Assignment history

Inventors

• G.R. Mohan Rao: The patent text does not explicitly state an employer for G.R. Mohan Rao at the time of filing. The original assignee on the patent is GREENTHREAD LLC. The assignment record indicates G.R. Mohan Rao assigned his interest to GREENTHREAD, LLC.

Original assignee

The original assignee listed on the issued patent is GREENTHREAD LLC. Based on the provided patent analysis, there is no indication that GREENTHREAD LLC manufactures or ships products embodying the claims. Their primary line of business appears to be patent licensing and assertion, as evidenced by the extensive litigation history detailed in the "Litigation summary" section. GREENTHREAD LLC is currently operating, as it is actively involved in numerous district court and PTAB proceedings concerning this patent and its family members.

Assignment timeline

• 2015-04-27 (executed) / recorded 2020-09-25 — Reel 053886/0863
  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
  • Assignor: Rao, G.R. Mohan
  • Assignee: Greenthread, LLC
  • Correspondent: Robert J. Stanczyk, Esq., Stanczyk Law Firm, PLLC, PO BOX 29806, Dallas, TX 75229-0806.
  • Context: Transfer from inventor to assignee.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 11121222
    2004 : Priority date
    2015 : Inventor assigns to Greenthread LLC
    2020 : Filed by Greenthread LLC
         : Assignment recorded by USPTO
    2021 : Patent issued
    2022 : First infringement suit filed
    2025 : Anticipated expiration (fee related)

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Present. GREENTHREAD LLC is the original and current assignee. The provided information does not indicate that GREENTHREAD LLC produces any products embodying the claims. The extensive litigation history suggests its primary business is patent licensing and assertion.
2. Known asserter in the chain — Present. GREENTHREAD LLC is identified as a high-frequency plaintiff, having initiated numerous district court and PTAB proceedings against a wide array of technology and automotive companies, as detailed in the "Litigation summary" section. This aligns with the characteristics of a known patent asserter (NPE).
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Not present. There is only one recorded assignment for US11121222 (Reel 053886/0863). Therefore, the correspondent, Robert J. Stanczyk, Esq., does not recur within this specific assignment chain.
4. Cascading transfers — Not present. There is only one assignment from the inventor to Greenthread, LLC.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — Not present. The assignment from G.R. Mohan Rao to Greenthread, LLC was executed on April 27, 2015, and recorded on September 25, 2020 (Reel 053886/0863). The earliest identified district court litigation (Case Number: 6:22-cv-00105) was filed on January 27, 2022, which is more than six months after both the execution and recording dates of the assignment.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. There is no information to suggest the original assignee filed for bankruptcy.
7. Privateering — Unclear. While Greenthread, LLC functions as an asserting entity, the provided information does not contain details about any operating company transferring the patent to Greenthread specifically to assert on its behalf against competitors.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The patent is owned by GREENTHREAD, LLC, which is an asserting entity, not a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence

GREENTHREAD LLC, the current and original assignee, exhibits strong signals of being an NPE. The "Litigation summary" clearly indicates a pattern of aggressive patent assertion against numerous defendants, without any public record of product manufacturing or sales. This consistent behavior, combined with the assignment from the inventor to this entity (Reel 053886/0863), supports a high-confidence determination of NPE status.

Verification: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/