Also listed on Sick AG, an earlier holder on the record. The recorded assignments below show how it moved.
Term ends Dec 11, 2026 · High confidence
20-year base term ends Dec 11, 2026
Held by Endress+hauser Sick Gmbh+co. KG
Filed Dec 11, 2006 as application 11/637,627 · Granted Aug 19, 2008
Base term, 20 years from filing
Today
2006
2026
Clock starts
Dec 11, 2006
Dec 11, 2006
Term ends
Dec 11, 2026
Dec 11, 2026
Granted
Aug 19, 2008
Aug 19, 2008
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.
None
Terminal disclaimer
No disclaimer on this record.
3 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.
This patent's term is its 20-year base term, with no adjustment for prosecution delay. All three maintenance fees are recorded paid; no more fees are due. 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 Dec 11, 2006, when this application, 11/637,627, was filed | Dec 11, 2026 | 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 | None on record | no cap applied | High confidence |
| Patent term extension | None on file | no change | High confidence |
| Fee events | 3 of 3 maintenance fees paid | In force | High confidence |
| Computed term end | The steps above, in order | Dec 11, 2026 | High confidence |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 5, 2007 Reel 18998, frame 985 | Kaufmann, Juergen; Schiffler, Ingo; Smetana, Klaus | Sick Maihak GmbH | Assignment of Assignor's Interest |
| Jun 13, 2012 Reel 28364, frame 639 | Sick Maihak GmbH | Sick AG | Assignment of Assignor's Interest |
| Jan 16, 2026 Reel 73492, frame 458 | Sick AG | Endress+hauser Sick Gmbh+co. KG | 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.
What's changing
Dec 2026
Term ends Dec 11, 2026. No further fees fall due before then
Citations
0
later US patents cite this one
That is below the median of utility patents granted in 2008 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.