Term ends Dec 19, 2026 · High confidence
20-year base term ended Jul 6, 2024
Filed Jul 6, 2004 as application 10/885,570 · Granted Oct 25, 2011
Base term plus 896 days of patent term adjustment (USPTO delay)
Today
2004
2026
Clock starts
Jul 6, 2004
Jul 6, 2004
Term ends
Dec 19, 2026
Dec 19, 2026
Granted
Oct 25, 2011
Oct 25, 2011
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
896
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.
18
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 896 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 Jul 6, 2004, when this application, 10/885,570, was filed | Jul 6, 2024 | High confidence |
| Continuity chain | Every parent in the chain resolved | no change | High confidence |
| Patent term adjustment | +896 days, USPTO patent term adjustment record | Dec 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 | Dec 19, 2026 | High confidence |
This family
| US 8,043,152 | this patent Dec 2026 | Dec 2026 |
| US 7,846,017 | In force no later than Apr 2028 | no later than Apr 2028 |
| US 8,366,531 | In force no later than Mar 2028 | no later than Mar 2028 |
| US 9,171,421 | In force Oct 2030 | Oct 2030 |
| US 7,824,258 | In force no later than Oct 2027 | no later than Oct 2027 |
| US 8,038,520 | In force Jun 2027 | Jun 2027 |
| US 7,806,761 | In force no later than Aug 2027 | no later than Aug 2027 |
| US 8,038,523 | In force no later than Sep 2027 | no later than Sep 2027 |
8 of 18 applications in this family shown, earliest filings first. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 6, 2004 Reel 15553, frame 590 | Walker, Jay S.; Jorasch, James A.; Tulley, Stephen C.; Gelman, Geoffrey M. | Walker Digital, LLC | Assignment of Assignor's Interest |
| Nov 4, 2009 Reel 23456, frame 940 | Walker Digital, LLC | IGT | Assignment of Assignor's Interest |
| Jul 3, 2025 Reel 71817, frame 394 | IGT | Deutsche Bank AG New York Branch, as Collateral Agent | Security Agreement |
| Aug 17, 2025 Reel 72040, frame 981 | IGT | IGT Global Solutions Corporation | Assignment of Assignor's Interest |
| Oct 24, 2025 Reel 73257, frame 666 | IGT Global Solutions Corporation | Brightstar Global Solutions Corporation | Change of Name |
| Feb 27, 2026 Reel 75504, frame 440 | Deutsche Bank AG New York Branch, as Collateral Agent | IGT | Notice of Release of Security Interest in Patents (First Lien) |
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 19, 2026. No further fees fall due before then
Note
The 896 days of patent term adjustment (USPTO delay) are read from the USPTO record, not recalculated by us
Citations
74
later US patents cite this one
That is top 10% of utility patents granted in 2011 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.