Assignment history

Inventors

• Geonjung Ko: Employed by SK Telecom Co Ltd and/or Wilus Institute of Standards and Technology Inc. at the time of filing.
• Woojin Ahn: Employed by SK Telecom Co Ltd and/or Wilus Institute of Standards and Technology Inc. at the time of filing.
• Juhyung Son: Employed by SK Telecom Co Ltd and/or Wilus Institute of Standards and Technology Inc. at the time of filing.
• Jinsam Kwak: Employed by SK Telecom Co Ltd and/or Wilus Institute of Standards and Technology Inc. at the time of filing.

The initial assignment on 2019-10-01 shows all four inventors assigning their interest to both SK Telecom Co Ltd and Wilus Institute of Standards and Technology Inc., indicating joint ownership from inception.

Original assignee

The original assignees named on the issued patent were SK Telecom Co Ltd and Wilus Institute of Standards and Technology Inc.

• SK Telecom Co Ltd: As a major South Korean telecommunications operator, SK Telecom deploys and operates networks that utilize technologies embodying the claims, such as Wi-Fi 6. Its primary line of business is providing mobile, internet, and IPTV services, alongside investments in AI, metaverse, and semiconductor industries. SK Telecom is currently operating.
• Wilus Institute of Standards and Technology Inc.: Wilus is a research and development institute focused on wireless communication standards (e.g., Wi-Fi 6, 5G). There is no public evidence that Wilus manufactures or ships products directly embodying the claims. Its primary line of business appears to be R&D, patent generation, and intellectual property licensing. Wilus is currently operating and is actively involved in patent assertion.

Assignment timeline

• 2019-10-01 (executed) / recorded 2020-01-28 — Reel 050367/0343
  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
  • Assignor: SON, JUHYUNG; KWAK, JINSAM; AHN, WOOJIN; KO, GEONJUNG
  • Assignee: SK TELECOM CO LTD, WILUS INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY INC.
  • Correspondent: Wilus Institute of Standards and Technology, Inc., Attn: Donghyun Kim, 13, Nonhyeon-ro 75-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 06220, KR.
  • Context: Initial assignment from inventors to joint assignees.
• 2020-08-31 (executed) / recorded 2022-12-20 — Reel 062152/0001
  • Conveyance: License (Exclusive License)
  • Assignor: SK TELECOM CO., LTD.
  • Assignee: WILUS INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY INC.
  • Correspondent: BAE, KIM & LEE IP, 7-6, Nonhyeon-ro 75-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 06220, KR. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: SK Telecom grants an exclusive license to Wilus.
• 2024-06-19 (executed) / recorded 2024-06-20 — Reel 064319/0786
  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
  • Assignor: SK TELECOM CO., LTD.
  • Assignee: WILUS INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY INC.
  • Correspondent: BAE, KIM & LEE IP, 7-6, Nonhyeon-ro 75-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 06220, KR. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: SK Telecom assigns its remaining full interest to Wilus.
• 2025-02-26 (executed) / recorded 2025-02-26 — Reel 064972/0695
  • Conveyance: Corrective Assignment
  • Assignor: SK TELECOM CO., LTD.
  • Assignee: WILUS INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY INC.
  • Correspondent: BAE, KIM & LEE IP, 7-6, Nonhyeon-ro 75-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 06220, KR. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Corrects the agreement date for the prior exclusive license.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 11284475
    2019 : Inventors assigned to SKT & Wilus
    2020 : SKT licensed to Wilus
    2022 : Issued
    2024 : SKT assigned to Wilus
    2025 : Corrective assignment for license

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — unclear. Wilus Institute of Standards and Technology Inc. does not appear to manufacture products, and its primary focus on R&D and licensing aligns with entities that monetize IP without direct product sales. However, its name does not explicitly include "IP," "Patents," or "Holdings," which are common indicators of shell entities.
2. Known asserter in the chain — present. Wilus Institute of Standards and Technology Inc. is the current assignee and is described as having initiated a "significant litigation campaign" involving Wi-Fi 6 standard-essential patents, identifying it as a known asserter. [cite: Litigation summary]
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — present. BAE, KIM & LEE IP, located at 7-6, Nonhyeon-ro 75-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 06220, KR, is listed as the correspondent on Reel 062152/0001 (recorded 2022-12-20), Reel 064319/0786 (recorded 2024-06-20), and Reel 064972/0695 (recorded 2025-02-26).
4. Cascading transfers — not present. The transfers are spread across several years (2019, 2020, 2024, 2025), not indicating rapid consecutive assignments.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — unclear. Wilus began a litigation campaign in October 2024. While the full assignment from SK Telecom to Wilus (Reel 064319/0786) was recorded on 2024-06-20 (within 6 months of litigation), Wilus already held an exclusive license from SK Telecom effective 2020-08-31 (Reel 062152/0001, corrected by 064972/0695). This suggests that Wilus had control over the patent for assertion purposes prior to the final assignment of interest.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. There is no indication of bankruptcy for either SK Telecom or Wilus related to these transfers.
7. Privateering — present. SK Telecom Co Ltd, a large operating telecommunications company, initially co-owned the patent and later transferred its exclusive rights via license (2020-08-31, Reel 062152/0001) and then full ownership (2024-06-19, Reel 064319/0786) to Wilus Institute of Standards and Technology Inc., an entity that monetizes IP through litigation, including patents relevant to SK Telecom's operating environment. [cite: Litigation summary]
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The patent is currently held by Wilus, which is an asserting entity, not a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence

The patent is currently held by Wilus Institute of Standards and Technology Inc., a known patent asserting entity actively involved in Wi-Fi 6 SEP litigation. [cite: Litigation summary] This is a strong indicator of NPE activity. Furthermore, the transfer of an operating company's (SK Telecom Co Ltd) patent interest to Wilus (through an exclusive license and subsequent full assignment recorded on 2022-12-20 via Reel 062152/0001 and 2024-06-20 via Reel 064319/0786, respectively) is a strong signal of privateering, where an operating company transfers its IP to an NPE for monetization. The consistent use of BAE, KIM & LEE IP as the correspondent for Wilus across multiple recordings further suggests an organized, sustained IP management and assertion strategy.

Verification Link: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/patent/index.html?search=[11284475](/patent/11284475)