Assignment history

Inventors

• Roy Shkedi: Employer at the time of filing: Almondnet Inc. (based on current assignee information). No unusual patterns of inventors departing the original assignee are immediately apparent from the provided information.

Original assignee

Almondnet Inc. The patent explicitly states "Current Assignee: Almondnet Inc." and "Original Assignee: Almondnet Inc." Almondnet Inc. is a behavioral targeting (BT) company specializing in targeting ads based on observed visitor behavior. It describes itself as a company that places cookies on computers of visitors to deliver targeted ads. Almondnet Inc. appears to be an operating company, actively developing and patenting technology in the ad-tech space, and has been involved in litigation asserting related patents, as noted in the previous litigation summary.

Assignment timeline

No assignments for U.S. Patent 11,301,898 are currently recorded in the USPTO Assignment Center. This indicates that Almondnet Inc., the original assignee, still holds ownership of the patent.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 11301898
    2006 : Priority date
    2020 : Filed by Almondnet Inc
    2022 : Issued to Almondnet Inc

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Not present. The patent remains with the original assignee, Almondnet Inc. Almondnet describes itself as an industry leader and pioneer in privacy-friendly, targeted advertising, focused on R&D and licensing its extensive IP portfolio. It also operates subsidiaries that provide data solutions and identity resolution. This indicates it is an active company, not merely a shell entity.

2. Known asserter in the chain — Not present as a transfer to a known asserter. Almondnet Inc. itself acts as an asserter. It has a history of patent litigation against major tech companies like Amazon and Meta, securing significant verdicts and settlements, which is characteristic of an entity actively asserting its intellectual property.

3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Insufficient data. No assignment records for this specific patent are available, so no correspondent information can be extracted to identify recurrence.

4. Cascading transfers — Not present. No assignments are recorded.

5. Pre-litigation transfer — Not present. No assignments are recorded.

6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. No evidence suggests Almondnet Inc. has filed for bankruptcy, and no assignments stemming from such proceedings are recorded. Almondnet continues to develop and license its technologies.

7. Privateering — Unclear. While Almondnet Inc. is an operating company that licenses its technology, its extensive litigation activity against major tech companies could be interpreted as privateering on its own behalf or potentially for other, undisclosed partners. However, there is no direct evidence of a transfer for privateering purposes in this patent's assignment record.

8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The patent remains with Almondnet Inc., which is actively asserting its patents, not neutralizing them.

Verdict

NPE — moderate confidence

Almondnet Inc. describes itself as an adtech pioneer focused on R&D and licensing its extensive IP portfolio, and it actively sells data solutions and identity resolution services through its subsidiaries. However, Almondnet has a strong pattern of asserting its patent family against major technology companies (e.g., Amazon, Meta, Roku) and securing substantial settlements and verdicts. This aggressive and frequent assertion, particularly against large entities for licensing fees, aligns with behaviors often associated with patent monetizers, even if the entity also maintains product lines. The absence of specific assignment records for this patent (US11301898) prevents a definitive conclusion of a shell entity transfer, but Almondnet's overall business model, which heavily emphasizes IP licensing and enforcement, suggests a strong emphasis on patent assertion.
Refer to USPTO Assignment Center: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/ for verification.