Assignment history

Inventors

• David F. Brueck: Employed by Dish Technologies LLC at the time of filing.
• Mark B. Hurst: Employed by Dish Technologies LLC at the time of filing.
• R. Drew Major: Employed by Dish Technologies LLC at the time of filing.

Original assignee

Dish Technologies LLC. Dish Technologies LLC is a subsidiary of DISH Network Corporation, a public company primarily engaged in providing satellite television and internet services. They ship products embodying the claims, such as set-top boxes and streaming platforms. Dish Technologies LLC is currently operating.

Assignment timeline

The USPTO Assignment Center (https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/) shows the following assignment records for US patent 10469554:

• 2021-02-02 (executed) / recorded 2021-02-02 — Reel 054902/0831

  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
  • Assignor: MAJOR, R. DREW; BRUECK, DAVID F.; HURST, MARK B.
  • Assignee: DISH TECHNOLOGIES L.L.C.
  • Correspondent: R. Drew Major, 5635 South 1000 East, Suite 300, South Ogden, UT 84405. This correspondent is also an inventor on the patent.
  • Context: Transfer from inventors to the original assignee.

• 2021-04-05 (executed) / recorded 2021-04-05 — Reel 055260/0556

  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
  • Assignor: HURST, MARK B.; MAJOR, R. DREW
  • Assignee: DISH TECHNOLOGIES L.L.C.
  • Correspondent: R. Drew Major, 5635 South 1000 East, Suite 300, South Ogden, UT 84405. This correspondent also appears in the previous assignment and is an inventor on the patent.
  • Context: Further transfer from some inventors to the original assignee.

• 2021-11-30 (executed) / recorded 2021-11-30 — Reel 057038/0394

  • Conveyance: Security Interest
  • Assignor: DISH BROADCASTING CORPORATION; DISH NETWORK L.L.C.; DISH Technologies L.L.C.
  • Assignee: U.S. BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
  • Correspondent: LATHAM & WATKINS LLP, 650 TOWN CENTER DRIVE SUITE 2000, COSTA MESA, CA 92626.
  • Context: Securitization of intellectual property as collateral for a loan.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 10469554
    2019 : Patent issued to Dish Technologies LLC
    2021 : Inventors assign to Dish Technologies LLC
         : Further inventor assignment to Dish Technologies LLC
         : Dish entities grant security interest to US Bank

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — not present. The primary assignee throughout the chain is Dish Technologies LLC, an operating subsidiary of DISH Network Corporation. U.S. Bank National Association is clearly acting as a collateral agent, not a shell entity for assertion.
2. Known asserter in the chain — not present. None of the entities in the assignment chain are recognized as known NPEs or patent trolls.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — not present. While R. Drew Major is listed as correspondent on the first two assignments, he is also an inventor and likely handled the internal transfer to Dish Technologies. The subsequent security interest uses Latham & Watkins LLP, a large law firm that typically represents operating companies in such transactions. There is no pattern of a single correspondent facilitating multiple transfers to different, potentially anonymous, entities.
4. Cascading transfers — not present. There are two transfers from inventors to the initial operating company assignee, followed by a security interest. These are not consecutive assignments through chained LLCs in a short timeframe.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — not present. The security interest was granted in November 2021. While the patent is currently involved in litigation (as noted in the Patent Summary), the security interest is a common financial transaction and does not indicate a transfer specifically for pre-litigation assertion by an NPE. Dish Technologies LLC and Sling TV, LLC are active patent asserters in the streaming space and have been involved in patent infringement actions.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. There is no indication of Dish Technologies LLC or DISH Network Corporation filing for bankruptcy.
7. Privateering — unclear. While DISH is an operating company and has been involved in litigation related to this and other patents, there is no public information to suggest that they are transferring patents to an NPE to assert on their behalf. The lawsuits appear to be direct assertions by Dish Technologies LLC and Sling TV, LLC.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The chain does not terminate at any known defensive aggregators.

Verdict

Operating-company assertion. The patent has consistently been assigned to Dish Technologies LLC, an operating subsidiary of DISH Network Corporation, or subject to a security interest by U.S. Bank National Association. Dish Technologies LLC and Sling TV, LLC are identified as active patent asserters in the streaming space and directly assert patents, including US10469554, against alleged infringers. This indicates direct assertion by an operating company against competitors, rather than a transfer to a non-practicing entity.
Verification: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/patft/index.html?patnm=[10469554](/patent/10469554)