Assignment history

Inventors

• Larry Baldwin: Voicebox Technologies, Inc. (Employer at the time of the original priority application filing, U.S. Pat. No. 8,073,681, from which US 10,510,341 B1 claims priority)
• Tom Freeman: Voicebox Technologies, Inc.
• Michael Tjalve: Voicebox Technologies, Inc.
• Blane Ebersold: Voicebox Technologies, Inc.
• Chris Weider: Voicebox Technologies, Inc.

All inventors assigned their interest in the patent application to Voicebox Technologies, Inc. on August 29, 2019, which was then followed by corporate restructuring and a transfer to VB Assets, LLC on the same day, immediately prior to the filing of the present continuation application. This pattern, where inventors assign their rights to a company that then transfers the rights to an asset-holding entity, is common.

Original assignee

The entity named on the issued patent (US 10,510,341 B1) and the applicant for this specific continuation was VB Assets LLC.

Voicebox Technologies Corporation (the predecessor to VB Assets LLC in the chain) was a developer of natural language understanding and speech recognition software, primarily for automotive and mobile applications. They reportedly shipped products embodying claims related to conversational voice user interfaces. Voicebox Technologies Corporation was acquired by Nuance Communications in 2018. VB Assets LLC appears to be an entity created to hold and manage intellectual property assets following this acquisition or a subsequent restructuring. Its primary line of business appears to be patent assertion. VB Assets LLC is currently operating, primarily through patent litigation.

Assignment timeline

• 2019-08-29 (executed) / recorded 2019-12-19 — Reel 050470/0844
  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
  • Assignor: LARRY BALDWIN, MICHAEL TJALVE, TOM FREEMAN, BLANE EBERSOLD, CHRIS WEIDER
  • Assignee: VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
  • Correspondent: THE WEISZ FIRM, P.C.; ROBERT WEISZ; 19200 VON KARMAN AVE., SUITE 440; IRVINE, CA 92612. This correspondent recurs consistently in this patent's chain.
  • Context: Transfer of inventor rights to initial corporate entity.
• 2019-08-29 (executed) / recorded 2019-12-19 — Reel 050470/0851
  • Conveyance: MERGER
  • Assignor: VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
  • Assignee: VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
  • Correspondent: THE WEISZ FIRM, P.C.; ROBERT WEISZ; 19200 VON KARMAN AVE., SUITE 440; IRVINE, CA 92612.
  • Context: Internal corporate reorganization (merger of Inc. into Corp.).
• 2019-08-29 (executed) / recorded 2019-12-19 — Reel 050470/0858
  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT
  • Assignor: VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
  • Assignee: VB ASSETS, LLC
  • Correspondent: THE WEISZ FIRM, P.C.; ROBERT WEISZ; 19200 VON KARMAN AVE., SUITE 440; IRVINE, CA 92612.
  • Context: Transfer of intellectual property assets to an LLC.
• 2025-04-08 (executed) / recorded 2025-04-18 — Reel 065596/0061
  • Conveyance: SECURITY INTEREST
  • Assignor: VB ASSETS, LLC
  • Assignee: CONTINGENCY CAPITAL FUND A LP
  • Correspondent: ROBERT WEISZ; THE WEISZ FIRM, P.C.; 19200 VON KARMAN AVENUE, SUITE 440, IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, 92612.
  • Context: Securitization of assets, likely for litigation funding.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 10510341
    2019 : Inventors assigned to Voicebox Inc
         : Voicebox Inc merged to Voicebox Corp
         : Voicebox Corp assigned to VB Assets LLC
    2025 : VB Assets LLC securitized to Contingency Capital Fund A LP

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — present. On 2019-08-29, Voicebox Technologies Corporation, a known operating company (acquired by Nuance), assigned the patent to VB Assets, LLC (Reel 050470/0858). VB Assets, LLC's name and its primary activity of patent assertion suggest a licensing-only entity.
2. Known asserter in the chain — present. VB Assets, LLC is documented by Unified Patents as an active asserter.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — present. Robert Weisz of The Weisz Firm, P.C. is listed as the correspondent for all four recorded assignments (Reel 050470/0844, 050470/0851, 050470/0858, and 065596/0061). His consistent appearance across multiple transfers, especially to an entity like VB Assets LLC, is a strong indicator.
4. Cascading transfers — present. There were three transfers on 2019-08-29, all recorded on 2019-12-19, moving the patent from the inventors through two Voicebox entities to VB Assets, LLC (Reel 050470/0844, 050470/0851, 050470/0858). These occurred in rapid succession on the same day.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — unclear. The filing date for the original continuation (US16/555,125) was 2019-08-29. The transfers to VB Assets LLC also occurred on 2019-08-29. The earliest district court litigation mentioned for this patent began in 2024. While the transfer to VB Assets, LLC predates litigation, it aligns with the filing of the continuation, suggesting the entity was set up for IP management, potentially including future assertion.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. The assignments do not indicate any bankruptcy proceedings for Voicebox Technologies, Inc. or Voicebox Technologies Corporation as the impetus for the transfers.
7. Privateering — unclear. While Voicebox Technologies Corporation was acquired by Nuance, and VB Assets, LLC is asserting the patent, it's not explicitly stated whether Nuance is funding or directing the assertions by VB Assets, LLC against competitors. This information typically requires access to private agreements or detailed SEC filings, which are not provided.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The chain does not terminate at a known defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence. The presence of a shell-entity transfer to VB Assets, LLC (Reel 050470/0858), the identification of VB Assets, LLC as a known asserter, and the consistent recurrence of the same correspondent attorney (Robert Weisz / The Weisz Firm, P.C.) across all transfers (Reel 050470/0844, 050470/0851, 050470/0858, 065596/0061) are strong indicators of an NPE pattern. The cascading transfers on a single day further support this conclusion, indicating a structured process for IP management and potential assertion.

For verification, see the USPTO Assignment Center search for US10510341.