Assignment history

Inventors

• Peter B. Gillingham: While specific employer at the time of the earliest priority date (2007-02-16) is not explicitly stated in the patent, the initial applicant for US10140028 was Conversant Intellectual Property Management Inc., which is the rebranded name of Mosaid Technologies Inc.. Mosaid Technologies Inc. historically developed and licensed semiconductor memory technology. It is highly probable that Peter B. Gillingham was employed by Mosaid Technologies Inc. or a related entity.
• Graham Allan: Similarly, it is highly probable that Graham Allan was employed by Mosaid Technologies Inc. or a related entity at the time of the earliest priority date.

Original assignee

The entity named on the issued patent (US10140028B2, granted 2018-11-27) was CPPIB Credit Investments Inc. The patent application (US15/957,120) was filed by Conversant Intellectual Property Management Inc. on 2018-04-19, but then assigned to CPPIB Credit Investments Inc. on 2018-08-22 before grant.

CPPIB Credit Investments Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB), a Canadian asset management organization. Their primary line of business is providing financing solutions, including private debt, loans, and intellectual property-backed investments. They do not ship products embodying the claims of this patent. CPPIB Credit Investments Inc. is currently operating as part of CPPIB.

Assignment timeline

Note: The provided source (Google Patents full text) does not include Reel/Frame numbers, specific conveyance types beyond "Assigned to," or correspondent information. Therefore, these details cannot be provided as requested.

• 2018-08-22 (executed) / recorded N/A — Reel N/A
  • Conveyance: Assignment (implied)
  • Assignor: Conversant Intellectual Property Management Inc
  • Assignee: CPPIB CREDIT INVESTMENTS, INC.
  • Correspondent: N/A
  • Context: Securitization or financing arrangement, as CPPIB Credit Investments is a financial entity involved in intellectual property-backed investments.
• 2020-11-06 (executed) / recorded N/A — Reel N/A
  • Conveyance: Assignment (implied)
  • Assignor: CPPIB CREDIT INVESTMENTS INC.
  • Assignee: CONVERSANT INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT INC.
  • Correspondent: N/A
  • Context: Re-assignment back to the original applicant, potentially after a financing agreement concluded or was restructured.
• 2021-06-16 (executed) / recorded N/A — Reel N/A
  • Conveyance: Assignment / Change of Name (implied)
  • Assignor: CONVERSANT INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT INC.
  • Assignee: MOSAID TECHNOLOGIES INCORPORATED
  • Correspondent: N/A
  • Context: Corporate name change from Conversant Intellectual Property Management Inc. back to MOSAID Technologies Incorporated.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 10140028
    2007 : Priority date
    2018 : Filed by Conversant IP Mgmt Inc
         : Assigned to CPPIB Credit
    2018 : Patent Issued
    2020 : Assigned to Conversant IP Mgmt
    2021 : Assigned to Mosaid Technologies (Name Change)

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Present.

   • Conversant Intellectual Property Management Inc. (original applicant and later assignee) and Mosaid Technologies Inc. (current assignee, former name of Conversant) are explicitly identified as intellectual property management and patent licensing companies, not product-shipping entities in the context of the patented technology. Their primary business involves acquiring and licensing patent portfolios.
   • CPPIB CREDIT INVESTMENTS, INC. (assignee at grant) is a financial entity that makes "intellectual property-backed investments," not a product-shipping company.
   • Supporting Dates/Events:
     • 2018-04-19: Application filed by Conversant Intellectual Property Management Inc.
     • 2018-08-22: Assigned to CPPIB CREDIT INVESTMENTS, INC.
     • 2020-11-06: Assigned to CONVERSANT INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT INC.
     • 2021-06-16: Assigned to MOSAID TECHNOLOGIES INCORPORATED (Change of Name).
       These events show a clear pattern of ownership by entities whose core business is IP management, licensing, or financial investment in IP, rather than manufacturing or selling products embodying the patent.

2. Known asserter in the chain — Present.

   • Mosaid Technologies Inc. (and its former name, Conversant Intellectual Property Management Inc.) is a well-known NPE/patent assertion entity. It is listed on NPE tracking sites and has a history of patent litigation.
   • Supporting Dates/Events:
     • 2018-04-19: Application filed by Conversant Intellectual Property Management Inc.
     • 2020-11-06: Assigned to CONVERSANT INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT INC.
     • 2021-06-16: Assigned to MOSAID TECHNOLOGIES INCORPORATED.

3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Unclear.

   • The provided Google Patents data does not include correspondent information (attorney name, firm, address) for any of the recorded assignments.

4. Cascading transfers — Not present.

   • While there are multiple transfers, they are spaced over 1-2 years, not in rapid succession within <24 months (e.g., 2018, 2020, 2021). The 2021 transfer is also a name change, not a transfer to a distinct third-party.

5. Pre-litigation transfer — Unclear.

   • Information about specific litigation naming this patent (US10140028) is not provided in the full patent text or easily discoverable in the snippets, making it impossible to determine if any assignment preceded litigation by less than 6 months. While Mosaid/Conversant is a litigious entity, this specific signal cannot be confirmed without litigation data for this patent.

6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present.

   • There is no indication that any of the assignors (Conversant, CPPIB) filed for bankruptcy. Mosaid went private in 2011, which is not a bankruptcy.

7. Privateering — Unclear.

   • While Mosaid/Conversant is an IP management company that acquires portfolios, the specific context of this patent's acquisition does not explicitly state it was transferred on behalf of an operating company against competitors. The initial application was filed by Conversant itself, suggesting it was part of their internally managed or acquired-for-assertion portfolio, not necessarily a privateering arrangement by another operating company.

8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present.

   • The current assignee, Mosaid Technologies Inc., is a known patent asserter, not a defensive aggregator. RPX is mentioned in connection with Conversant in a licensing transaction related to a different portfolio in 2020, but RPX is not an assignee in the chain for US10140028.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence

This verdict is driven by several strong signals. The current and past assignees, Mosaid Technologies Inc. (operating as Conversant Intellectual Property Management Inc. during parts of the chain), are well-documented patent assertion entities whose primary business is IP management and licensing, not product sales related to the patented technology. The assignment to CPPIB Credit Investments Inc. (2018-08-22) before patent grant further supports a financial/IP-backed investment pattern, typical in NPE strategies. The chain of ownership is entirely composed of entities focused on IP monetization rather than technology development and sales, culminating in a known NPE.

For verification, see the USPTO Assignment Search for patent number 10140028: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/