Assignment history

Inventors

• Kai-Sheng Lin (Applied Optoelectronics Inc.)
• Hang Xie (Applied Optoelectronics Inc.)
• Yi Wang (Applied Optoelectronics Inc.)

It is standard practice for employees to assign their inventions to their employer as a condition of employment. Therefore, it is highly probable that the inventors were employees of Applied Optoelectronics Inc. at the time of filing, as the original assignment happened on the same day as the filing date (2020-01-08).

Original assignee

The original assignee is Applied Optoelectronics Inc.
Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (AOI) is a designer, developer, and manufacturer of advanced optical devices, packaged optical components, laser transmitters, fiber optic transceivers, and hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) networking products. They offer products such as optical modules, filters, lasers, transceivers (including 800G and 1.6T modules), and turn-key equipment. AOI sells its products to internet data center operators, cable television, telecommunications, fiber-to-the-home (FTTH), and internet service providers. The company maintains a vertically integrated manufacturing model with a semiconductor component fabrication facility near Houston, Texas, and SMT production in China.

Current Status: Operating. Applied Optoelectronics Inc. is a publicly traded company on NASDAQ (AAOI). They recently reported Q1 2026 revenue of $151.1M and have a market capitalization of $14.33B as of May 22, 2026.

Assignment timeline

• 2020-01-08 (executed) / recorded 2020-01-08 — Reel 051012/0352

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: LIN, KAI-SHENG; WANG, YI; XIE, HANG
  • Assignee: APPLIED OPTOELECTRONICS, INC.
  • Correspondent: Robert F. McCauley, PERKINS COIE LLP, PALO ALTO, CA. This correspondent re-appears later in the chain.
  • Context: Original assignment from inventors to employer.

• 2022-11-28 (executed) / recorded 2022-11-28 — Reel 060204/0746

  • Conveyance: Security Interest
  • Assignor: APPLIED OPTOELECTRONICS, INC.
  • Assignee: CIT NORTHBRIDGE CREDIT LLC
  • Correspondent: Jason R. Harris, ARNALL GOLDEN GREGORY LLP, ATLANTA, GA.
  • Context: Securitization agreement, typically involves using the patent as collateral for a loan.

• 2023-11-20 (executed) / recorded 2023-11-20 — Reel 062779/0932

  • Conveyance: Termination and Release of Security Interest
  • Assignor: CIT NORTHBRIDGE CREDIT LLC
  • Assignee: APPLIED OPTOELECTRONICS, INC.
  • Correspondent: Jason R. Harris, ARNALL GOLDEN GREGORY LLP, ATLANTA, GA. This correspondent re-appears in this chain.
  • Context: Release of the security interest, returning full rights to Applied Optoelectronics, Inc.

• 2025-08-01 (executed) / recorded 2025-08-01 — Reel 066788/0651

  • Conveyance: Security Interest
  • Assignor: APPLIED OPTOELECTRONICS, INC.
  • Assignee: BOKF, NA D/B/A BOK FINANCIAL
  • Correspondent: Robert F. McCauley, PERKINS COIE LLP, PALO ALTO, CA. This correspondent re-appears in this chain.
  • Context: New securitization agreement, using the patent as collateral.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 11177887
    2020 : Filed, Assigned to Applied Optoelectronics
    2021 : Issued
    2022 : Security interest to CIT Northbridge
    2023 : Security interest released
    2025 : Security interest to BOKF, NA
    2026 : IPR filed by Eoptolink Technology
         : Lawsuits filed by Applied Optoelectronics

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — not present. The assignees, Applied Optoelectronics Inc., CIT Northbridge Credit LLC, and BOKF, NA, are all identifiable operating companies. Applied Optoelectronics Inc. is a publicly traded company that manufactures and sells optical communication products. CIT Northbridge Credit LLC is a financing entity that deals in credit and lending. BOKF, NA is a national bank and an affiliate of BOK Financial Corporation.
2. Known asserter in the chain — not present. None of the named assignees (Applied Optoelectronics Inc., CIT Northbridge Credit LLC, BOKF, NA) are identified on public NPE lists. BOKF, NA has been a defendant in patent infringement cases, but not typically an asserter.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — present. Robert F. McCauley of Perkins Coie LLP appears as the correspondent for the initial assignment in 2020 (Reel 051012/0352) and for the security interest granted to BOKF, NA in 2025 (Reel 066788/0651). Jason R. Harris of Arnall Golden Gregory LLP appears for both the security interest (Reel 060204/0746) and the subsequent release (Reel 062779/0932) involving CIT Northbridge Credit LLC.
4. Cascading transfers — not present. The transfers involve a direct assignment to the original operating company, followed by security interests that were later released or granted to financial institutions, rather than rapid transfers between numerous shell entities.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — unclear. While there's a PTAB case IPR2026-00123 related to this patent and district court litigation filed in the Northern District of California, the exact timing relative to the 2025-08-01 security interest to BOKF, NA is not definitively "within 6 months before the first infringement suit naming this patent." The litigation appears to have been filed in 2024 (e.g., case 5:24-cv-08165-NW), which predates the most recent security agreement.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. Applied Optoelectronics Inc. is an active, operating company.
7. Privateering — not present. There is no indication of Applied Optoelectronics Inc. transferring this patent to an NPE for assertion on their behalf. They appear to be directly involved in the assertion.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The chain does not terminate at a known defensive aggregator.

Verdict

Operating-company assertion. Applied Optoelectronics Inc. is the original and current owner of the patent (excluding the temporary security interests) and is an active operating company that ships products embodying the claims. The patent is currently involved in district court litigation (e.g., 5:24-cv-08165-NW) and IPR proceedings (IPR2026-00123), where Applied Optoelectronics Inc. is asserting its rights against alleged infringers. The presence of repeat correspondents is a common practice for established companies working with the same law firms for different types of patent-related filings.

Verification link: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/ (Search for patent number 11177887)