded there does not appear.
103 more records may belong here and await a decision; they are not counted.
The next term ends in Sep 2027. from the record
Free plan: 3 watched companies. Pro: unlimited.
Alerts on its grants, lapses and transfers.
45
Ending by 2030
Sep 2027
Next term end
170
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 Jun 2033 · High confidence
Also notable
Ends Dec 2034 · High confidence
Also notable
Ends Oct 2027 · High confidence
Photovoltaic Devices and Method of Making
US 11,588,069
Cited by 14 later US patents, top 5% of utility patents granted in 2023 in our data. Protection runs to 2033.
Photovoltaic Device Including a P-N Junction and Method of Manufacturing
US 9,698,285
Cited by 52 later US patents, top 10% of utility patents granted in 2017 in our data, and renewed at every maintenance window due so far. Protection runs to 2034.
System and Method for Depositing a Material on a Substrate
US 7,910,166
Cited by 59 later US patents, top 25% of utility patents granted in 2011 in our data, and renewed at 3 of 3 maintenance windows. Protection runs to 2027.
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 19, 2026The maintenance fee for Manufacturing Methods for Semiconductor Devices (US 9,034,686) comes due Nov 19, 2026. Unpaid by May 19, 2027, it lapses early.
- 3 fees due Dec 9 to 11, 2026 · next Dec 9
- 3 fees due Jan 4 to 30, 2027 · next Jan 4
- 3 fees due Feb 4 to 25, 2027 · next Feb 4
- 6 fees due Mar 1 to 29, 2027 · next Mar 1
- 7 fees due Apr 1 to 29, 2027 · next Apr 1
- 4 fees due May 3 to 14, 2027 · next May 3
- 2 fees due Jun 1 to 12, 2027 · next Jun 1
- 7 fees due Jul 5 to 26, 2027 · next Jul 5
- 5 fees due Aug 9 to 25, 2027 · next Aug 9
- 3 fees due Sep 1 to 12, 2027 · next Sep 1
- 2 fees due Oct 19, 2027
- 5 fees due Nov 3 to 10, 2027 · next Nov 3
Recent changes
- 4 of the patents on this record were granted since Aug 16, 2026
What they patent
The 5 largest of its 170 families, grouped by real patent family and labeled by the earliest filing in each. No technology classification is inferred from titles.
| Photovoltaic Devices and Method of Making | 7 in force | to Dec 2034 |
| Optical Enhancing Durable Anti-Reflective Coating | 5 in force | to Sep 2034 |
| Photovoltaic Devices and Method of Manufacturing | 4 in force | to Oct 2035 |
| Photovoltaic Device Including a P-N Junction and Method of Manufacturing | 4 in force | to Dec 2034 |
| Methods of Forming Thin-Film Photovoltaic Devices with Discontinuous Passivation Layers | 4 in force | to Sep 2034 |
Patents held now
Soonest term end first.
| Patent | Title | Status | Expires | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US 7,927,659 | System and Method for Depositing a Material on a Substrate In force · Medium confidence | In force | Medium confidence | |
| US 7,931,937 | System and Method for Depositing a Material on a Substrate In force · Medium confidence | In force | Medium confidence | |
| US 7,968,145 | System and Method for Depositing a Material on a Substrate In force · Medium confidence | In force | Medium confidence | |
| US 7,910,166 | System and Method for Depositing a Material on a Substrate In force · High confidence | In force | High confidence | |
| US 7,731,920 | System and Method for Separating Tellurium from Cadmium Waste In force · High confidence | In force | High confidence | |
| US 10,861,994 | Photovoltaic Devices Including Doped Semiconductor Films In force · High confidence | In force | High confidence | |
| US 11,843,070 | Photovoltaic Devices Including Doped Semiconductor Films In force · High confidence | In force | High confidence | |
| US 9,263,608 | Photovoltaic Devices Including Doped Semiconductor Films In force · High confidence | In force | High confidence | |
| US 11,695,085 | Photovoltaic Devices Including Nitrogen-Containing Metal Contact In force · High confidence | In force | High confidence | |
| US 8,198,529 | Transparent Conductive Materials Including Cadmium Stannate In force · High confidence | In force | High confidence |
Also on record, not counted in the 234: 10 patents in force now held by others · 92 patents ended · 30 applications pending · 264 applications abandoned. 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.