154 patents currently held

8 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.

6 more records may belong here and await a decision; they are not counted.

The next term ends in Nov 2026. from the record

Free plan: 3 watched companies. Pro: unlimited.

Alerts on its grants, lapses and transfers.

Ending by 2030

Nov 2026

Next term end

131

Patent families

When these terms end

5 yrs10 yrs20 yrs

Held patents by the year their term ends

2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 2034 2035 2036 203720382039204020412042204320442045

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

Cooling Structure for Electric Rotating Machine US 8,247,934

Cited by 33 later US patents, top 25% of utility patents granted in 2012 in our data, and renewed at 3 of 3 maintenance windows. Protection runs to 2030.

Ends Sep 2030 · High confidence Also notable

Electromagnetic Relay US 8,390,410

Cited by 22 later US patents, top 25% of utility patents granted in 2013 in our data, and renewed at 3 of 3 maintenance windows. Protection runs to 2030.

Ends May 2030 · High confidence Also notable

High Pressure Pump with Pressurizing Chamber Enclosed Within Cylinder Inserted into Housing US 8,985,968

Cited by 17 later US patents, top 25% of utility patents granted in 2015 in our data, and renewed at 3 of 3 maintenance windows. Protection runs to 2032.

Ends Dec 2032 · High confidence

Formerly held, still cited

Notable

Vehicle Power Transmission Device and Control System for Power Transmission US 8,974,337

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 2033.

now held by Denso Corporation

Ends Jun 2033 · High confidence

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.

2 fees due Dec 25 to 30, 2026 · next Dec 25
1 fee due Jan 14, 2027
The maintenance fee for DC Power Supply Apparatus (US 9,083,197) comes due Jan 14, 2027. Unpaid by Jul 14, 2027, it lapses early.
3 fees due Feb 6 to 18, 2027 · next Feb 6
4 fees due Mar 3 to 15, 2027 · next Mar 3
1 fee due Apr 27, 2027
The maintenance fee for Vehicle Power Transmission Device and Control System for Power Transmission (US 9,168,920) comes due Apr 27, 2027. Unpaid by Oct 27, 2027, it lapses early.
2 fees due May 3 to 10, 2027 · next May 3
2 fees due Jun 8 to 29, 2027 · next Jun 8
2 fees due Jul 12, 2027
1 fee due Aug 23, 2027
The maintenance fee for Communication System (US 9,270,505) comes due Aug 23, 2027. Unpaid by Feb 23, 2028, it lapses early.
2 fees due Sep 22 to 29, 2027 · next Sep 22

Which patents, and when each one lapses · Pro

Recent changes

Oct 5Assignment recorded on US 10,086,937: Nippon Soken, Inc. to Soken, Inc. Recorded Oct 5, 2026, executed Apr 1, 2017. Conveyance as recorded: Change of Name. A recorded assignment is a filed document, not a statement of current ownership. Reel 76605, frame 36.
3 terms have ended since Aug 16, 2026

What they patent

The 5 largest of its 131 families, grouped by real patent family and labeled by the earliest filing in each. No technology classification is inferred from titles.

Method of Controlling Dc-To-Dc Converter Whereby Switching Control Sequence Applied to Switching Elements Suppresses Voltage Surges at Timings of Switch-Off of Switching Elements	12 in force	to Nov 2031
Spark Plug with High Capability to Ignite Air-Fuel Mixture	5 in force	to Jul 2029
Solid Electrolyte, Method of Producing the Solid Electrolyte, and Gas Sensor Equipped with Gas Sensor Element Using the Solid Electrolyte	3 in force	to Dec 2031
Control Apparatus for Inhibiting Synchronous-Rectifier Switching Elements at Low Output Current in a Voltage Transforming Apparatus	3 in force	to May 2030
Adjacent Vehicle Detection Device	2 in force	to Apr 2034

Patents held now

Soonest term end first.

Patent	Title	Status	Expires	Confidence
US 7,290,510	Valve Timing Adjusting Apparatus held by Denso Corporation and Nippon Soken, Inc. In force Term ends Nov 15, 2026 · High confidence	In force	Term ends Nov 15, 2026	High confidence
US 7,436,315	Passenger Detection System held by Denso Corporation and Nippon Soken, Inc. In force Term ends Nov 17, 2026 · High confidence	In force	Term ends Nov 17, 2026	High confidence
US 7,426,919	Evaporative Fuel Treatment Apparatus held by Denso Corporation and Nippon Soken, Inc. In force Term ends Nov 24, 2026 · High confidence	In force	Term ends Nov 24, 2026	High confidence
US 7,382,107	Shift Range Switching Apparatus held by Denso Corporation and Nippon Soken, Inc. In force Term ends Dec 2, 2026 · High confidence	In force	Term ends Dec 2, 2026	High confidence
US 7,377,192	Controller for Vehicle-Mounted Component held by Denso Corporation and Nippon Soken, Inc. In force Term ends Dec 26, 2026 · High confidence	In force	Term ends Dec 26, 2026	High confidence
US 7,469,686	Leak Detecting Apparatus and Fuel Vapor Treatment Apparatus held by Denso Corporation and Nippon Soken, Inc. In force Term ends Jan 1, 2027 · High confidence	In force	Term ends Jan 1, 2027	High confidence
US 7,383,826	Fuel Vapor Treatment Apparatus, System Having the Same, Method for Operating the Same held by Denso Corporation and Nippon Soken, Inc. In force Term ends Jan 23, 2027 · High confidence	In force	Term ends Jan 23, 2027	High confidence
US 7,446,499	Position Detecting Apparatus Having Electric Motor and Method for Detecting Position held by Denso Corporation and Nippon Soken, Inc. In force Term ends Jan 23, 2027 · High confidence	In force	Term ends Jan 23, 2027	High confidence
US 7,653,477	Method and Device for Control Ignition Timing Through Knock Control in an Internal Combustion Engine held by Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha, Denso Corporation and Nippon Soken, Inc. In force Term ends Jan 24, 2027 · High confidence	In force	Term ends Jan 24, 2027	High confidence
US 7,320,315	Fuel Vapor Treatment System for Internal Combustion Engine held by Denso Corporation and Nippon Soken, Inc. In force Term ends Jan 30, 2027 · High confidence	In force	Term ends Jan 30, 2027	High confidence

10 of 154 patents shown.

Pro members see all 154.

Pro members: see all 154 patents

Also on record, not counted in the 154: 8 patents in force now held by others · 470 patents ended · 172 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.

Export every term end as CSV · Pro

Nippon Soken, Inc.