Term ends Jan 27, 2030 · Medium confidence
20-year base term ends Feb 6, 2029
Why Medium: A parent in the chain could not be resolved.
Held by Nichia Corporation
Filed May 3, 2018 as application 15/970,598 · Granted Dec 8, 2020
Base term plus 355 days of patent term adjustment (USPTO delay)
Today
2009
2030
Clock starts
Feb 6, 2009
Feb 6, 2009
Term ends
Jan 27, 2030
Jan 27, 2030
Granted
Dec 8, 2020
Dec 8, 2020
base term
patent term adjustment
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
355
Days of term adjustment
Read from the USPTO patent term adjustment record, not recalculated here.
None
Terminal disclaimer
No disclaimer on this record.
1 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 runs 355 days past its 20-year base term on prosecution delay. 1 of 2 maintenance fees is 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 Feb 6, 2009, when application PCT/JP2009/052099, the earliest non-provisional in its chain, was filed (this one was filed May 3, 2018); a parent in its chain could not be resolved (the next row) | Feb 6, 2029 | High confidence |
| Continuity chain | A parent in the chain could not be resolved | dated from this application's own claim | Medium confidence |
| Patent term adjustment | +355 days, USPTO patent term adjustment record | Jan 27, 2030 | High confidence |
| Terminal disclaimer cap | None on record | no cap applied | High confidence |
| Patent term extension | None on file | no change | High confidence |
| Fee events | 1 of 2 maintenance fees paid | In force | High confidence |
| Computed term end | The steps above, in order | Jan 27, 2030 | Medium 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 | In force Feb 2029 | Feb 2029 |
| US 10,858,582 | this patent 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 6, 2020 Reel 53126, frame 462 | Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation | Citizen Electronics Co., Ltd. | Assignment of Assignor's Interest |
| Feb 16, 2021 Reel 55312, frame 113 | Citizen Electronics Co., Ltd. | Nichia Corporation | Partial Assignment |
| 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
Jan 2030
Term ends Jan 27, 2030. Maintenance fees still fall due before then
Note
The 355 days of patent term adjustment (USPTO delay) are read from the USPTO record, not recalculated by us
Citations
2
later US patents cite this one
That is below the median of utility patents granted in 2020 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.