Collateral for a security interest recorded Nov 5, 2025 (Citizens Bank, N.A.).
Term ends Apr 27, 2033 · High confidence
20-year base term ends Nov 15, 2031
Held by Eastern Company, The
Filed Sep 13, 2012 as application 13/573,392 · Granted May 17, 2016
Base term plus 529 days of patent term adjustment (USPTO delay)
Today
2011
2033
Clock starts
Nov 15, 2011
Nov 15, 2011
Term ends
Apr 27, 2033
Apr 27, 2033
Granted
May 17, 2016
May 17, 2016
base term
patent term adjustment
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
529
Days of term adjustment
Read from the USPTO patent term adjustment record, not recalculated here.
None
Terminal disclaimer
No disclaimer on this record.
2 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.
3
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 runs 529 days past its 20-year base term on prosecution delay. 2 of 3 maintenance fees are paid so far. 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 15, 2011, when application 29/395,039, the earliest non-provisional in its chain, was filed (this one was filed Sep 13, 2012) | Nov 15, 2031 | High confidence |
| Continuity chain | Every parent in the chain resolved | no change | High confidence |
| Patent term adjustment | +529 days, USPTO patent term adjustment record | Apr 27, 2033 | 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 | 2 of 3 maintenance fees paid | In force | High confidence |
| Computed term end | The steps above, in order | Apr 27, 2033 | High confidence |
This family
| US D674,794 | In force Jan 2027 | Jan 2027 |
| US D673,442 | In force Jan 2027 | Jan 2027 |
| US 9,340,327 | this patent Apr 2033 | Apr 2033 |
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 13, 2012 Reel 29060, frame 716 | Misner, Michael O. | 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
Apr 2033
Term ends Apr 27, 2033. Maintenance fees still fall due before then
Note
The 529 days of patent term adjustment (USPTO delay) are read from the USPTO record, not recalculated by us
Citations
4
later US patents cite this one
That is below the median of utility patents granted in 2016 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.