Assignment history

Inventors

The sole named inventor for US patent 10224999 is Theodore S. Rappaport. At the time of the earliest priority date (August 22, 2003), he was likely employed as a professor at Virginia Tech, where he founded the Mobile and Portable Radio Research Group (MPRG). The patent application initially listed "Individual" as the original assignee, which is consistent with the inventor holding the rights personally before a later assignment. No unusual patterns of inventor departure are discernible, as the inventor himself was the initial assignee.

Original assignee

The patent US10224999 was originally assigned to "Individual" (Theodore S. Rappaport) at the time of its 2017 filing, and subsequently assigned to Massively Broadband LLC.

• Product embodying the claims: There is no public record or indication that Massively Broadband LLC ships products embodying the claims of US10224999.
• Primary line of business: Patent licensing and enforcement (assertion).
• Current status: Massively Broadband LLC operates as a patent assertion entity. However, the patent itself is Expired: Failed to Pay Maintenance Fee Payment as of 2023-09-05, according to the USPTO Patent Center. This means the patent is no longer enforceable for new infringements, though past infringements could still be pursued.

Assignment timeline

One assignment record was found for US10224999 via the USPTO Assignment Center.

• 2024-12-31 (executed) / recorded 2024-12-31 — Reel 065548/0104
  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
  • Assignor: RAPPAPORT, THEODORE S.
  • Assignee: MASSIVELY BROADBAND LLC
  • Correspondent: THEODORE S. RAPPAPORT; 1880 OAKLANE DRIVE NE; BLACKSBURG, VA 24060. The inventor is listed as the correspondent for this recording.
  • Context: Transfer of patent rights from the individual inventor to an LLC, likely for patent asset management or assertion.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 10224999
    2003 : Priority filed
    2017 : Application filed
    2019 : Patent granted
    2023 : Patent expired unpaid fees
    2024 : Assigned to Massively Broadband LLC
    2025 : Litigation filed in TX

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — present. The patent was assigned from the individual inventor, Theodore S. Rappaport, to Massively Broadband LLC (Reel 065548/0104, executed/recorded 2024-12-31). Massively Broadband LLC shows no public evidence of shipping products, and is publicly recognized as a patent assertion entity.
2. Known asserter in the chain — present. Massively Broadband LLC is listed as a known patent asserter by Unified Patents. Furthermore, active litigation involving this patent (case 2:25-cv-00608 in the Texas Eastern District Court) demonstrates an assertion pattern.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — unclear. The only assignment recorded (Reel 065548/0104) lists the inventor, Theodore S. Rappaport, as the correspondent. While this is a notable detail, it is a single instance and does not establish a pattern of a recurring attorney or recording firm across multiple assignments or other patents that would signify a common NPE legal counsel.
4. Cascading transfers — not present. Only one assignment record is found for this patent.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — present. The assignment to Massively Broadband LLC was executed and recorded on December 31, 2024 (Reel 065548/0104). Litigation was subsequently filed in the Texas Eastern District Court (2:25-cv-00608) in 2025, falling within six months of the assignment date, which is indicative of a transfer made in anticipation of assertion.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. There is no indication that the original assignee (the individual inventor) filed for bankruptcy.
7. Privateering — unclear. While the patent is being asserted by an LLC founded by the inventor, there is no public evidence explicitly detailing a privateering arrangement where an operating company transferred the patent to Massively Broadband LLC to assert on its behalf against competitors.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The patent is currently held by Massively Broadband LLC, a known asserter, not a defensive aggregator. Unified Patents has initiated an IPR challenge against this patent, which is an action taken against an assertion entity, not an acquisition by a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence

The patent was transferred from the inventor to Massively Broadband LLC on 2024-12-31 (Reel 065548/0104), an entity explicitly identified as a known patent asserter. This transfer was immediately followed by litigation in 2025, marking a clear pre-litigation assignment pattern.

USPTO Assignment Center search for US10224999: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/assign-view-search?start=1&rows=10&sort=recordedDate+desc&qs=10224999&fq=pat_no%3A%2210224999%22&disp=list