Assignment history

Inventors

The sole named inventor for US Patent 10,749,859 is Shaunt M. Sarkissian. At the time of filing on May 24, 2019, Shaunt M. Sarkissian assigned his interest in the patent to Cortex MCP Inc., which is also identified as the original assignee [cite: Reel 048740/0173]. Based on a 2016 PRWeb article, Shaunt M. Sarkissian was the President and CEO of Cortex MCP at least as of that date, suggesting an employment relationship with the assignee.

Original assignee

The entity named on the issued patent as the original assignee is Cortex MCP Inc.

Cortex MCP Inc. was launched in October 2012 as a provider of a "next-generation mobile-wallet platform designed for the growing market in mobile commerce," focused on "secure digital transactions" and "securely storing and displaying user credentials." Their technology uses "tokenization" to enable secure mobile device transactions and credential storage. The company describes its "OVER File™" as a solution for "Payment, Digital Identity, and Secure Verified Tokenized Credentials."

While Cortex MCP Inc. developed a platform, it is not explicitly clear if they shipped a widely adopted consumer-facing product embodying the claims of this patent or primarily engaged in licensing their technology. Court documents indicate Cortex MCP, Inc. is a Delaware C-corporation with a principal place of business in Surprise, Arizona.

Cortex MCP Inc. is currently active. [cite: Google Patents Legal Status]

Assignment timeline

• 2019-05-24 (executed) / recorded 2019-06-25 — Reel 048740/0173
  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
  • Assignor: SARKISSIAN, SHAUNT M.
  • Assignee: CORTEX MCP, INC.
  • Correspondent: ROBERT E. HARBIN; FOLEY & LARDNER LLP; 3000 K STREET, N.W., SUITE 600; WASHINGTON, DC 20007-5109. This correspondent appears for the only recorded assignment in this chain.
  • Context: Initial assignment from inventor to the original assignee.

The USPTO Assignment Center has only one recorded assignment for this patent, which is the initial transfer from the inventor to Cortex MCP, Inc. This indicates that Cortex MCP, Inc. remains the current owner of US10749859 according to the USPTO assignment records.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 10749859
    2012 : Priority Date
    2019 : Filed & Assigned to Cortex MCP Inc
    2020 : Issued
    2023 : First infringement suit filed

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Unclear. The patent was assigned from the inventor to Cortex MCP, Inc., the original assignee. While Cortex MCP, Inc. describes itself as having launched a mobile wallet platform, it is not clear if they currently ship a widely available product embodying the specific claims of this patent or primarily generate revenue through patent assertion. They are actively asserting the patent in litigation, which is common for NPEs.
2. Known asserter in the chain — Present. Cortex MCP, Inc. is actively asserting US10749859 as the plaintiff in multiple patent infringement lawsuits against Visa, Inc. (e.g., 6:23-cv-00048 in W.D. Tex. and 5:23-cv-05720 in N.D. Cal.). The patent has also been challenged in an Inter Partes Review (IPR) by Unified Patents (IPR2024-00489), which typically targets asserted patents. [cite: Google Patents Legal Status]
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Not present. There is only one recorded assignment for this patent (Reel 048740/0173).
4. Cascading transfers — Not present. Only one assignment from the inventor to the original assignee.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — Not present. The assignment from the inventor to Cortex MCP, Inc. was executed on 2019-05-24 (Reel 048740/0173). The earliest identified litigation against Visa, Inc. (6:23-cv-00048) was filed on 2023-01-26, which is more than six months after the assignment.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. No indication of bankruptcy proceedings for Cortex MCP, Inc.
7. Privateering — Unclear. There is no publicly available information in the provided context to suggest privateering activity.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The patent is being asserted in litigation, not acquired by a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence

Cortex MCP, Inc. is actively asserting US Patent 10,749,859 in multiple patent infringement lawsuits against major operating companies like Visa, Inc.. This patent is also the subject of an Inter Partes Review petition filed by Unified Patents, a known anti-NPE organization, further indicating its assertion. [cite: Google Patents Legal Status] While Cortex MCP, Inc. has described developing a mobile wallet platform, there is no clear evidence of them shipping a direct, widely adopted product embodying these specific claims, with their primary public activity related to this patent being litigation.

USPTO Assignment Center search page for US10749859: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/patent-number/10749859