Assignment history

Inventors

• Graham Merrett (Employer not explicitly stated in the patent document, but as the sole inventor for Rembrandt Messaging Technologies LP, it is presumed he was affiliated with the assignee at the time of filing or the original entity that generated the invention).

Original assignee

The original assignee, as stated on the issued patent, is Rembrandt Messaging Technologies LP. The patent text does not explicitly state whether Rembrandt Messaging Technologies LP shipped a product embodying the claims, nor does it detail their primary line of business. Given the nature of the patent (messaging service in wireless networks) and the entity type ("LP" - Limited Partnership), it is unclear whether they shipped products. Their current status is "Active" according to the Google Patents page.

Assignment timeline

To fully reconstruct the assignment record, a search on the USPTO Assignment Center is necessary. The provided patent text and search results indicate that Rembrandt Messaging Technologies LP is the current assignee, but do not contain a detailed, chronological list of recorded assignments with reel/frame numbers. Information about prior ownership by "Messmo" and subsequent transfers to "Rembrandt Messaging Technologies, LP (later renamed 'HBCU Messaging International, LP')" and then to "Rembrandt Messaging Technologies II, LP, later renamed HBCU Messaging US" are mentioned in external articles, but specific USPTO assignment record details (reel/frame, execution/recording dates) for these transfers are not provided.

Therefore, based on the information provided, a complete assignment timeline with USPTO reel/frame numbers cannot be generated.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 11012827
    2007 : Priority date
    2020 : Filed by Rembrandt Messaging Technologies LP
    2021 : Issued to Rembrandt Messaging Technologies LP
    2024 : US case filed in Texas Western District Court
    2026 : PTAB case IPR2026-00109 filed

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Present. The original assignee is "Rembrandt Messaging Technologies LP" and later references point to "HBCU Messaging US LP (f/k/a Rembrandt Messaging Technologies II, LP), a subsidiary of the HBCU Technology Foundation". The "LP" suffix and the subsequent renaming to include "II" and "US" components, along with the description of Rembrandt IP Management, LLC as an "IP monetization firm" that controlled Rembrandt Messaging and Rembrandt Messaging II, are strong indicators of shell entities designed for licensing and assertion, rather than product development.

2. Known asserter in the chain — Present. The article references "Rembrandt IP Management, LLC, an IP monetization firm" controlling entities in the chain. Additionally, the litigation context, with lawsuits against companies like Apple, aligns with the behavior of known patent asserters. While "Rembrandt Messaging Technologies LP" itself might not be on all public NPE lists, the controlling "IP monetization firm" and the nature of the litigation strongly suggest an NPE pattern.

3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Unclear. The provided text does not contain specific correspondent attorney names or firms for any assignments, preventing an assessment of recurrence.

4. Cascading transfers — Present. The narrative describes a transfer from "Messmo" to "Rembrandt Messaging Technologies, LP (later renamed 'HBCU Messaging International, LP')", which then "moved the US assets to the plaintiff, Rembrandt Messaging Technologies II, LP, later renamed HBCU Messaging US". This sequence of transfers and renamings among related entities suggests cascading transfers, even though specific dates and reel/frame numbers for each step are not available in the provided text.

5. Pre-litigation transfer — Unclear. While there is active litigation, the specific dates of the assignments (other than the filing and issue dates of the patent itself) are not provided with enough precision to determine if a transfer occurred within 6 months of the first suit. The article does mention that "in 2014, Messmo assigned a portfolio of patents, including the asserted family, to Rembrandt Messaging Technologies, LP" and "on June 29, 2015, 'Rembrandt Messaging (then the owner of German patents within the same international patent family as the Asserted Patents), filed suit against Apple and others in the German Court'". This suggests some proximity between assignment and litigation, but without more precise dates for the US patent's specific assignments, it remains unclear for this exact patent.

6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. There is no information in the provided text suggesting a bankruptcy of any entity in the ownership chain leading to a patent fire-sale.

7. Privateering — Unclear. While "Messmo" is described as a former "mobile internet texting platform" that "ceased commercial operations in 2009 or 2010", the current information does not clearly establish whether Rembrandt Messaging Technologies LP or its related entities are asserting the patent on behalf of Messmo against its former competitors.

8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The chain ends with entities that are actively asserting patents, not defensive aggregators.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence

This verdict is driven by several strong signals. The primary assignee, Rembrandt Messaging Technologies LP, is a Limited Partnership, and the detailed litigation context reveals a history of ownership by "Rembrandt IP Management, LLC, an IP monetization firm" and subsequent transfers through similarly named entities ("Rembrandt Messaging Technologies II, LP," "HBCU Messaging US LP"). The description of "Messmo" as a former operating company that ceased operations before assigning the patents further supports the notion of an NPE acquiring assets for assertion. The active litigation against Apple and Green Dot (case 1:24-cv-01199) also strongly points to an assertion-focused strategy.

For verification, see the USPTO Patent Assignment Search.