Assignment history

Inventors

The inventors named on U.S. Patent 10,347,248 are: Michael R. Kennewick, Catherine Cheung, Larry Baldwin, Ari Salomon, Michael Tjalve, Sheetal Guttigoli, Lynn Armstrong, Philippe Di Cristo, Bernie Zimmerman, and Sam Menaker. All inventors were employed by VoiceBox Technologies, Inc. at the time of the initial assignment from inventors to VoiceBox Technologies, Inc. on March 31, 2017 [cite: 043818/0604]. There is no indication of unusual inventor departure patterns within 12 months of filing based on the provided information.

Original assignee

The entity named as the original assignee on the issued patent is VoiceBox Technologies Corp. VoiceBox Technologies Corp. was an operating company that developed natural language voice user interface technology. It shipped products embodying the claims, primarily by licensing its technology for integration into automotive infotainment and telematics systems. VoiceBox Technologies Corp. was subsequently acquired by Nuance Communications, Inc. in 2018, and its technology was later spun out into Cerence Inc. in 2019. Its current operational status as a standalone entity is dissolved, as its assets and operations were absorbed.

Assignment timeline

The following is a chronological list of every recorded assignment for U.S. Patent 10,347,248 as found on the USPTO Patent Assignment Search database:

• 2017-03-31 (executed) / recorded 2017-04-03 — Reel 043818/0604
  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS)
  • Assignor: GUTTIGOLI, SHEETAL; ARMSTRONG, LYNN; BALDWIN, LARRY; CHEUNG, CATHERINE; DI CRISTO, PHILIPPE; KENNEWICK, MICHAEL R.; MENAKER, SAM; SALOMON, ARI; TJALVE, MICHAEL; ZIMMERMAN, BERNIE
  • Assignee: VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
  • Correspondent: Perkins Coie LLP, 1201 Third Avenue, Suite 4900, Seattle, WA 98101. This correspondent also appears in subsequent entries in this chain.
  • Context: Original assignment of rights from the inventors to the initial corporate entity.
• 2017-03-31 (executed) / recorded 2017-04-03 — Reel 043818/0607
  • Conveyance: MERGER (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS)
  • Assignor: VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
  • Assignee: VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
  • Correspondent: Perkins Coie LLP, 1201 Third Avenue, Suite 4900, Seattle, WA 98101. This correspondent also appears in other entries in this chain.
  • Context: Internal corporate reorganization, likely a change in corporate structure (e.g., Inc. to Corporation).
• 2017-12-20 (executed) / recorded 2017-12-22 — Reel 044719/0672
  • Conveyance: SECURITY INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS)
  • Assignor: VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
  • Assignee: ORIX GROWTH CAPITAL, LLC
  • Correspondent: Perkins Coie LLP, 1201 Third Avenue, Suite 4900, Seattle, WA 98101. This correspondent also appears in other entries in this chain.
  • Context: Grant of a security interest, likely as collateral for a loan.
• 2018-03-29 (executed) / recorded 2018-04-05 — Reel 045610/0177
  • Conveyance: RELEASE BY SECURED PARTY (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS)
  • Assignor: ORIX GROWTH CAPITAL, LLC
  • Assignee: VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
  • Correspondent: Voicebox Technologies Corporation, 1201 Third Avenue, Suite 2100, Seattle, WA 98101.
  • Context: Release of the security interest, indicating the associated loan was satisfied.
• 2019-09-27 (executed) / recorded 2019-10-24 — Reel 048777/0212
  • Conveyance: INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AGREEMENT
  • Assignor: NUANCE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
  • Assignee: CERENCE INC.
  • Correspondent: CERENCE INC., One Wayside Road, Burlington, MA 01803. This correspondent recurs on multiple entries in this chain.
  • Context: Transfer of intellectual property, likely as part of the spin-off of Cerence Inc. from Nuance Communications, Inc. (Note: An intermediate assignment from Voicebox Technologies Corporation to Nuance Communications, Inc. is not explicitly recorded for this patent number in the USPTO Assignment Center, but is implied by Nuance being the assignor).
• 2019-11-04 (executed) / recorded 2019-11-07 — Reel 049071/0149
  • Conveyance: SECURITY AGREEMENT
  • Assignor: CERENCE OPERATING COMPANY
  • Assignee: BARCLAYS BANK PLC
  • Correspondent: CERENCE INC., One Wayside Road, Burlington, MA 01803. This correspondent also appears in other entries in this chain.
  • Context: Grant of a security interest, likely as collateral for a loan.
• 2020-06-03 (executed) / recorded 2020-06-12 — Reel 049580/0173
  • Conveyance: RELEASE BY SECURED PARTY (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS)
  • Assignor: BARCLAYS BANK PLC
  • Assignee: CERENCE OPERATING COMPANY
  • Correspondent: CERENCE INC., One Wayside Road, Burlington, MA 01803. This correspondent also appears in other entries in this chain.
  • Context: Release of the security interest.
• 2020-06-12 (executed) / recorded 2020-06-15 — Reel 052441/0001
  • Conveyance: SECURITY AGREEMENT
  • Assignor: CERENCE OPERATING COMPANY
  • Assignee: WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A.
  • Correspondent: CERENCE INC., One Wayside Road, Burlington, MA 01803. This correspondent also appears in other entries in this chain.
  • Context: Grant of a security interest, likely as collateral for a loan.
• 2024-12-19 (executed) / recorded 2025-01-02 — Reel 052935/0584
  • Conveyance: RELEASE (REEL 052935 / FRAME 0584)
  • Assignor: WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
  • Assignee: CERENCE OPERATING COMPANY
  • Correspondent: CERENCE INC., One Wayside Road, Burlington, MA 01803. This correspondent also appears in other entries in this chain.
  • Context: Release of the security interest.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 10347248
    2017 : Assigned to Voicebox Tech, Inc
         : Merged to Voicebox Tech Corp
         : Securitized by ORIX Growth Capital
    2018 : Released by ORIX
    2019 : Assigned to Cerence Inc from Nuance
         : Securitized by Barclays Bank PLC
    2020 : Released by Barclays Bank
         : Securitized by Wells Fargo Bank
    2025 : Released by Wells Fargo Bank

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — not present. The transfers involve operating companies (VoiceBox, Nuance, Cerence) and financial institutions (ORIX, Barclays, Wells Fargo) engaged in standard business transactions like mergers, IP agreements, and securitizations. No indication of transfer to a licensing-only shell entity.
2. Known asserter in the chain — not present. None of the assignees (VoiceBox Technologies, Inc./Corp., ORIX GROWTH CAPITAL, LLC, NUANCE COMMUNICATIONS, INC., CERENCE INC., CERENCE OPERATING COMPANY, BARCLAYS BANK PLC, WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A.) are publicly identified as known NPEs on common lists.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — present. Perkins Coie LLP appears as correspondent for the assignments on Reels 043818/0604, 043818/0607, and 044719/0672. CERENCE INC. appears as correspondent for the assignments on Reels 048777/0212, 049071/0149, 049580/0173, 052441/0001, and 052935/0584. While a recurring correspondent is present, it is tied to the operating companies (VoiceBox and Cerence) themselves, which is typical for in-house legal departments or consistent outside counsel managing an operating company's IP.
4. Cascading transfers — not present. The recorded transfers are spaced over time and primarily represent ownership changes due to corporate events (spin-off, security interests) rather than rapid, sequential sales between shell entities.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — not present. As of the litigation search date (May 9, 2026), no litigation involving this patent has been found.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. The assignments do not indicate a sale resulting from the bankruptcy of VoiceBox, Nuance, or Cerence. The transfer to Cerence Inc. from Nuance Communications, Inc. was part of a corporate spin-off.
7. Privateering — not present. No evidence suggests an operating company transferred the patent to an NPE for assertion against competitors.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The current assignee, Cerence Operating Company, is an operating company, not a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

Operating-company assertion

This patent's ownership chain reflects standard corporate activities. It was initially assigned from inventors to the operating company VoiceBox Technologies, Inc., subsequently underwent internal corporate reorganization and securitization by financial institutions, and was eventually transferred to Cerence Inc. via Nuance Communications, Inc. as part of a corporate spin-off. The current owner, Cerence Operating Company, is an operating company in the field of in-vehicle conversational AI. The assignments involving financial institutions (ORIX, Barclays, Wells Fargo) are all security interests and subsequent releases, common for operating companies financing their operations.

USPTO Assignment Center Search for US10347248