Term ends Nov 28, 2026 · High confidence
20-year base term ends Nov 28, 2026
Filed Sep 22, 2011 as application 13/240,303 · Granted Oct 2, 2012
Base term, 20 years from filing
Today
2006
2026
Clock starts
Nov 28, 2006
Nov 28, 2006
Term ends
Nov 28, 2026
Nov 28, 2026
Granted
Oct 2, 2012
Oct 2, 2012
base term
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.
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.
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. 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 Nov 28, 2006, when application 11/604,694, the earliest non-provisional in its chain, was filed (this one was filed Sep 22, 2011) | Nov 28, 2026 | 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 | 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 | Nov 28, 2026 | High confidence |
This family
| US 7,626,215 | In force Apr 2027 | Apr 2027 |
| US 8,207,042 | In force Jun 2027 | Jun 2027 |
| US 8,278,177 | this patent Nov 2026 | Nov 2026 |
| US 8,518,785 | In force Nov 2026 | Nov 2026 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 23, 2016 Reel 41188, frame 401 | Fujitsu Semiconductor Limited | Fujitsu Semiconductor Limited | Change of Address |
| Jul 14, 2020 Reel 53209, frame 468 | Fujitsu Semiconductor Limited | Aizu Fujitsu Semiconductor Limited | Assignment of Assignor's Interest |
| Jul 16, 2020 Reel 53481, frame 962 | Aizu Fujitsu Semiconductor Limited | Fujitsu Semiconductor Limited | Change of Name and Change of Address |
| May 24, 2023 Reel 64221, frame 545 | Fujitsu Semiconductor Limited | Fujitsu Limited | Merger |
| Nov 27, 2024 Reel 69454, frame 333 | Fujitsu Limited | Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd. | Assignment of Assignor's Interest |
| Dec 17, 2025 Reel 73964, frame 516 | Fujitsu Limited | Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd. | 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
Nov 2026
Term ends Nov 28, 2026. No further fees fall due before then
Citations
1
later US patent cites 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.
In force means the term is running and no lapse is on record. It is not a finding that the patent is valid.