Term ends Nov 19, 2026 · High confidence
20-year base term ended Sep 28, 2026
Filed Sep 28, 2006 as application 11/536,574 · Granted Dec 30, 2008
Base term plus 52 days of patent term adjustment (USPTO delay)
Today
2006
2026
Clock starts
Sep 28, 2006
Sep 28, 2006
Term ends
Nov 19, 2026
Nov 19, 2026
Granted
Dec 30, 2008
Dec 30, 2008
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
52
Days of term adjustment
Read from the USPTO patent term adjustment record, not recalculated here.
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.
2
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 52 days past its 20-year base term on 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 Sep 28, 2006, when this application, 11/536,574, was filed | Sep 28, 2026 | High confidence |
| Continuity chain | Every parent in the chain resolved | no change | High confidence |
| Patent term adjustment | +52 days, USPTO patent term adjustment record | Nov 19, 2026 | 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 | Nov 19, 2026 | High confidence |
This family
| US 7,469,640 | this patent Nov 2026 | Nov 2026 |
| US 7,690,308 | Term ended Oct 2026 | Oct 2026 |
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 21, 2006 Reel 18541, frame 760 | Nielson, Daniel B.; Tanner, Richard L.; Dilg, Carl | Alliant Techsystems Inc. | Assignment of Assignor's Interest |
| Aug 24, 2007 Reel 19733, frame 757 | Ammunition Accessories Inc.; Atk Commercial Ammunition Company Inc.; Atk Commercial Ammunition Holdings Company Inc.; Atk Launch Systems Inc.; Atk Space Systems Inc.; Federal Cartridge Company; Micro Craft Inc.; Alliant Techsystems Inc. | Bank Of America, N.a. | Security Agreement |
| Nov 4, 2010 Reel 25321, frame 291 | Alliant Techsystems Inc.; Ammunition Accessories Inc.; Atk Commercial Ammunition Company Inc.; Atk Commercial Ammunition Holdings Company; Atk Launch Systems Inc.; Atk Space Systems Inc.; Federal Cartridge Company; Eagle Industries Unlimited, Inc.; Eagle Mayaguez, LLC; Eagle New Bedford, Inc. | Bank Of America, N.a. | Security Agreement |
| Nov 26, 2013 Reel 31731, frame 281 | Alliant Techsystems Inc.; Caliber Company; Eagle Industries Unlimited, Inc.; Federal Cartridge Company; Savage Arms, Inc.; Savage Range Systems, Inc.; Savage Sports Corporation | Bank Of America, N.a. | Security Agreement |
| May 22, 2015 Reel 35753, frame 373 | Alliant Techsystems Inc. | Orbital Atk, Inc. | Change of Name |
| Sep 30, 2015 Reel 36732, frame 170 | Orbital Atk, Inc.; Orbital Sciences Corporation | Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, as Administrative Agent | Security Agreement |
| Oct 7, 2015 Reel 36807, frame 671 | Bank Of America, N.a. | Alliant Techsystems Inc. | Release of Security Interest |
| Jun 6, 2018 Reel 46477, frame 874 | Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, as Administrative Agent | Orbital Atk, Inc. | Termination and Release of Security Interest in Patents |
| Nov 1, 2018 Reel 47400, frame 381 | Orbital Atk, Inc. | Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems, Inc. | Change of Name |
| Feb 4, 2021 Reel 55223, frame 425 | Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems, Inc. | Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems LLC | Change of Name |
| Feb 8, 2021 Reel 55256, frame 892 | Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems LLC | Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation | Assignment of Assignor's 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
Nov 2026
Term ends Nov 19, 2026. No further fees fall due before then
Note
The 52 days of patent term adjustment (USPTO delay) are read from the USPTO record, not recalculated by us
Citations
19
later US patents cite this one
That is above 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.