Term ended no later than Dec 31, 2023 · Medium confidence
20-year base term ended Dec 31, 2023
USPTO later recorded it as expired for non-payment on Jun 3, 2024.
Held by Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.
Filed Mar 22, 2010 as application 12/728,986 · Granted May 1, 2012
Base term, 20 years from filing
Today
Ended no later than Dec 31, 2023
2003
2026
Clock starts
Dec 31, 2003
Dec 31, 2003
Ended no later than
Dec 31, 2023
Dec 31, 2023
Granted
May 1, 2012
May 1, 2012
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.
Unresolved
Terminal disclaimer
On file, reference document not resolved, so the date above is an upper bound. We do not guess the cap.
2 of 2
Maintenance fees paid
Two maintenance fees can end this term early, the ones due 3.5 and 7.5 years from grant; the third one's grace period runs past the term end. 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. A terminal disclaimer is on file with no resolved reference, so no cap is applied and none is guessed. Confidence: Medium. 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 31, 2003, when application 10/748,123, the earliest non-provisional in its chain, was filed (this one was filed Mar 22, 2010) | Dec 31, 2023 | 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 | Disclaimer on file (approved), reference document not resolved | no cap applied, and none guessed | Medium confidence |
| Patent term extension | None on file | no change | High confidence |
| Fee events | 2 of 2 maintenance fees paid | term ended | High confidence |
| USPTO status record | Recorded as expired for non-payment on Jun 3, 2024, after the term ended | no change | High confidence |
| Computed term end | The steps above, in order | no later than Dec 31, 2023 | Medium confidence |
This family
| US 7,683,937 | In force (reinstated) Aug 2028 | Aug 2028 |
| US 8,169,492 | this patent no later than Dec 2023 | no later than Dec 2023 |
| US 8,913,143 | Term ended Dec 2023 | Dec 2023 |
| US 9,740,371 | Term ended Dec 2023 | Dec 2023 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 28, 2011 Reel 26193, frame 111 | AOL LLC, a Delware Limited Liability Company (Formerly Known as America Online, Inc.) | Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. | 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
Note
A terminal disclaimer is on file and its reference is not resolved. No cap is applied and none is guessed
Open question
A terminal disclaimer is on file (approved) and its reference document is not resolved. A disclaimer would cap the term earlier than Dec 31, 2023. We will not guess the cap.
Citations
13
later US patents cite this one
That is above the median of utility patents granted in 2012 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
This computed term ends no later than the date shown; an unresolved terminal disclaimer may end it earlier. Related patents and pending applications may cover overlapping subject matter.