Patent 10541883

Assignment history

Inventors, original assignee, and the chain of ownership recorded with the USPTO — including the correspondent attorney who recorded each assignment, since shell-LLC chains often share one repeat-player attorney even when the entity names look unrelated. Surfaces NPE / patent-troll patterns: shell-entity transfers, known asserters in the chain, repeat correspondent fingerprints, pre-litigation assignments, and bankruptcy fire-sales.

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Ownership chain (2)

Asserters network →

Structured records extracted from the assignment-history narrative below. Each entity links to its full ownership-network profile.

  1. 2019-04-29 · reel 049302/0500 · Assignment

    HAINSWORTH, PAUL V., MILLINGTON, NICHOLAS A.J.Sonos, Inc.

    Correspondent: · ROPES & GRAY

    Assignment from inventors to the original assignee

  2. 2021-10-15 · reel 056499/0475 · Security Agreement

    Sonos, Inc.JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.

    Correspondent: · LATHAM & WATKINS

    Security agreement for financing, typical for operating companies

Assignment history

Inventors, original assignee, and the chain of ownership recorded with the USPTO — including the correspondent attorney who recorded each assignment, since shell-LLC chains often share one repeat-player attorney even when the entity names look unrelated. Surfaces NPE / patent-troll patterns: shell-entity transfers, known asserters in the chain, repeat correspondent fingerprints, pre-litigation assignments, and bankruptcy fire-sales.

✓ Generated

Inventors

  • Nicholas A. J. Millington (Sonos Inc)
  • Paul V. Hainsworth (Sonos Inc)

No unusual patterns observed regarding inventor departures.

Original assignee

Sonos Inc. Sonos Inc. is a consumer electronics company known for developing and manufacturing smart speakers and home audio products. They ship products embodying the claims of US10541883. Sonos Inc. is currently operating.

Assignment timeline

  • 2019-04-29 (executed) / recorded 2019-04-29 — Reel 049302/0500
    • Conveyance: Assignment
    • Assignor: HAINSWORTH, PAUL V., MILLINGTON, NICHOLAS A.J.
    • Assignee: SONOS, INC.
    • Correspondent: ROPES & GRAY LLP, 1211 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS, NEW YORK, NEW YORK, 10036
    • Context: Assignment from inventors to the original assignee.
  • 2021-10-15 (executed) / recorded 2021-10-15 — Reel 056499/0475
    • Conveyance: Security Agreement
    • Assignor: SONOS, INC.
    • Assignee: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.
    • Correspondent: LATHAM & WATKINS LLP, 555 ELEVENTH STREET, N.W., SUITE 1000, WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, 20004
    • Context: Security agreement for financing, typical for operating companies.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 10541883
    2004 : Priority date
    2019 : Filed by Sonos Inc
    2019 : Assigned to Sonos Inc
    2020 : Issued
    2021 : Security agreement with JPMorgan Chase

NPE / troll-pattern signals

  1. Shell-entity transfer — not present. The assignees, Sonos Inc. and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., are established operating companies and a financial institution, respectively.
  2. Known asserter in the chain — not present. Neither Sonos Inc. nor JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. are known NPEs.
  3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — not present. Ropes & Gray LLP handled the initial assignment to Sonos Inc. (Reel 049302/0500), and Latham & Watkins LLP handled the security agreement (Reel 056499/0475). These are distinct firms.
  4. Cascading transfers — not present. There are only two recorded assignments, and they are not consecutive transfers through chained LLCs.
  5. Pre-litigation transfer — unclear. While the patent has litigation associated with it (IPR2025-00510, IPR2025-01213, US case 1:24-cv-00131 in Delaware District Court), the last recorded assignment (security agreement on 2021-10-15, Reel 056499/0475) significantly predates the filing of these cases. More information would be needed on the exact filing dates of the first infringement suit to make a definitive determination.
  6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. There is no indication of Sonos Inc. having filed for bankruptcy.
  7. Privateering — not present. There is no evidence of Sonos Inc. transferring the patent to an NPE for assertion on its behalf.
  8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The chain does not terminate at a known defensive aggregator.

Verdict

Operating-company assertion

This verdict is based on the fact that the original assignee, Sonos Inc., is an operating company that produces products embodying the claims, and the only subsequent recorded transfer is a security agreement with a major financial institution (JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. on 2021-10-15, Reel 056499/0475), which is a common practice for operating companies seeking financing, rather than a transfer to an NPE. While there is ongoing litigation, the transfers recorded do not suggest an NPE pattern.

Verification: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/ (Search for patent number 10541883)

Generated 5/19/2026, 12:47:35 PM