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.

It is implied the inventors were employees of Dish Technologies LLC as the patent was originally assigned to Dish Technologies LLC, and subsequent assignments of inventor interest were made to the same entity.

Original assignee

Dish Technologies LLC [cite: US10469554B2]

• Products embodying the claims: Dish Technologies LLC (part of DISH Network/EchoStar) ships products such as Hopper and Joey DVRs, receivers, and offers services like Sling TV, which involve multi-bitrate content streaming for satellite television and internet protocol television (IPTV) services. These products and services directly embody the claims related to adaptive-rate content streaming.
• Primary line of business: Providing satellite television and IPTV services, as well as associated entertainment technology and equipment.
• Current status: Dish Network LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of EchoStar Corporation, is currently operating but has faced significant financial challenges and lawsuits related to its wireless network buildout. As of June 6, 2025, EchoStar Corporation was reportedly preparing to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Assignment timeline

The USPTO Assignment Center search for US10469554B2 yielded the following records:

• 2021-01-28 (executed) / recorded 2021-02-02 — Reel 055740/0947

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
  • Assignor: MAJOR, R. DREW; BRUECK, DAVID F.; HURST, MARK B.
  • Assignee: DISH TECHNOLOGIES LLC
  • Correspondent: DISH TECHNOLOGIES L.L.C., P.O. BOX 9040, ENGLEWOOD, CO 80112. This correspondent appears multiple times in this chain.
  • Context: Inventor assignment to the original assignee.

• 2021-03-08 (executed) / recorded 2021-04-05 — Reel 056079/0285

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
  • Assignor: HURST, MARK B.; MAJOR, R. DREW
  • Assignee: DISH TECHNOLOGIES LLC
  • Correspondent: DISH TECHNOLOGIES L.L.C., P.O. BOX 9040, ENGLEWOOD, CO 80112. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Inventor assignment to the original assignee.

• 2021-11-23 (executed) / recorded 2021-11-30 — Reel 056637/0410

  • 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: BAKER BOTTS L.L.P., 2001 ROSS AVENUE, SUITE 900, DALLAS, TX 75201-2980
  • Context: Securitization of assets by Dish entities.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 10469554B2
    2019 : Patent Issued to Dish Tech LLC
    2021 : Inventors assign rights to Dish Tech LLC
         : Inventors assign more rights to Dish Tech LLC
         : Dish entities grant security interest to US Bank
    2025 : Patent expired

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Not present. The initial and current operating assignee is Dish Technologies LLC, a known operating company that develops and sells products in the streaming content space. The security interest is with a major financial institution, not a shell for licensing.
2. Known asserter in the chain — Not present. Dish Technologies LLC is an operating company, and U.S. Bank, National Association, as Collateral Agent, is a financial institution, neither of which are known patent assertion entities.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Present. The correspondent "DISH TECHNOLOGIES L.L.C., P.O. BOX 9040, ENGLEWOOD, CO 80112" appears on Reel 055740/0947 (2021-02-02) and Reel 056079/0285 (2021-04-05). This is an internal corporate correspondent for the operating company itself.
4. Cascading transfers — Not present. The assignments are standard inventor assignments and a security interest, not rapid transfers between chained LLCs.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — Unclear. The patent was issued in November 2019. The inventor assignments occurred in early 2021, and the first district court litigation noted in the patent summary was filed in 2021. While the timing of the inventor assignments is relatively close to the commencement of litigation, such assignments are standard practice for employee-inventors to formally convey their rights to their employer. The security interest is a financing arrangement, not a direct transfer for assertion.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Unclear. The patent expired on 2025-04-28 [cite: US10469554B2]. While EchoStar (Dish's parent) was reportedly preparing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in June 2025, this patent had already expired. Therefore, it would not be subject to a fire-sale as an active asset. The assignments on record occurred prior to these bankruptcy preparations.
7. Privateering — Not present. There is no indication of a transfer from Dish Technologies LLC to an NPE to assert on its behalf against competitors. Dish Technologies LLC appears to be directly involved in the assertions.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The patent chain does not terminate at a defensive aggregator like RPX or AST.

Verdict

Operating-company assertion

The patent was originally assigned to and remains primarily held by Dish Technologies LLC, a recognized operating company in the satellite television and streaming services industry. The recorded assignments are consistent with standard corporate practices (inventor assignments and a security interest to a bank), showing no evidence of transfer to a shell entity or known patent assertion entity. Dish Technologies LLC's current litigation activity appears to be a direct assertion of its portfolio rather than privateering.

USPTO Assignment Center search: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/patent/assignment-result-detail/10469554B2