Assignment history

Inventors

• Theodore S. Rappaport: At the time of filing, Theodore S. Rappaport was a professor at New York University. The patent lists him as the sole inventor.

Original assignee

The patent, U.S. Patent No. 10,797,783, was originally assigned to the inventor, Theodore S. Rappaport, as an individual at the time of its issuance on October 6, 2020. There is no indication that Theodore S. Rappaport, as an individual, shipped a product embodying the claims of the patent. His primary line of business is academic research and education, and he is currently operating in that capacity as a professor at New York University.

Assignment timeline

• 2024-12-31 (executed) / recorded 2025-01-14 — Reel 065522/0762
  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
  • Assignor: RAPPAPORT, THEODORE S.
  • Assignee: MASSIVELY BROADBAND LLC
  • Correspondent: ROBERT E ALDERSON, 17950 PRESTON ROAD, SUITE 500, DALLAS, TEXAS, UNITED STATES, 75252. This correspondent's name and firm are associated with numerous patent assertion entity filings.
  • Context: Transfer-to-asserter (from individual inventor to a patent assertion entity).

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 10797783
    2019 : Filed by Theodore S Rappaport
    2020 : Issued to Theodore S Rappaport
    2024 : Assigned to Massively Broadband LLC
    2025 : First infringement suit filed

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer: Present. The patent was transferred from the individual inventor, Theodore S. Rappaport, to Massively Broadband LLC via an "ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST" executed on 2024-12-31 and recorded on 2025-01-14 (Reel 065522/0762). Massively Broadband LLC was created in Texas in February 2023, and its first lawsuit, accusing Samsung of infringement of this and other patents, was filed shortly after the assignment. This strongly indicates Massively Broadband LLC functions as a licensing-only entity.
2. Known asserter in the chain: Unclear. Massively Broadband LLC is not explicitly listed as a "Known Asserter" in the provided reference lists. However, RPX, an anti-NPE organization, noted the assignment and subsequent lawsuit, identifying the entity's assertion activities.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain: Present. ROBERT E ALDERSON, of 17950 PRESTON ROAD, SUITE 500, DALLAS, TEXAS, UNITED STATES, 75252, served as the correspondent for the assignment from Theodore S. Rappaport to Massively Broadband LLC (Reel 065522/0762). This correspondent is known for filing assignments on behalf of numerous patent assertion entities.
4. Cascading transfers: Not present. Only one assignment is recorded in the chain.
5. Pre-litigation transfer: Present. The assignment to Massively Broadband LLC was executed on 2024-12-31 and recorded on 2025-01-14 (Reel 065522/0762). The first infringement lawsuit naming this patent (Case 2:25-cv-00608 against Samsung) was filed on June 7, 2025, which is within six months of the assignment date.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale: Not present. There is no evidence in the records to suggest a bankruptcy fire-sale.
7. Privateering: Unclear. The transfer was from the individual inventor, not an operating company, making privateering unlikely without further evidence of a specific agreement.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE): Not present. The patent is currently held by Massively Broadband LLC, an entity actively engaged in patent assertion, not a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence. The clear pattern of a shell-entity transfer from the individual inventor to Massively Broadband LLC (Reel 065522/0762, executed 2024-12-31) and the subsequent filing of a patent infringement lawsuit (Case 2:25-cv-00608, filed June 7, 2025) within six months of the assignment strongly indicate an NPE assertion strategy. The involvement of a correspondent associated with numerous patent assertion entities further supports this classification.

USPTO Assignment Center search page for verification: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/ (Search for patent number 10797783).