Assignment history

Inventors

The sole inventor listed on US patent 10468047 is C. Earl Woolfork. At the time of the original filing in 2001, C. Earl Woolfork was a student at the University of Southern California (USC) studying electrical engineering. He and his brother, Cedric Woolfork, later founded One-E-Way, Inc. to commercialize his inventions.

Original assignee

The original assignee on the issued patent is ONE-E-WAY Inc. The company was founded by the inventor, C. Earl Woolfork, and his brother, Cedric Woolfork, to design, manufacture, and license wireless audio products based on the patented technology. One-E-Way has marketed and sold products embodying the claims, including the "E-Clip" wireless headphones and earbuds. The company is still operating and actively asserts its patent portfolio in litigation.

Assignment timeline

A search of the USPTO Patent Assignment Search database for US patent 10468047 reveals the following recorded assignments:

• 2008-10-22 (executed) / recorded 2019-08-27 — Reel 050187/0067

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
  • Assignor: WOOLFORK, C. EARL
  • Assignee: ONE-E-WAY, INC., CALIFORNIA
  • Correspondent: ONE-E-WAY, INC., 3450 E. FOOTHILL BLVD., #1120, PASADENA, CA 91107
  • Context: Formal transfer of the invention from the inventor to his operating company.

• 2019-05-28 (executed) / recorded 2019-09-03 — Reel 050253/0119

  • Conveyance: LICENSE
  • Assignor: ONE-E-WAY, INC.
  • Assignee: PEAG, LLC D/B/A JLAB AUDIO, CALIFORNIA
  • Correspondent: ONE-E-WAY, INC., 3450 E. FOOTHILL BLVD., SUITE 1120, PASADENA, CA 91107
  • Context: A license agreement granted to an operating company in the audio products space.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 10468047
    2001 : Priority date
    2008 : Inventor assigns to ONE-E-WAY Inc
    2018 : Application filed
    2019 : Patent Issued
         : License to PEAG LLC JLab Audio
    2020 : First infringement suit filed

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Not present. The assignee, ONE-E-WAY Inc., is the inventor's operating company which has developed and marketed its own products.

2. Known asserter in the chain — Present. ONE-E-WAY Inc. is a known patent asserter. It has engaged in litigation against major technology companies, including Sony, Apple, and Beats. RPX Insight also tracks litigation involving ONE-E-WAY, Inc. as the plaintiff.

3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Present. Both recorded instruments list ONE-E-WAY, INC. itself as the correspondent, using the same address. This indicates the founder is directly managing the patent assets rather than using outside counsel for recordation, which is atypical but shows consistent control.

4. Cascading transfers — Not present. The records show only a transfer from the inventor to his company and a subsequent license.

5. Pre-litigation transfer — Not present. The assignment from the inventor to his company was executed in 2008, long before the first litigation in 2020. The license to JLab Audio also predates the litigation campaign.

6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. There is no evidence that ONE-E-WAY Inc. has undergone bankruptcy proceedings.

7. Privateering — Not present. ONE-E-WAY Inc. is asserting the patents on its own behalf.

8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The patent has not been transferred to a known defensive aggregator like RPX or Unified Patents.

Verdict

NPE — moderate confidence

The assignee, ONE-E-WAY Inc., was founded by the inventor and has developed its own line of wireless audio products. However, the company's primary activity now appears to be patent assertion, with a history of litigation against major consumer electronics companies. The pattern fits that of an inventor-led entity that, after failing to achieve significant market traction with its own products, has pivoted to a strategy of monetizing its intellectual property through litigation. While not a classic "patent troll" that acquires patents solely to sue, its behavior aligns with that of a non-practicing entity (NPE) in its current phase. The direct correspondence from the company itself on all assignment records (Reels 050187/0067 and 050253/0119) further points to a tightly controlled, founder-driven assertion strategy.

Verification of the assignment history can be performed at the USPTO Assignment Center.