Also listed on Ats IP, LLC, an earlier holder on the record. The recorded assignments below show how it moved.
Term ends Jan 31, 2034 · High confidence
20-year base term ends Jan 31, 2034
Filed Jan 16, 2015 as application 14/599,227 · Granted May 31, 2016
Base term, 20 years from filing
Today
2014
2034
Clock starts
Jan 31, 2014
Jan 31, 2014
Term ends
Jan 31, 2034
Jan 31, 2034
Granted
May 31, 2016
May 31, 2016
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.
No effect
Terminal disclaimer
Resolved from the filed document, referencing US 8,956,905, to Jan 31, 2034. The term already ends on or before that date, so the cap shortened nothing.
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 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. 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 Jan 31, 2014, when application 14/170,544, the earliest non-provisional in its chain, was filed (this one was filed Jan 16, 2015) | Jan 31, 2034 | 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 resolved from the filed document (refs US 8,956,905) | resolves to Jan 31, 2034, no earlier than this term, so no change | 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 | Jan 31, 2034 | High confidence |
This family
| US 8,956,905 | In force Jan 2034 | Jan 2034 |
| US 9,353,445 | this patent Jan 2034 | Jan 2034 |
| US 10,217,922 | In force Jan 2034 | Jan 2034 |
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 30, 2015 Reel 37387, frame 176 | Petkie, Ronald A. | Berken Energy LLC | Assignment of Assignor's Interest |
| Mar 17, 2022 Reel 59300, frame 352 | Berken Energy LLC | Ats IP, LLC | Assignment of Assignor's Interest |
| Jun 1, 2022 Reel 60076, frame 209 | Berken Energy LLC | Ats IP, LLC | Assignment of Assignor's Interest |
| May 12, 2025 Reel 71085, frame 805 | Ats IP, LLC | Advanced Thermovoltaic Systems, Corp. | 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.
What's changing
Jan 2034
Term ends Jan 31, 2034. Maintenance fees still fall due before then
Terminal disclaimer
A terminal disclaimer resolved from the filed document, referencing US 8,956,905, ends no earlier than this term, so it caps nothing.
Citations
7
later US patents cite this one
That is above 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.