Blood Vessel Sealing System
US 7,331,981 Term endedTerm ended no later than Dec 14, 2013 · Low confidence
20-year base term ended Jan 7, 2012
USPTO later recorded it as expired for non-payment on Mar 23, 2020.
Jan 7, 1992
Dec 14, 2013
Feb 19, 2008
How we calculated this date
| Step | Input | Date after this step | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base term, 20 years from filing | Clock starts Jan 7, 1992, when the earliest non-provisional application in its chain was filed (this one was filed Mar 2, 2004); a parent in its chain could not be resolved (the next row) | Jan 7, 2012 | 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 | +707 days, USPTO patent term adjustment record | Dec 14, 2013 | High confidence |
| Terminal disclaimer cap | Disclaimer on file (approved), reference document not resolved | no cap applied, and none guessed | Medium confidence |
| Patent term extension | None on file | no change | High confidence |
| Fee events | 2 of 2 maintenance fees paid | term ended | High confidence |
| USPTO status record | Recorded as expired for non-payment on Mar 23, 2020, after the term ended | no change | High confidence |
| Computed term end | The steps above, in order | no later than Dec 14, 2013 | Low confidence |
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.
Not on this page: the patent's family, its recorded assignments and its citation count. USPTO's assignment records, linked above, list every recorded assignment.
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
This computed term ends no later than the date shown; an unresolved terminal disclaimer may end it earlier. Related patents and pending applications may cover overlapping subject matter.