Collateral for a security interest recorded May 25, 2017 (PNC Bank, National Association).
Term ended Oct 31, 2026 · High confidence
20-year base term ended Oct 31, 2026
Held by Vante Inc.
Filed Oct 31, 2006 as application 11/555,172 · Granted Oct 21, 2008
Base term, 20 years from filing
Today
Term ended Oct 31, 2026
2006
2026
Clock starts
Oct 31, 2006
Oct 31, 2006
Term ended
Oct 31, 2026
Oct 31, 2026
Granted
Oct 21, 2008
Oct 21, 2008
base term
after the term ends
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.
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.
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. All three maintenance fees were paid, so no fee lapse ended it. 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, 2006, when this application, 11/555,172, was filed | Oct 31, 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 | term ended | High confidence |
| Computed term end | The steps above, in order | Oct 31, 2026 | High confidence |
This family
| US 7,438,548 | this patent Oct 2026 | Oct 2026 |
| US 7,744,805 | In force Jun 2027 | Jun 2027 |
| US 8,029,712 | Lapsed on the fee record Oct 2023 | Oct 2023 |
| US 8,469,690 | In force Jun 2027 | Jun 2027 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 22, 2006 Reel 18548, frame 164 | Augustine, Joseph G.; Sumeer, Tulsie P.; Prior, Randy L. | Engineering & Research Associates, Inc. | Assignment of Assignor's Interest |
| Sep 12, 2013 Reel 31195, frame 745 | Engineering & Research Associates, Inc. | Msi Acquisition Corp. | Merger |
| Sep 13, 2013 Reel 31204, frame 739 | Msi Acquisition Corp. | Vante Inc. | Change of Name |
| Sep 13, 2013 Reel 31266, frame 756 | Msi Acquisition Corp. | The Privatebank and Trust Company | Security Agreement |
| May 8, 2017 Reel 42278, frame 386 | The Privatebank and Trust Company | Vante Inc. | Release of Security Interest |
| May 25, 2017 Reel 42576, frame 933 | Vante Inc. | Pnc Bank, National Association | Security Interest |
| Oct 6, 2020 Reel 53992, frame 546 | Vante Inc. | Pnc Bank, National Association | Rider to Security Agreement - Patents |
| Aug 28, 2026 Reel 76244, frame 607 | Machine Solutions, Inc.; Steeger USA LLC; Vante Inc. | Pnc Bank, National Association | Intellectual Property Security Agreement |
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.
Citations
10
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.