The Patent Finder
US

Image Decoding Device and Method Thereof Using Inter-Coded Predictive Encoding Code

US 9,270,998 Term ended
OverviewFamilyAssignmentsSources & methods

Term ended Feb 28, 2025 · High confidence

Held by Maxell, Ltd.
Filed Jul 10, 2015 as application 14/796,413 · Granted Feb 23, 2016
Base term, 20 years from filing
Today
20 years from filing
Term ended Feb 28, 2025
2005 2026
Clock starts
Feb 28, 2005
Term ended
Feb 28, 2025
Granted
Feb 23, 2016
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.
No effect
Terminal disclaimer
Resolved from the filed document, referencing US 8,787,456, US 8,923,387, US 8,971,403, US 9,118,924, US 9,277,225, US 9,277,226, US 9,319,687, to Feb 28, 2025. The term already ends on or before that date, so the cap shortened nothing.
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.
13
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 resolved from the filed document, and it ends no earlier than this term, so it shortens nothing. 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.
StepInputDate after this stepConfidence
Base term, 20 years from filingClock starts Feb 28, 2005, when application 11/066,169, the earliest non-provisional in its chain, was filed (this one was filed Jul 10, 2015)Feb 28, 2025High confidence
Continuity chainEvery parent in the chain resolvedno changeHigh confidence
Patent term adjustmentNone on fileno changeHigh confidence
Terminal disclaimer capDisclaimer resolved from the filed document (refs US 8,787,456, US 8,923,387, US 8,971,403, US 9,118,924, US 9,277,225, US 9,277,226, US 9,319,687)resolves to Feb 28, 2025, no earlier than this term, so no changeHigh confidence
Patent term extensionNone on fileno changeHigh confidence
Fee events2 of 2 maintenance fees paidterm endedHigh confidence
Computed term endThe steps above, in orderFeb 28, 2025High confidence

This family

US 8,787,456In force
Feb 2029
Feb 2029
US 8,923,387Term ended
Feb 2025
Feb 2025
US 8,971,403Term ended
Feb 2025
Feb 2025
US 9,118,924Term ended
Feb 2025
Feb 2025
US 9,319,687Term ended
Feb 2025
Feb 2025
US 9,277,225Term ended
Feb 2025
Feb 2025
US 9,277,226Term ended
Feb 2025
Feb 2025
US 9,270,998this patent
Feb 2025
Feb 2025
8 of 13 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.
RecordedAssignorAssigneeConveyance
Jan 25, 2018
Reel 45142, frame 208
Hitachi Maxell, Ltd.Maxell, Ltd.Assignment of Assignor's Interest
Nov 29, 2021
Reel 58255, frame 579
Maxell, Ltd.Maxell Holdings, Ltd.Merger
Dec 3, 2021
Reel 58666, frame 407
Maxell Holdings, Ltd.Maxell, Ltd.Change of Name

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.

The Patent Finder CompaniesExpirationsCalculatorWatchlistPricing MethodologyCorrectionsLegalPrivacysupport@thepatentfinder.com Updated Nov 14, 2026 · includes USPTO assignment & status data published Nov 14, 2026 and grant & fee data published Nov 10, 2026 (weekly) Part of 137 Finder · © 2026 137 Finder LLC · Sources cited