Assignment history

Inventors

• Rabih S. Ballout: (Employer not specified at time of filing; patent lists "Individual" as original assignee).

Original assignee

The original assignee listed on the patent is Individual, referring to the inventor, Rabih S. Ballout, at the time of application filing. It is not determinable from the patent record whether Rabih S. Ballout shipped a product embodying the claims as an individual. His primary line of business as an individual inventor would be the development of intellectual property. His current status as an individual is not detailed in the patent record beyond his role as inventor.

Assignment timeline

• 2024-10-18 (executed) / recorded 2024-10-24 — Reel 065586/0333

  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignor's Interest
  • Assignor: BALLOUT, RABIH
  • Assignee: PAYGEO LLC
  • Correspondent: NIKKI F. BHOGAL (D.B.A.) BHOGAL & BHOGAL, 2550 NORTH LOOP WEST, SUITE 860, HOUSTON, TX 77092. This correspondent is known for representing patent assertion entities.
  • Context: Transfer from individual inventor to an LLC.

• 2025-03-25 (executed) / recorded 2025-03-27 — Reel 066347/0348

  • Conveyance: PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT
  • Assignor: PAYGEO LLC
  • Assignee: PICCADILLY PATENT FUNDING LLC, AS SECURITY HOLDER
  • Correspondent: PICCADILLY PATENT FUNDING LLC, ATTN: LEGAL DEPT, 3450 LAKESIDE DR., # 105, RENO, NV 89509.
  • Context: Securitization of the patent.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 10796296
    2020 : Filed by Individual
         : Issued to Individual
    2024 : Assigned to PayGeo LLC
    2025 : Securitized by Piccadilly
         : First infringement suit filed

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Present. The Patent Security Agreement on 2025-03-25 to Piccadilly Patent Funding LLC, identified as "AS SECURITY HOLDER" and having an address in Reno, NV, suggests a financing entity often used in patent monetization, fitting the description of a shell entity for holding financial interests in patents. PayGeo LLC itself acts as an asserting entity. [cite: Reel 066347/0348]
2. Known asserter in the chain — Present. PayGeo, LLC is the plaintiff in ongoing patent infringement litigation (case 2:25-cv-00334) against [[Samsung Electronics Co.](/litigations/by-defendant/Samsung%20Electronics%20Co.), Ltd.](/litigations/by-plaintiff/Samsung%20Electronics%20Co.%2C%20Ltd.) and Samsung Electronics America, Inc., as noted in the litigation summary.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Present. Nikki F. Bhogal (D.B.A.) Bhogal & Bhogal, listed as correspondent for the 2024-10-18 assignment (Reel 065586/0333), is a firm known for representing patent assertion entities.
4. Cascading transfers — Present. The assignment to PayGeo LLC was executed on 2024-10-18, followed by a Patent Security Agreement with Piccadilly Patent Funding LLC executed on 2025-03-25, demonstrating two transfers within a span of approximately five months. [cite: Reel 065586/0333, Reel 066347/0348]
5. Pre-litigation transfer — Present. The assignment to PayGeo LLC (executed 2024-10-18) and the Patent Security Agreement to Piccadilly Patent Funding LLC (executed 2025-03-25) both occurred within six months prior to the filing of the first infringement suit on April 1, 2025. [cite: Reel 065586/0333, Reel 066347/0348]
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. No evidence of a bankruptcy proceeding involving the original assignee or PayGeo LLC has been identified.
7. Privateering — Not present. The patent originated from an individual inventor, and there is no indication of an operating company transferring the patent to an NPE to assert on its behalf against competitors.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The chain involves an asserting entity (PayGeo LLC) and a financing entity, not a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence

The assignment timeline for US10796296 strongly indicates an NPE assertion strategy. Key signals include the assignment from the individual inventor to PayGeo LLC on 2024-10-18, followed closely by the filing of an infringement suit by PayGeo LLC on 2025-04-01, placing the assignment within six months of litigation. Further reinforcing this pattern is the subsequent Patent Security Agreement with Piccadilly Patent Funding LLC, a financing entity, just before the suit, and the involvement of a correspondent attorney known for work with patent assertion entities.

USPTO Assignment Center search for US10796296: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/#!/patent/10796296