Term ends Dec 13, 2036 · High confidence
20-year base term ends Dec 13, 2036
Filed Dec 13, 2016 as application 15/376,797 · Granted Feb 6, 2018
Base term, 20 years from filing
Today
2016
2036
Clock starts
Dec 13, 2016
Dec 13, 2016
Term ends
Dec 13, 2036
Dec 13, 2036
Granted
Feb 6, 2018
Feb 6, 2018
base term
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
None
Term adjustment
No prosecution delay on this record.
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.
7
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. 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 Dec 13, 2016, when this application, 15/376,797, was filed | Dec 13, 2036 | 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 | 2 of 3 maintenance fees paid | In force | High confidence |
| Computed term end | The steps above, in order | Dec 13, 2036 | High confidence |
This family
| US 9,886,984 | this patent Dec 2036 | Dec 2036 |
| US 10,068,622 | In force Dec 2036 | Dec 2036 |
| Application 16/019,413 | Abandoned not computed | not computed |
| Application 16/019,451 | Abandoned not computed | not computed |
| Application 16/019,362 | Abandoned not computed | not computed |
| US 10,460,768 | In force Dec 2036 | Dec 2036 |
| US 10,347,301 | In force Dec 2036 | Dec 2036 |
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 13, 2016 Reel 40720, frame 871 | Akagi, Masahiro; Ohiro, Takeshi; Yoneda, Tomohiro; Yudate, Akihiro; Ishino, Takayuki; Nakamura, Sho | Nidec Corporation | Assignment of Assignor's Interest |
| Sep 3, 2019 Reel 50252, frame 699 | Kaneko, Jiro; Hayakawa, Takako; Sudo, Kimihiko; Onobu, Yuta | Western Digital Technologies, Inc. | 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
Dec 2036
Term ends Dec 13, 2036. Maintenance fees still fall due before then
Citations
8
later US patents cite this one
That is above the median of utility patents granted in 2018 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.