Assignment history — US Patent 10609442

Inventors

The inventors named on US Patent 10609442 are David Hirschfeld, Mark Phelps, Theodore V. Haig, and Barry Fernando. Based on the patent filing, it is presumed they were employed by ART RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY LLC at the time of filing, as the company is listed as the original assignee [cite: The provided patent text].

Original assignee

The entity named on the issued patent as the original assignee is ART RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY LLC [cite: The provided patent text].

There appears to be significant confusion in the search results between "ART Research and Technology LLC" (the assignee of the patent) and "Applied Research and Technology" (a pro audio company, often referred to as ART or ART Pro Audio, which is a division of Yorkville Sound). These seem to be distinct entities.

The patent mentions "ART RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY LLC" as the assignee. Based on previous PTAB activity for IPR2025-01406 and other related IPRs (like IPR2025-01404 and IPR2025-01405), where Google LLC is listed as the petitioner against "ART RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY, LLC", and the district court cases against Google LLC and YouTube, LLC, it suggests that the ART RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY LLC associated with this patent is involved in patent assertion.

The numerous search results for "Applied Research and Technology" or "ART Pro Audio" describe a company founded in 1984 that makes musical equipment like digital reverbs, amplifiers, mixers, and signal processors, with their best-known product being the Tube MP. This company is currently a division of Yorkville Sound. This entity ships products (pro audio equipment).

Another entity, "ART Research Technology Ltd," incorporated in 2023 in the UK, specializes in designing, developing, and producing sculptures and immersive experiences. This is also distinct.

Given the context of the IPRs and district court cases involving Google, it is highly probable that the "ART RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY LLC" from the patent is primarily a patent assertion entity, and not the "Applied Research and Technology" pro audio company. The SEC Form D filings for "Art Research & Technology, L.L.C." from Arizona, with no clear company description or website provided, and with capital raised through filings, further supports the possibility of it being a non-operating entity. There is no readily available information indicating that ART RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY LLC itself ships products embodying the claims of US10609442.

Original Assignee Conclusion:

Full legal name: ART RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY LLC
Shipped a product embodying the claims: Unclear from direct evidence for this specific entity. The "Applied Research and Technology" (ART Pro Audio) company ships audio equipment, but this appears to be a separate entity. The ART RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY LLC associated with the patent has no clear product shipping activity evident from searches.
Primary line of business: Patent assertion, based on its involvement in litigation against large technology companies like Google [cite: The provided patent text, 9, 11].
Current status: Active, based on its ongoing litigation activities [cite: The provided patent text, 9, 11].

Assignment timeline

I am unable to access the USPTO Assignment Center directly to perform the search. My capabilities do not include live web browsing or interacting with web forms. Therefore, I cannot reconstruct the full assignment record for US Patent 10609442 from the USPTO Assignment Search database.

The Assignment Center has no records for this patent available through my current access methods.

Timeline diagram

Given the inability to access the USPTO Assignment Center, I cannot generate a complete timeline diagram for assignments beyond what is already known from Google Patents (which only indicates the current assignee).

timeline
    title Ownership of US 10609442
    2017 : Filed by ART RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY LLC
    2020 : Issued to ART RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY LLC
    2024 : Litigation filed in ND Cal
    2025 : IPR filed by Unified Patents

NPE / troll-pattern signals

Due to the inability to access the USPTO Assignment Center and retrieve detailed assignment records (reel/frame, conveyance type, correspondent), the following NPE/troll-pattern signals cannot be definitively assessed. My assessment is based only on the information provided in the patent text and prior search results.

Shell-entity transfer — Unclear. The patent is currently assigned to ART RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY LLC [cite: The provided patent text]. While previous analysis suggests this entity is primarily involved in patent assertion and does not appear to ship products, there's no record of a transfer from an operating company to this LLC available through the USPTO Assignment Center.
Known asserter in the chain — Present. ART RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY LLC is listed as the patent owner in multiple litigations (California Northern District Court cases 5:24-cv-04898 and 3:24-cv-04898) and IPR proceedings (IPR2025-01406 by Unified Patents) where it is the opponent. This behavior aligns with a patent assertion entity (PAE), also known as a patent troll [cite: The provided patent text, 9, 11].
Repeat correspondent across the chain — Unclear. Without access to assignment records, the correspondent information for any potential transfers cannot be determined.
Cascading transfers — Not present. There are no recorded assignments in the provided text or other search results that indicate multiple consecutive transfers. The patent remains with the original assignee, ART RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY LLC [cite: The provided patent text].
Pre-litigation transfer — Unclear. The first litigation mentioning this patent was filed in 2024 [cite: The provided patent text]. Without assignment records, it's impossible to determine if any transfer occurred within 6 months prior to this date.
Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. While one search result mentions "ART Advanced Research Technologies Inc." filing for bankruptcy in 2013, this appears to be a different entity than "ART RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY LLC", the assignee of US10609442. There is no indication that US10609442 was sold in a bankruptcy proceeding involving its assignee.
Privateering — Unclear. There is no information from SEC filings or other public sources to suggest an operating company transferred the patent to ART RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY LLC for assertion on its behalf.
Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The current assignee is ART RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY LLC, which is involved in asserting the patent, not neutralizing it.

Verdict

NPE — moderate confidence

This verdict is based on the strong signal that ART RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY LLC, the current assignee, is actively asserting the patent in district court litigation against Google LLC and YouTube, LLC (cases 5:24-cv-04898 and 3:24-cv-04898 in the California Northern District Court) and has been a patent owner in PTAB proceedings (IPR2025-01406) [cite: The provided patent text, 9, 11]. There is no public evidence that ART RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY LLC manufactures or sells products embodying the claims of US10609442. The absence of publicly recorded assignments via Google Patents, combined with the active litigation, suggests the patent is held for assertion purposes.

A direct search of the USPTO Assignment Center for US10609442 was not possible with the available tools, which would typically provide more definitive evidence regarding shell entity transfers and correspondent patterns.