Also listed on Sarnoff Europe, an earlier holder on the record. The recorded assignments below show how it moved.
Term ends Aug 13, 2027 · High confidence
20-year base term ended Dec 15, 2025
Held by Sofics Bvba
Filed Dec 15, 2005 as application 11/303,054 · Granted Jul 27, 2010
Base term plus 606 days of patent term adjustment (USPTO delay)
Today
2005
2027
Clock starts
Dec 15, 2005
Dec 15, 2005
Term ends
Aug 13, 2027
Aug 13, 2027
Granted
Jul 27, 2010
Jul 27, 2010
base term
patent term adjustment
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
606
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 606 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 Dec 15, 2005, when this application, 11/303,054, was filed | Dec 15, 2025 | High confidence |
| Continuity chain | Every parent in the chain resolved | no change | High confidence |
| Patent term adjustment | +606 days, USPTO patent term adjustment record | Aug 13, 2027 | 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 | Aug 13, 2027 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 12, 2006 Reel 17472, frame 51 | Mergens, Markus; Keppens, Bart; Verhaege, Koen; Armer, John; Trinh, Cong Son | Sarnoff Corporation; Sarnoff Europe | Assignment of Assignor's Interest |
| Apr 12, 2006 reel/frame not recorded | Verhaege, Koen; Armer, John; Keppens, Bart; Trinh, Cong Son; Mergens, Markus | Sarnoff Corporation | Assignment of Assignor's Interest |
| Apr 12, 2006 reel/frame not recorded | Verhaege, Koen; Armer, John; Keppens, Bart; Trinh, Cong Son; Mergens, Markus | Sarnoff Europe | Assignment of Assignor's Interest |
| Jul 10, 2009 Reel 22938, frame 643 | Sarnoff Corporation | Sarnoff Europe Bvba | Assignment of Assignor's Interest |
| Jul 23, 2009 Reel 22994, frame 903 | Sarnoff Europe | Sofics Bvba | Change of Name |
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
Aug 2027
Term ends Aug 13, 2027. No further fees fall due before then
Note
The 606 days of patent term adjustment (USPTO delay) are read from the USPTO record, not recalculated by us
Citations
18
later US patents cite this one
That is above the median of utility patents granted in 2010 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.