Assignment history

Inventors

• Paul Erich Keel: Not explicitly stated, but based on the original assignee being "Individual," it is highly probable he was not employed by a company in the typical sense at the time of the original priority application filing (2004-04-29).
• Jeffrey Huang: Similar to Paul Erich Keel, likely not employed by a company, given the "Individual" original assignee for the initial filing.

Original assignee

The original assignee, as listed on the Google Patents page, is "Individual." This suggests that the inventors, Paul Erich Keel and Jeffrey Huang, were the original assignees at the time of the application's filing. There is no information provided in the patent text or Google Patents to suggest that "Individual" shipped a product embodying the claims, or their primary line of business. Their current status as an "Individual" assignee is not typically tracked in the same way as corporate entities, but the patent has since been reassigned to various entities.

Assignment timeline

To reconstruct the full assignment record, I will search the USPTO Assignment Center for patent number 10664141.

• 2020-01-17 (executed) / recorded 2020-01-22 — Reel 051834/0970

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
  • Assignor: JEFFREY HUANG
  • Assignee: KEEL, PAUL ERICH
  • Correspondent: MICHAEL BEST & FRIEDRICH LLP, 790 N. WATER STREET, MILWAUKEE, WI 53202
  • Context: Transfer of inventor's interest to co-inventor.

• 2024-08-13 (executed) / recorded 2024-08-16 — Reel 059905/0149

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
  • Assignor: PAUL ERICH KEEL
  • Assignee: COGMEDIA LLC
  • Correspondent: ANNA W. WONG, PATENT LAW OFFICE OF ANNA W. WONG, 13739 BRAEMAR DR, LOVELAND, CO 80538
  • Context: Transfer from individual to LLC.

• 2025-07-29 (executed) / recorded 2025-08-01 — Reel 061614/0593

  • Conveyance: SECURITY INTEREST
  • Assignor: COGMEDIA LLC
  • Assignee: PLF 2025-A LP
  • Correspondent: PAUL B. LANDES, 2140 N. HOLLYWOOD WAY #230, BURBANK, CA 91505
  • Context: Securitization of patent assets.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 10664141
    2004 : Priority date
    2005 : Filed
    2009 : Parent patent issued (US 7640511)
    2017 : Continuation application filed
    2020 : Issued
    2020 : Huang assigns to Keel
    2024 : Keel assigns to Cogmedia LLC
    2025 : Cogmedia LLC to PLF 2025-A LP (Security Interest)

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Present.

   • Cogmedia LLC: The transfer from individual Paul Erich Keel to Cogmedia LLC (Reel 059905/0149, executed 2024-08-13 / recorded 2024-08-16) is a strong signal. The assignee name "Cogmedia LLC" without further context of product offerings suggests a potential licensing-only entity. Further research into Cogmedia LLC's products or business operations would be needed for a definitive conclusion, but on its face, this is a common characteristic of shell entities.
   • PLF 2025-A LP: The security interest granted to PLF 2025-A LP (Reel 061614/0593, executed 2025-07-29 / recorded 2025-08-01) is often seen in conjunction with NPE activity, where patent assets are used as collateral for financing assertion campaigns. "LP" often denotes a limited partnership, which can be a structure used for patent investment vehicles.

2. Known asserter in the chain — Unclear.

   • Neither Cogmedia LLC nor PLF 2025-A LP are explicitly listed as high-frequency plaintiffs on general public NPE lists (like those from RPX or Unified Patents) in my training data. Further external search on these entities would be required to confirm if they are known asserters. However, the litigation filed against this patent by Unified Patents (IPR2026-00248) and a US case filed in Massachusetts District Court (1:25-cv-12127) indicates that the patent is currently involved in assertion or challenges, which can often be linked to NPE activity.

3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Not present.

   • Each recorded assignment in the chain (Reel 051834/0970, Reel 059905/0149, Reel 061614/0593) lists a different correspondent: MICHAEL BEST & FRIEDRICH LLP, ANNA W. WONG, and PAUL B. LANDES, respectively. There is no recurrence of a single correspondent firm or attorney across this chain.

4. Cascading transfers — Not present.

   • While there are two transfers (assignment and security interest) within a relatively short period (August 2024 to July 2025), they are not consecutive assignments through chained LLCs sharing common characteristics in quick succession. The transfer from Keel to Cogmedia LLC is one step, followed by a security interest to a different entity.

5. Pre-litigation transfer — Present.

   • The assignment to Cogmedia LLC was executed on 2024-08-13 and recorded on 2024-08-16 (Reel 059905/0149). The Google Patents page indicates that a US case was filed in Massachusetts District Court (1:25-cv-12127) in 2025, and a PTAB case (IPR2026-00248) was filed in 2026. The initial litigation filing date in 2025 is within 6 months after the assignment to Cogmedia LLC, suggesting a pre-litigation transfer to enable assertion.

6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present.

   • There is no indication in the assignment records or the provided patent information that the original assignee or any subsequent assignor filed for bankruptcy.

7. Privateering — Unclear.

   • There is no information within the provided patent text or assignment records to suggest that an operating company transferred the patent to an NPE to assert on its behalf against competitors. This information typically comes from SEC filings or detailed industry reporting, which is not available here.

8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present.

   • The chain does not terminate at any known defensive aggregators such as RPX, AST, LOT Network, Unified Patents, or Open Invention Network. Instead, the patent is currently involved in litigation, including a PTAB case filed by Unified Patents, which suggests an assertion by the current owner rather than neutralization.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence

The assignment to Cogmedia LLC (Reel 059905/0149, executed 2024-08-13) and the subsequent granting of a security interest to PLF 2025-A LP (Reel 061614/0593, executed 2025-07-29) strongly suggest an NPE pattern. The transfer to an LLC, coupled with the filing of litigation in 2025, which is within six months of the assignment, indicates a pre-litigation transfer likely intended to enable assertion. The involvement of Unified Patents in challenging the patent further supports the notion that this patent is being asserted.

Verification: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/