Term ends Jul 6, 2031 · Medium confidence
20-year base term ends Jul 6, 2031
Why Medium: The disclaimer's references carry disclaimers of their own not yet read (US 8,817,620), so the cap could be lower.
Held by Vmware LLC
Filed Oct 7, 2011 as application 13/269,409 · Granted Oct 16, 2018
Base term, 20 years from filing
Today
2011
2031
Clock starts
Jul 6, 2011
Jul 6, 2011
Term ends
Jul 6, 2031
Jul 6, 2031
Granted
Oct 16, 2018
Oct 16, 2018
base term
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
None
Term adjustment
No prosecution delay on this record.
No effect
Terminal disclaimer
Resolved from the filed document, referencing US 8,817,620, to Jul 6, 2031. The term already ends on or before that date, so the cap shortened nothing.
2 of 3
Maintenance fees paid
Three maintenance fees fall due, at 3.5, 7.5 and 11.5 years from grant. This counts the ones the record shows paid.
46
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 3 maintenance fees are paid so far. Confidence: Medium. 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 6, 2011, when applications 13/177,532, 13/177,536 and 13/177,538, the earliest non-provisional applications in its chain, were filed (this one was filed Oct 7, 2011) | Jul 6, 2031 | 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 8,817,620) | resolves to Jul 6, 2031, no earlier than this term, so no change | Medium confidence |
| Patent term extension | None on file | no change | High confidence |
| Fee events | 2 of 3 maintenance fees paid | In force | High confidence |
| Computed term end | The steps above, in order | Jul 6, 2031 | Medium confidence |
This family
| US 8,750,164 | Lapsed on the fee record Jun 2026 | Jun 2026 |
| US 8,959,215 | In force Nov 2032 | Nov 2032 |
| US 8,830,823 | Lapsed on the fee record Sep 2026 | Sep 2026 |
| US 8,817,620 | In force no later than Dec 2031 | no later than Dec 2031 |
| US 8,743,889 | In force Aug 2031 | Aug 2031 |
| US 8,743,888 | In force no later than Nov 2031 | no later than Nov 2031 |
| US 9,106,587 | In force Nov 2033 | Nov 2033 |
| US 9,172,663 | In force May 2034 | May 2034 |
8 of 46 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 6, 2012 Reel 28005, frame 387 | Koponen, Teemu; Thakkar, Pankaj; Lambeth, W. Andrew | Nicira Networks, Inc. | Assignment of Assignor's Interest |
| Jun 15, 2012 Reel 28381, frame 48 | Nicira Networks, Inc. | Nicira, Inc. | Change of Name |
| Jan 27, 2025 Reel 70187, frame 487 | Nicira, Inc. | Vmware LLC | Merger |
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
Jul 2031
Term ends Jul 6, 2031. Maintenance fees still fall due before then
Terminal disclaimer
A terminal disclaimer resolved from the filed document, referencing US 8,817,620, ends no earlier than this term, so it caps nothing.
Citations
163
later US patents cite this one
That is top 1% 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.