Also listed on Lstar Technologies LLC, an earlier holder on the record. The recorded assignments below show how it moved.
Term ends Apr 14, 2029 · High confidence
20-year base term ends Apr 24, 2029
Held by Mercury Kingdom Assets Limited
Filed Apr 24, 2009 as application 12/429,580 · Granted Sep 4, 2012
Base term plus 672 days of patent term adjustment (USPTO delay) · capped by a resolved terminal disclaimer
Today
2009
2029
Clock starts
Apr 24, 2009
Apr 24, 2009
Term ends
Apr 14, 2029
Apr 14, 2029
Granted
Sep 4, 2012
Sep 4, 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
672
Days of term adjustment
Read from the USPTO patent term adjustment record, not recalculated here.
Capped
Terminal disclaimer
Resolved from the filed document, referencing US 7,996,595.
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 672 days past its 20-year base term on prosecution delay. A terminal disclaimer resolved from the filed document caps it earlier. 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 Apr 24, 2009, when this application, 12/429,580, was filed | Apr 24, 2029 | High confidence |
| Continuity chain | Every parent in the chain resolved | no change | High confidence |
| Patent term adjustment | +672 days, USPTO patent term adjustment record | Feb 25, 2031 | High confidence |
| Terminal disclaimer cap | Disclaimer resolved from the filed document (refs US 7,996,595) | capped to Apr 14, 2029 | 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 | Apr 14, 2029 | 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 11, 2011 Reel 26568, frame 599 | Wolfe, Andrew | Lstar Technologies LLC | Assignment of Assignor's Interest |
| Dec 2, 2011 Reel 27319, frame 590 | Lstar Technologies LLC | Empire Technology Development LLC | Assignment of Assignor's Interest |
| Jan 29, 2019 Reel 48373, frame 217 | Empire Technology Development LLC | Crestline Direct Finance, L.p. | Security Interest |
| Jun 26, 2020 Reel 53047, frame 864 | Crestline Direct Finance, L.p. | Empire Technology Development LLC | Release of Security Interest |
| Aug 3, 2020 Reel 53378, frame 53 | Empire Technology Development, LLC | Mercury Kingdom Assets Limited | Assignment of Assignor's Interest |
| Sep 22, 2025 Reel 72936, frame 464 | Crestline Direct Finance, L.P., as Collateral Agent | Empire Technology Development LLC | Release of Security Interest in Patents, Recorded on January 29, 2019 at Reel 048373 Frame 0217 |
| Jun 22, 2026 Reel 75799, frame 53 | Crestline Direct Finance, L.P., as Collateral Agent | Empire Technology Development LLC | Release of Security Interest in Patents, Recorded on January 29, 2019, at Reel/Frame 048373/0217 |
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
Apr 2029
Term ends Apr 14, 2029. No further fees fall due before then
Note
The 672 days of patent term adjustment (USPTO delay) are read from the USPTO record, not recalculated by us
Disclaimer cap
This term is capped by a terminal disclaimer resolved from the filed document, referencing US 7,996,595.
Citations
39
later US patents cite this one
That is top 25% 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.
In force means the term is running and no lapse is on record. It is not a finding that the patent is valid.