Term ends Oct 31, 2028 · High confidence
20-year base term ends Oct 31, 2028
Held by First Solar, Inc.
Filed Dec 4, 2020 as application 17/111,843 · Granted Dec 12, 2023
Base term, 20 years from filing
Today
2008
2028
Clock starts
Oct 31, 2008
Oct 31, 2008
Term ends
Oct 31, 2028
Oct 31, 2028
Granted
Dec 12, 2023
Dec 12, 2023
base term
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 10,319,873, to Oct 31, 2028. The term already ends on or before that date, so the cap shortened nothing.
0 of 1
Maintenance fees paid
One maintenance fee can end this term early, the one due 3.5 years from grant; the next one's grace period runs past the term end. This counts it if the record shows it paid.
4
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. 0 of 1 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 Oct 31, 2008, when application 12/262,424, the earliest non-provisional in its chain, was filed (this one was filed Dec 4, 2020) | Oct 31, 2028 | 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 10,319,873) | resolves to Oct 31, 2028, no earlier than this term, so no change | High confidence |
| Patent term extension | None on file | no change | High confidence |
| Fee events | 0 of 1 maintenance fees paid | In force | High confidence |
| Computed term end | The steps above, in order | Oct 31, 2028 | High confidence |
This family
| US 9,263,608 | In force Nov 2028 | Nov 2028 |
| US 10,319,873 | In force Sep 2029 | Sep 2029 |
| US 10,861,994 | In force Oct 2028 | Oct 2028 |
| US 11,843,070 | this patent Oct 2028 | Oct 2028 |
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 10, 2023 Reel 64237, frame 462 | First Solar, Inc. | JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as Administrative Agent | Security Interest |
| Aug 9, 2023 Reel 64536, frame 755 | Powell, Rick C.; Jayamaha, Upali; Abken, Anke; Gloeckler, Markus; Gupta, Akhlesh; Green, Roger T.; Meyers, Peter | First Solar, Inc. | Assignment of Assignor's Interest |
| Feb 13, 2026 Reel 74858, frame 364 | Jpmorgan Chase Bank, N.a. | First Solar, Inc. | Release of Security Interest |
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
Oct 2028
Term ends Oct 31, 2028. Maintenance fees still fall due before then
Terminal disclaimer
A terminal disclaimer resolved from the filed document, referencing US 10,319,873, ends no earlier than this term, so it caps nothing.
Citations
10
later US patents cite this one
That is top 10% of utility patents granted in 2023 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.