Assignment history

Inventors

The only named inventor for US11063625 is Theodore S. Rappaport. At the time of the application filing (2013-08-14), the patent lists "Individual" as the original assignee, implying Theodore S. Rappaport was the original owner. Theodore S. Rappaport is a distinguished academic and engineer, holding the David Lee/Ernst Weber Chair of Electrical and Computer Engineering at New York University (NYU) Tandon School of Engineering and serving as the founding director of NYU WIRELESS. He has a history of founding academic wireless research centers and co-founding private sector companies, with over 100 patents issued or pending.

Original assignee

The original assignee, as listed on the patent application US13/966,853 (which became US11063625B2), was "Individual," referring to the inventor, Theodore S. Rappaport.

The current assignee, Massively Broadband LLC, does not appear to ship products embodying the claims. Instead, it is engaged in patent assertion activities. Massively Broadband LLC was created in Texas in February 2023. It has initiated patent infringement litigation against Samsung in the Eastern District of Texas in June 2025, asserting infringement of a portfolio of patents, including those categorized as "Smart Antenna Patents." Its primary line of business appears to be patent monetization through litigation. Massively Broadband LLC is currently operating.

Assignment timeline

• 2024-12-30 (executed) / recorded 2024-12-31 — Reel 062837/0746
  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: THEODORE S. RAPPAPORT
  • Assignee: MASSIVELY BROADBAND LLC
  • Correspondent: Matthew F. J. Sullivan, STUBBS ALDERTON & MARKILES, LLP, 11111 SANTA MONICA BLVD STE 2500, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA 90025.
  • Context: Transfer to a patent assertion entity.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 11063625
    2013 : Filed by Inventor Rappaport
    2021 : Patent Issued
    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 individual inventor Theodore S. Rappaport to Massively Broadband LLC, an entity created in February 2023, which does not appear to have a product-shipping business. This transfer occurred shortly before Massively Broadband LLC filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Samsung. The name "Massively Broadband LLC" is suggestive of a licensing-focused entity.
2. Known asserter in the chain — present. Massively Broadband LLC is identified by RPX as an entity that received patents from Theodore S. Rappaport and subsequently filed its first lawsuit accusing Samsung of infringement, indicating its role as a patent assertion entity. Unified Patents also lists an IPR case against Massively Broadband LLC (IPR2025-01564).
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — not present. Only one assignment record is available, so no recurrence can be observed for this specific patent chain. The correspondent for the assignment (Reel 062837/0746) is Matthew F. J. Sullivan of STUBBS ALDERTON & MARKILES, LLP.
4. Cascading transfers — not present. Only one recorded assignment is present.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — present. The assignment to Massively Broadband LLC was executed on 2024-12-30 and recorded on 2024-12-31 (Reel 062837/0746). Massively Broadband LLC filed its first infringement suit against Samsung on June 6, 2025. This transfer occurred approximately six months before the litigation, strongly indicating it was arranged to enable assertion.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. There is no indication of the original assignee or inventor filing for bankruptcy that led to this transfer.
7. Privateering — unclear. While the pattern aligns with an inventor transferring patents to an NPE that then asserts them, there is no public information or SEC filing indicating a specific operating company is leveraging Massively Broadband LLC to assert patents on its behalf against competitors.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The chain ends with Massively Broadband LLC, which is an asserting entity, not a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence
This verdict is based on multiple strong signals. The patent was transferred from the individual inventor, Theodore S. Rappaport, to Massively Broadband LLC, a newly formed entity (February 2023). This transfer (executed 2024-12-30, recorded 2024-12-31, Reel 062837/0746) occurred approximately six months before Massively Broadband LLC initiated patent infringement litigation against Samsung on June 6, 2025, a classic pre-litigation transfer pattern. Furthermore, Massively Broadband LLC is recognized by RPX as a patent assertion entity.

Verification: USPTO Patent Assignment Search for US11063625.