Assignment history

Inventors

The named inventors for US patent 10379301B2 are Jian-Hong Luo, Dong-Biao JIANG, Peng Nie, and Xiao-Liang DING. They were likely employed by Applied Optoelectronics Inc. at the time of filing, as this entity is listed as the original assignee and applicant. The initial assignment record (Reel 041252/0582) shows an assignment of inventors' interest from Jian-Hong Luo, Dong-Biao Jiang, and Peng Nie to GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY INC. prior to the application filing. It is notable that Xiao-Liang DING is not listed as an assignor in this specific record.

Original assignee

The entity named on the issued patent as the original assignee is Applied Optoelectronics Inc. (AOI). AOI is a publicly traded company (NASDAQ: AOI) primarily engaged in the design, manufacture, and sale of fiber optic access network products, including transceivers and optical components for various applications like cable television, fiber-to-the-home, and data centers. As an operating company, AOI ships products embodying such claims. The company is currently active.

Assignment timeline

• 2016-12-24 (executed) / recorded 2017-02-14 — Reel 041252/0582

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: LUO, JIAN-HONG; JIANG, DONG-BIAO; NIE, PENG
  • Assignee: GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY INC., CHINA
  • Correspondent: Not specified in Google Patents legal events snippet.
  • Context: Transfer of inventors' rights to a corporate entity prior to the patent application filing.

• 2023-09-25 (executed) / recorded 2023-09-25 — Reel Not specified

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY INC.
  • Assignee: APPLIED OPTOELECTRONICS, INC.
  • Correspondent: Not specified in Google Patents legal events snippet.
  • Context: Reassignment of patent rights from an intermediate entity to the original applicant/operating company.

• 2025-07-31 (executed) / recorded 2025-08-01 — Reel 072338/0695

  • Conveyance: Security Interest
  • Assignor: APPLIED OPTOELECTRONICS, INC.
  • Assignee: BOKF, NA D/B/A BOK FINANCIAL, COLORADO
  • Correspondent: Not specified in Google Patents legal events snippet.
  • Context: Grant of a security interest in the patent, typically as collateral for financing.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 10379301B2
    2017 : Inventors assign to Global Technology Inc
    2019 : Patent issued to Applied Optoelectronics
    2023 : Global Tech assigns to Applied Opto
         : First infringement suit filed (e.g. 4:23-cv-04787)
    2024 : Additional litigation filed
    2025 : Security interest to BOKF
         : PTAB cases filed

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — unclear. The initial assignment was to GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY INC., CHINA (Reel 041252/0582), which could potentially be a shell entity or an affiliated holding company. However, the subsequent reassignment back to Applied Optoelectronics Inc. (an operating company) (2023-09-25) makes it less indicative of a classic NPE shell transfer out of an operating company.
2. Known asserter in the chain — not present. Applied Optoelectronics Inc. is an operating company, not a known NPE from the provided lists or common public databases. GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY INC. is not a commonly recognized NPE. BOKF, NA D/B/A BOK FINANCIAL is a financial institution holding a security interest, not an NPE. However, the patent is currently being asserted by Applied Optoelectronics Inc., as evidenced by multiple listed litigation cases (e.g., 4:23-cv-04787, 5:24-cv-01010, IPR2025-01567).
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — unclear. The provided Google Patents legal events snippets do not include correspondent information for any of the recorded assignments, making it impossible to assess this signal.
4. Cascading transfers — not present. There is only one transfer of ownership (inventors to Global Technology Inc. to Applied Optoelectronics Inc.) between 2017 and 2023. The security interest in 2025 is not a transfer of ownership, so there is no pattern of multiple consecutive assignments through chained LLCs.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — present. An assignment of the patent from GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY INC. to APPLIED OPTOELECTRONICS, INC. occurred on 2023-09-25. Subsequently, multiple infringement lawsuits were filed in the California Northern District Court in 2023 and 2024 (e.g., 4:23-cv-04787 filed in 2023; 5:24-cv-01010, 4:24-cv-09041, 3:24-cv-01010, 3:24-cv-09041 filed in 2024). This timing suggests the reassignment to the operating company was made in preparation for or to facilitate these assertions.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. There is no indication of Applied Optoelectronics Inc. or Global Technology Inc. undergoing bankruptcy proceedings related to these assignments. Applied Optoelectronics Inc. is an active operating company.
7. Privateering — unclear. There is no direct evidence from the assignment records to suggest privateering, which would typically involve an operating company transferring the patent to an NPE to assert on its behalf.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The patent is currently held by an operating company (Applied Optoelectronics Inc.) and is being asserted in litigation, rather than being transferred to a defensive aggregator to neutralize it.

Verdict

Operating-company assertion. The patent is currently owned by Applied Optoelectronics Inc., an active operating company that manufactures products related to the patent's claims. The presence of multiple infringement lawsuits and PTAB cases in 2023 and 2024, following the reassignment of the patent to Applied Optoelectronics Inc. in September 2023 (Reel not specified, event date 2023-09-25), indicates that the company is actively asserting its intellectual property.

USPTO Assignment Center search page: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/