Term ends Feb 6, 2029 · High confidence
20-year base term ends Feb 6, 2029
Held by Nichia Corporation
Filed Nov 21, 2016 as application 15/357,507 · Granted Jul 3, 2018
Base term, 20 years from filing
Today
2009
2029
Clock starts
Feb 6, 2009
Feb 6, 2009
Term ends
Feb 6, 2029
Feb 6, 2029
Granted
Jul 3, 2018
Jul 3, 2018
base term
fee events
Updated Nov 15, 2026 · includes USPTO assignment & status data published Nov 15, 2026 and grant & fee data published Nov 10, 2026 (weekly) · how we know
None
Term adjustment
No prosecution delay on this record.
No effect
Terminal disclaimer
Resolved from the filed document, referencing US 9,541,238, to Feb 6, 2029. The term already ends on or before that date, so the cap shortened nothing.
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.
9
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 is its 20-year base term, with no adjustment for prosecution delay. A terminal disclaimer is resolved from the filed document, and it ends no earlier than this term, so it shortens nothing. 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 Feb 6, 2009, when application PCT/JP2009/052099, the earliest non-provisional in its chain, was filed (this one was filed Nov 21, 2016) | Feb 6, 2029 | High confidence |
| Continuity chain | Every parent in the chain resolved | no change | High confidence |
| Patent term adjustment | None on file | no change | High confidence |
| Terminal disclaimer cap | Disclaimer resolved from the filed document (refs US 9,541,238) | resolves to Feb 6, 2029, no earlier than this term, so no change | 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 | Feb 6, 2029 | High confidence |
This family
| US 8,491,816 | In force Aug 2029 | Aug 2029 |
| US 9,541,238 | In force May 2029 | May 2029 |
| US 10,011,769 | this patent Feb 2029 | Feb 2029 |
| US 10,858,582 | In force Jan 2030 | Jan 2030 |
| US 11,613,698 | In force Oct 2029 | Oct 2029 |
| US 11,873,435 | In force Feb 2029 | Feb 2029 |
| US 12,084,609 | In force Feb 2029 | Feb 2029 |
| Application 18/783,735 | Pending not computed | not computed |
8 of 9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 24, 2017 Reel 42487, frame 560 | Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation; Mitsubishi Rayon Co., Ltd. | Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation | Merger and Change of Name |
| Jul 8, 2020 Reel 53144, frame 422 | Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation | Citizen Electronics Co., Ltd. | Assignment of Assignor's Interest |
| Mar 1, 2021 reel/frame not recorded | Citizen Electronics Co., Ltd. | Citizen Electronics Co., Ltd. | Assignment of Assignor's Interest |
| Mar 1, 2021 reel/frame not recorded | Citizen Electronics Co., Ltd. | Nichia Corporation | Assignment of Assignor's Interest |
| Mar 1, 2021 Reel 55439, frame 376 | Citizen Electronics Co., Ltd. | Citizen Electronics Co., Ltd.; Nichia Corporation | Assignment of Assignor's Interest |
| Jan 14, 2025 Reel 69847, frame 593 | Citizen Electronics Co., Ltd. | Nichia Corporation | Nunc Pro Tunc Assignment |
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
Feb 2029
Term ends Feb 6, 2029. No further fees fall due before then
Terminal disclaimer
A terminal disclaimer resolved from the filed document, referencing US 9,541,238, ends no earlier than this term, so it caps nothing.
Citations
3
later US patents cite this one
That is below the median of utility patents granted in 2018 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.