Collateral for a security interest recorded Nov 5, 2025 (Citizens Bank, N.A.).
Lapsed Jun 19, 2020 on the fee record · Medium confidence
20-year base term ended Aug 5, 2023
Why Medium: A terminal disclaimer is on file (approved) with no resolved reference, so the term may end earlier.
Second maintenance fee unpaid; grace period ended.
Held by Eastern Company, The
Filed Sep 17, 2010 as application 12/807,968 · Granted Jun 19, 2012
Base term, 20 years from filing
Today
Lapsed Jun 19, 2020
2003
2026
Clock starts
Aug 5, 2003
Aug 5, 2003
No longer in force
Jun 19, 2020
Jun 19, 2020
Granted
Jun 19, 2012
Jun 19, 2012
Term would have run to
Aug 5, 2023
Aug 5, 2023
base term
after the term ends
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
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.
1 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.
8
Family applications on record here
Applications sharing this one's continuity chain whose file history this site holds. The family may have others.
Its term would have run to Aug 5, 2023: 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 Aug 5, 2003, when application 10/634,201, the earliest non-provisional in its chain, was filed (this one was filed Sep 17, 2010) | Aug 5, 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 | 1 of 2 maintenance fees paid | lapsed Jun 19, 2020 | High confidence |
| Computed term end | The steps above, in order | Jun 19, 2020 | Medium confidence |
This family
| US 6,877,345 | Term ended Sep 2023 | Sep 2023 |
| US 7,007,521 | Term ended no later than Aug 2023 | no later than Aug 2023 |
| US 7,159,422 | Lapsed on the fee record Jan 2019 | Jan 2019 |
| US 7,363,782 | Lapsed on the fee record Apr 2020 | Apr 2020 |
| US 7,832,238 | Lapsed on the fee record Nov 2022 | Nov 2022 |
| US 8,201,423 | this patent Jun 2020 | Jun 2020 |
| US D674,266 | In force Jan 2027 | Jan 2027 |
| US 8,881,558 | Lapsed on the fee record Nov 2022 | Nov 2022 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 17, 2010 Reel 25057, frame 843 | Misner, Michael O.; Lu, Jian-bing | Eastern Company, The | Assignment of Assignor's Interest |
| Jul 17, 2017 Reel 43209, frame 623 | The Eastern Company | People's United Bank, National Association | Security Interest |
| Sep 9, 2019 Reel 50312, frame 958 | People's United Bank, National Association | The Eastern Company | Release of Security Interest |
| Jun 23, 2023 Reel 64075, frame 498 | Santander Bank, N.a. | The Eastern Company; Velvac, Incorporated; Big 3 Precision Products, Inc. | Release of Security Interest |
| Jun 23, 2023 Reel 64083, frame 430 | The Eastern Company; Velvac, Incorporated; Big 3 Precision Products, Inc. | Td Bank, N.a. | Security Interest |
| Jun 23, 2023 reel/frame not recorded | Santander Bank, N.a. | The Eastern Company | Release of Security Interest |
| Jun 23, 2023 reel/frame not recorded | Santander Bank, N.a. | Velvac, Incorporated | Release of Security Interest |
| Jun 23, 2023 reel/frame not recorded | Santander Bank, N.a. | Big 3 Precision Products, Inc. | Release of Security Interest |
| Oct 30, 2025 Reel 73437, frame 1 | Td Bank, N.a. | The Eastern Company | Release of Security Interest |
| Nov 5, 2025 Reel 73461, frame 8 | The Eastern Company; Velvac, Incorporated; Big 3 Precision Products, Inc. | Citizens Bank, N.a. | Security 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 Jun 19, 2020. We will not guess the cap.
Citations
4
later US patents cite this one
That is below 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
Computed patent terms end on the dates shown. Related patents and pending applications may cover overlapping subject matter.