Assignment history

Inventors

The named inventors are Benoit Pelletier, Diana Pani, Rocco DiGirolamo, Christopher R. Cave, Vincent Roy, Paul Marinier, and Eldad M. Zeira. Based on their patent history and the original filing of the parent application (U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/238,910, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,774,104), the inventors were employed by InterDigital Technology Corporation, a mobile and video technology research and development company. The invention originated with InterDigital, not the first-named assignee Pantech Wireless.

Original assignee

The assignee named on the face of the issued patent is Pantech Wireless LLC. This entity is distinct from Pantech, the former South Korean smartphone manufacturer which declared bankruptcy in 2014 and ceased operations. Pantech Wireless LLC appears to be a non-practicing entity (NPE) created to hold and assert patents, likely including assets acquired from the bankrupt Pantech or other sources. This is supported by the fact that the inventors were from InterDigital, indicating the patent was acquired and prosecuted by Pantech Wireless LLC rather than developed in-house.

Assignment timeline

The assignment history for this patent and its parent applications reveals a complex path terminating in an entity that has engaged in litigation.

• 2020-03-24 (executed) / recorded 2020-03-27 — Reel 053363/0675

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST
  • Assignor: INTERDIGITAL TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
  • Assignee: SIGNAL TRUST FOR WIRELESS INNOVATION
  • Correspondent: John W. Osborne, Osborne Law LLC, 42031 S. Sumter Path, Drummonds, TN 38023
  • Context: A large portfolio of patents was transferred from operating company InterDigital to Signal Trust, a common pattern for monetizing non-core assets via a third-party assertion entity.

• 2021-01-29 (executed) / recorded 2021-01-29 — Reel 058385/0504

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST
  • Assignor: SIGNAL TRUST FOR WIRELESS INNOVATION
  • Assignee: RNB WIRELESS LLC
  • Correspondent: John W. Osborne, Osborne Law LLC, 42031 S. Sumter Path, Drummonds, TN 38023. This is the same correspondent from the previous transfer.
  • Context: The patent was moved from one holding entity to another, suggesting a structuring step prior to monetization or assertion.

• 2021-06-08 (executed) / recorded 2021-06-08 — Reel 059123/0456

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST
  • Assignor: RNB WIRELESS LLC
  • Assignee: PANTECH WIRELESS, LLC
  • Correspondent: John W. Osborne, Osborne Law LLC, 42031 S. Sumter Path, Drummonds, TN 38023. This is the same correspondent from the prior two transfers.
  • Context: Final transfer to the entity, Pantech Wireless, LLC, that would ultimately assert the patent in district court litigation.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 11212838
    2008 : Parent application filed by InterDigital
    2019 : Continuation filed by Pantech Wireless
    2020 : Assigned InterDigital to Signal Trust
    2021 : Issued to Pantech Wireless LLC
         : Assigned Signal Trust to RNB Wireless
         : Assigned RNB Wireless to Pantech Wireless
    2024 : Infringement suit filed
    2025 : IPR filed against patent

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Present. The patent was transferred from an operating company (InterDigital) to a series of LLCs—Signal Trust for Wireless Innovation, RNB Wireless LLC, and Pantech Wireless, LLC—that do not appear to have products. The cascading nature of the transfers (Reels 053363/0675, 058385/0504, 059123/0456) strongly indicates these are special-purpose entities for holding and monetizing patents.

2. Known asserter in the chain — Present. The current assignee, Pantech Wireless, LLC, is a known patent asserter. It initiated litigation in the Eastern District of Texas (Case 5:24-cv-00038) asserting this patent. Furthermore, Unified Patents, an anti-NPE organization, has identified Pantech Wireless, LLC as an NPE and filed an Inter Partes Review (IPR2025-00763) against this patent.

3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Present. A single attorney, John W. Osborne of Osborne Law LLC, acted as the correspondent for all three key transfers in the chain: from InterDigital to Signal Trust, from Signal Trust to RNB Wireless, and from RNB Wireless to the current assignee Pantech Wireless (Reels 053363/0675, 058385/0504, 059123/0456). This consistency across different-named entities is a strong indicator that they are related and being managed by a single controlling interest for the purpose of assertion.

4. Cascading transfers — Present. The patent was transferred three times between March 2020 and June 2021. The sequence from InterDigital -> Signal Trust -> RNB Wireless -> Pantech Wireless is a clear example of cascading transfers through multiple LLCs prior to assertion.

5. Pre-litigation transfer — Present. The final assignment to Pantech Wireless, LLC was recorded on 2021-06-08. The first infringement suit was filed in 2024. While not within the typical 6-month window, the entire chain of transfers from 2020 onward clearly served to position the patent under the control of a dedicated assertion entity well before litigation commenced.

6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. The transfers originated from InterDigital, an active operating company, not from a bankruptcy proceeding.

7. Privateering — Unclear. While InterDigital (an operating company) transferred the patent to a chain of entities that ultimately asserted it, there is no public evidence to confirm that InterDigital is directing or benefiting from the subsequent litigation. This pattern could be interpreted as privateering, but it could also be a simple divestment of non-core assets.

8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The chain terminates at an assertion entity, not a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

• NPE — high confidence

This verdict is based on the presence of at least five strong signals. The patent originated at an operating company (InterDigital) and was moved through a cascade of three non-practicing LLCs (Reels 053363/0675, 058385/0504, 059123/0456), all handled by the same correspondent attorney. The final assignee, Pantech Wireless, LLC, is a known asserter that has filed suit with this patent, and it has been challenged via IPR by the anti-NPE organization Unified Patents.

Verification of the assignment history can be performed at the USPTO Patent Assignment Search by searching for Patent Number 11212838.