Patent 11087750

Assignment history

Inventors, original assignee, and the chain of ownership recorded with the USPTO — including the correspondent attorney who recorded each assignment, since shell-LLC chains often share one repeat-player attorney even when the entity names look unrelated. Surfaces NPE / patent-troll patterns: shell-entity transfers, known asserters in the chain, repeat correspondent fingerprints, pre-litigation assignments, and bankruptcy fire-sales.

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Assignment history

Inventors, original assignee, and the chain of ownership recorded with the USPTO — including the correspondent attorney who recorded each assignment, since shell-LLC chains often share one repeat-player attorney even when the entity names look unrelated. Surfaces NPE / patent-troll patterns: shell-entity transfers, known asserters in the chain, repeat correspondent fingerprints, pre-litigation assignments, and bankruptcy fire-sales.

✓ Generated

Inventors

  • William F. Ganong, III: Likely employed by Nuance Communications, Inc. or a subsidiary (Cerence Operating Co. was a division of Nuance at the time of filing).
  • Paul Adrian Van Mulbregt: Likely employed by Nuance Communications, Inc. or a subsidiary.
  • Vladimir Sejnoha: Likely employed by Nuance Communications, Inc. or a subsidiary.
  • Glen Edward Wilson: Likely employed by Nuance Communications, Inc. or a subsidiary.

Unusual patterns: The application was filed by Cerence Operating Co. on August 16, 2016. However, the inventors formally assigned their interest to NUANCE COMMUNICATIONS, INC. on November 16, 2016, approximately three months after the filing date. This suggests a corporate structure where Cerence was a subsidiary or division of Nuance at the time, and assignments from inventors were routed through the parent company, Nuance.

Original assignee

The entity listed as the Original Assignee on the patent record is Cerence Operating Co.

  • Product Embodiment: Yes, Cerence Operating Co. ships products embodying the claims. Cerence develops AI-powered software for conversational AI, primarily for the automotive industry, which includes voice assistants and in-car communication systems that would utilize methods and apparatus for detecting voice commands.
  • Primary Line of Business: Development and provision of AI-powered solutions for automotive and other industries, focusing on conversational AI, natural language understanding, and voice biometrics.
  • Current Status: Operating. Cerence Operating Co. is a publicly traded company (NASDAQ: CRNC).

Assignment timeline

The following timeline is reconstructed from the "Legal Events" section of the Google Patents record for US 11,087,750. Please note that exact executed/recorded dates, reel/frame numbers, and correspondent information are not provided in the source for most entries.

  • 2016-11-16 (date of event, specific execution/recording date not provided)

    • Conveyance: Assignment (inferred from description)
    • Assignor: William F. Ganong, III, Paul Adrian Van Mulbregt, Vladimir Sejnoha, Glen Edward Wilson (inventors)
    • Assignee: NUANCE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
    • Correspondent: Not provided in source.
    • Context: Transfer of patent rights from the named inventors to their employer or related corporate entity.

  • 2021-04-15 (date of event, specific execution/recording date not provided)

    • Conveyance: Assignment (inferred from description)
    • Assignor: NUANCE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
    • Assignee: CERENCE OPERATING COMPANY
    • Correspondent: Not provided in source.
    • Context: Reassignment, likely related to the spin-off of Cerence from Nuance Communications which occurred in 2019.

  • 2023-08-28 (date of event, specific execution/recording date not provided)

    • Conveyance: Assignment (inferred from description)
    • Assignor: NUANCE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
    • Assignee: CERENCE OPERATING COMPANY
    • Correspondent: Not provided in source.
    • Context: Confirmatory assignment or further transfer of IP from Nuance to Cerence, potentially to ensure complete ownership post-spin-off or in preparation for assertion.

  • 2024-04-15 (date of event, specific execution/recording date not provided)

    • Conveyance: Security Agreement
    • Assignor: CERENCE OPERATING COMPANY
    • Assignee: WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
    • Correspondent: Not provided in source.
    • Context: Securitization of assets, where the patent serves as collateral for a financing agreement.

  • 2025-01-02 (date of event) / recorded 2025-01-02 — Reel 067417/0303

    • Conveyance: Release
    • Assignor: WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
    • Assignee: CERENCE OPERATING COMPANY
    • Correspondent: Not provided in source.
    • Context: Release of the security interest held by Wells Fargo Bank, likely upon satisfaction or restructuring of the associated debt.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 11087750
    2016 : Filed by Cerence Operating Co
         : Inventors assigned to Nuance
    2021 : Assigned to Cerence Operating Co
    2023 : Confirmatory assignment to Cerence
    2024 : Security agreement with Wells Fargo
    2025 : Release from Wells Fargo

NPE / troll-pattern signals

  1. Shell-entity transfer — Not present. Nuance Communications, Inc. and Cerence Operating Company are both established operating companies. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., is a financial institution. No shell entities are identified in the chain.
  2. Known asserter in the chain — Not present. While Cerence Operating Co. is actively involved in patent litigation, it is an operating company asserting its own intellectual property in its field of business, not a Non-Practicing Entity (NPE).
  3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Unclear. Correspondent information (attorney name, firm, address) is not provided in the source for any of the assignment records, precluding an assessment of repeat correspondents.
  4. Cascading transfers — Not present. The assignments are spaced years apart (2016, 2021, 2023) or represent typical financial transactions (2024 security agreement, 2025 release), not rapid transfers between shell entities.
  5. Pre-litigation transfer — Not present. The first known litigation (case 2:23-cv-00482 in Eastern District of Texas) was filed in 2023. The first assignment to Cerence Operating Co. occurred in April 2021, well over 6 months prior to the litigation. The August 2023 assignment from Nuance to Cerence happened around the time of the initial litigation filing, but it appears to be a confirmatory transfer rather than a pre-assertion setup.
  6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. There is no indication of bankruptcy filings by any of the entities involved in the assignment chain.
  7. Privateering — Not present. Cerence Operating Co. is an operating company asserting its own patents; there is no evidence of it acting as a proxy for another operating company.
  8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The patent is currently owned by Cerence Operating Co., not a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

Operating-company assertion
Cerence Operating Co. is an operating company that develops and markets products directly related to the claims of US 11,087,750. The legal events show Cerence acquiring ownership from Nuance (its former parent company) and subsequently engaging in patent litigation, such as the case 2:23-cv-00482 filed against General Motors LLC. This behavior is consistent with an operating company asserting its intellectual property to protect its market position or technology.

USPTO Patent Assignment Search

Generated 5/29/2026, 9:04:39 PM