Assignment history

Inventors

• Daniel E. Grupp: Employer at time of filing not determinable from the patent text or available public records.
• Daniel J. Connelly: Employer at time of filing not determinable from the patent text or available public records.

No unusual patterns observed regarding inventor departures, as employment information at the time of filing is not readily available.

Original assignee

The original assignee, as listed on the issued patent US10937880B2, is Acorn Semi LLC.

Their primary line of business and whether they shipped a product embodying the claims is not explicitly stated in the patent. However, the nature of the patent (semiconductor processing and devices) suggests that Acorn Semi LLC was likely involved in semiconductor technology.

Current Status: Based on the assignment records, Acorn Semi LLC has reassigned the patent multiple times, most recently to Oak IP LLC in 2024. Their current operating status as an independent entity is not definitively known from the provided information, but the reassignment pattern suggests a divestment of this particular patent.

Assignment timeline

• 2020-09-15 (executed) / recorded 2020-09-15 — Reel 055106/0831

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: GRUPP, DANIEL E., CONNELLY, DANIEL J. (Inventors)
  • Assignee: ACORN TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
  • Correspondent: BLAKELY, SOKOLOFF, TAYLOR & ZAFMAN LLP, 1279 OAKMEAD PARKWAY, SUNNYVALE, CALIFORNIA, 94085-4040.
  • Context: Internal transfer from inventors to a related corporate entity.

• 2020-09-15 (executed) / recorded 2020-09-15 — Reel 055106/0831

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: ACORN TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
  • Assignee: ACORN SEMI, LLC
  • Correspondent: BLAKELY, SOKOLOFF, TAYLOR & ZAFMAN LLP, 1279 OAKMEAD PARKWAY, SUNNYVALE, CALIFORNIA, 94085-4040. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Internal reorganization / transfer within related corporate entities.

• 2024-12-26 (executed) / recorded 2024-12-26 — Reel 066708/0462

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: ACORN SEMI, LLC
  • Assignee: OAK IP, LLC
  • Correspondent: Daniel J. Connelly, 12909 SW 13TH STREET, VANCOUVER, WA, 98684. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Transfer to asserter.

• 2024-12-26 (executed) / recorded 2024-12-26 — Reel 066708/0462

  • Conveyance: Release By Secured Party
  • Assignor: THE PETER NORTON LIVING TRUST
  • Assignee: ACORN SEMI, LLC
  • Correspondent: Daniel J. Connelly, 12909 SW 13TH STREET, VANCOUVER, WA, 98684. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Release of security interest from a prior secured party.

• 2024-12-26 (executed) / recorded 2024-12-26 — Reel 066708/0462

  • Conveyance: Release By Secured Party
  • Assignor: THE PETER NORTON LIVING TRUST
  • Assignee: ACORN TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
  • Correspondent: Daniel J. Connelly, 12909 SW 13TH STREET, VANCOUVER, WA, 98684. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Release of security interest from a prior secured party.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 10937880
    2020 : Assigned to Acorn Technologies
         : Assigned to Acorn Semi LLC
    2021 : Issued
    2024 : Assigned to Oak IP LLC
         : Security interest released

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — present. The patent was assigned from Acorn Semi LLC to Oak IP LLC on 2024-12-26 (Reel 066708/0462). The name "Oak IP, LLC" strongly suggests a licensing-only entity, and the correspondent, Daniel J. Connelly, is also listed as an inventor, which is a common pattern for inventor-controlled assertion entities. Further, Unified Patents lists litigation for this patent naming "Oak IP LLC" as petitioner.

2. Known asserter in the chain — present. Unified Patents lists IPR2025-01129 filed (Settlement) for this patent, indicating assertion activity by a petitioner. While Oak IP LLC is not one of the named entities in your prompt, it is identified as an asserter by Unified Patents.

3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — present.

   • BLAKELY, SOKOLOFF, TAYLOR & ZAFMAN LLP appears on both 2020-09-15 assignments (Reel 055106/0831).
   • Daniel J. Connelly (identified as an inventor) from 12909 SW 13TH STREET, VANCOUVER, WA, 98684, appears on all three 2024-12-26 recordings (Reel 066708/0462). His involvement as both an inventor and the correspondent for the transfer to an IP-named LLC is a significant signal.

4. Cascading transfers — not present. While there are two assignments on the same date in 2020, they appear to be internal transfers. The transfer to Oak IP LLC is a single step four years later.

5. Pre-litigation transfer — present. The assignment to Oak IP LLC was recorded on 2024-12-26. Unified Patents indicates a PTAB case IPR2025-01129 was filed, and a US case was filed in Delaware District Court (1:25-cv-00142). The filing of these actions shortly after the assignment strongly suggests the transfer was made in anticipation of litigation. The specific date of the Delaware District Court filing is not provided but is indicated as being in 2025, within 6 months of the assignment.

6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. There is no indication of bankruptcy proceedings for Acorn Semi LLC or Acorn Technologies, Inc.

7. Privateering — unclear. While the assignment to Oak IP LLC and subsequent litigation activity suggest assertion, there's no public information in the provided context directly linking Oak IP LLC's assertions to an operating company's competitive strategy.

8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The chain ends with Oak IP LLC, which is involved in patent assertion.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence. The presence of an IP-named assignee (Oak IP LLC), direct evidence of patent litigation shortly after the assignment to Oak IP LLC, and the repeated appearance of Daniel J. Connelly (an inventor) as correspondent for the final transfer to Oak IP LLC, all strongly indicate an NPE strategy. These patterns are clearly visible in the USPTO assignment records for reel 066708/0462, dated 2024-12-26, and corroborated by the litigation data on Google Patents.

USPTO Assignment Center search page for US10937880