Also listed on Beijing Metis Technology Service Center (LLP), an earlier holder on the record. The recorded assignments below show how it moved.
Term ends Dec 31, 2026 · High confidence
20-year base term ended May 24, 2026
Held by Hickory IP LLC
Filed May 24, 2006 as application 11/439,901 · Granted Jan 13, 2009
Base term plus 221 days of patent term adjustment (USPTO delay)
Today
2006
2026
Clock starts
May 24, 2006
May 24, 2006
Term ends
Dec 31, 2026
Dec 31, 2026
Granted
Jan 13, 2009
Jan 13, 2009
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
221
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.
This patent's term runs 221 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 May 24, 2006, when this application, 11/439,901, was filed | May 24, 2026 | High confidence |
| Continuity chain | Every parent in the chain resolved | no change | High confidence |
| Patent term adjustment | +221 days, USPTO patent term adjustment record | Dec 31, 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 | Dec 31, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 24, 2006 Reel 18079, frame 844 | Kurihara, Makoto | Seiko Instruments Inc. | Assignment of Assignor's Interest |
| May 13, 2016 Reel 38593, frame 418 | Seiko Instruments Inc. | Beijing Metis Technology Service Center (LLP) | Assignment of Assignor's Interest |
| Oct 26, 2021 Reel 57917, frame 154 | Beijing Metis Technology Service Center (LLP) | Dawncrest IP LLC | Assignment of Assignor's Interest |
| Oct 27, 2021 Reel 57938, frame 84 | Dawncrest IP LLC | Hickory IP LLC | 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.
What's changing
Dec 2026
Term ends Dec 31, 2026. No further fees fall due before then
Note
The 221 days of patent term adjustment (USPTO delay) are read from the USPTO record, not recalculated by us
Citations
88
later US patents cite this one
That is top 10% of utility patents granted in 2009 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.