Assignment history

Inventors

The sole named inventor for US patent 11100184 is Robert Osann, Jr. At the time of the original priority filing (2011-06-17) and the filing of this specific patent application (2020-12-07), the original assignee was "Individual," indicating that Robert Osann, Jr. was likely self-employed or held the patent rights personally. There is no information to suggest he was employed by an entity other than himself for the purpose of this invention at the time of filing.

Original assignee

The original assignee listed on the patent application was an "Individual," referring to the inventor, Robert Osann, Jr. It is highly unlikely that an individual inventor would have "shipped a product embodying the claims" in a significant commercial sense, as the patent relates to modifying Internet search results and filtering, which would typically involve a software application or a plug-in for existing search engines. His primary line of business at the time of filing was likely that of an independent inventor or developer. Robert Osann, Jr. is no longer the assignee, having assigned the patent to Accusearch Technologies LLC in March 2025.

Assignment timeline

• 2025-03-18 (executed) / recorded 2025-03-27 — Reel 060133/0586
  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT
  • Assignor: OSANN, ROBERT JR.
  • Assignee: ACCUSEARCH TECHNOLOGIES LLC
  • Correspondent: JEFFRY N. HESTON, ESQ.; The Heston Law Firm, PLLC; 380 S. 4th Street W., Missoula, MT, 59801
  • Context: transfer-to-asserter (The individual inventor assigned the patent to an LLC that subsequently engaged in patent assertion.)

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 11100184
    2011 : Priority Date
    2020 : Filed by Individual
    2021 : Issued to Individual
    2025 : Litigation initiated
         : Assigned to Accusearch Tech LLC

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Present. The patent was assigned from an individual inventor to Accusearch Technologies LLC. Accusearch Technologies LLC is listed by Unified Patents as being involved in district court litigation (1:25-cv-00514 in Delaware District Court) and an IPR petition (IPR2026-00288), indicating an assertion-focused business model rather than product development.

2. Known asserter in the chain — Present. The current assignee, Accusearch Technologies LLC, is explicitly identified through its involvement in litigation (US case 1:25-cv-00514) and an IPR challenge (IPR2026-00288) referenced by Unified Patents, which tracks known Non-Practicing Entities (NPEs).

3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Not present. Only one assignment record is found for this patent, featuring JEFFRY N. HESTON, ESQ. as the correspondent (Reel 060133/0586). Without additional assignment records for this patent or a broader analysis of other patents in the firm's portfolio, it cannot be determined if this correspondent is a repeat player in a chain of transfers for this specific patent.

4. Cascading transfers — Not present. There is only one recorded assignment for this patent (Reel 060133/0586), preventing the observation of multiple consecutive transfers.

5. Pre-litigation transfer — Present. The assignment of the patent to Accusearch Technologies LLC was executed on 2025-03-18. This occurred after the "First worldwide family litigation filed" on 2025-02-14 and a "US case filed in Delaware District Court" (1:25-cv-00514) was initiated in 2025, placing the assignment within six months of litigation activity involving the patent family.

6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. There is no indication that the original inventor, Robert Osann, Jr., or any prior assignee underwent bankruptcy proceedings.

7. Privateering — Unclear. The initial assignor was an individual inventor, not an operating company. While the patent was transferred to an asserting entity, there is no evidence to suggest this transfer was made by an operating company to assert against competitors on its behalf.

8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The current assignee, Accusearch Technologies LLC, is actively involved in patent litigation, as evidenced by district court cases and IPRs where it is the patent owner being challenged. Unified Patents is acting as a petitioner against the patent, not holding it defensively.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence

The patent was transferred from an individual inventor to Accusearch Technologies LLC on March 18, 2025 (Reel 060133/0586), shortly after litigation related to the patent family commenced on February 14, 2025. Accusearch Technologies LLC is actively engaged in patent assertion, as indicated by its involvement in a district court case (1:25-cv-00514) and an IPR challenge (IPR2026-00288) noted by Unified Patents. These factors strongly suggest Accusearch Technologies LLC operates as a Non-Practicing Entity.

For verification, see the USPTO Patent Assignment Search: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/ and search for patent number 11100184.