Assignment history

Inventors

• G. R. Mohan Rao (Employer not determinable from the patent text)

Original assignee

The original assignee named on the issued patent US11316014B2 is GREENTHREAD LLC. The patent does not indicate that GREENTHREAD LLC shipped a product embodying the claims, nor does it specify their primary line of business. As of today, June 1, 2026, the legal status of the patent family indicates "Expired - Lifetime" on Google Patents, and for the specific application US17/371,839, it shows "Expired - Lifetime". This status implies the patent is no longer enforceable.

Assignment timeline

The USPTO Assignment Center (https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/) shows the following assignment records for US11316014:

• 2017-09-09 (executed) / recorded 2021-07-22 — Reel 056950/0048

  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignor's Interest
  • Assignor: RAO, G.R. MOHAN, MR
  • Assignee: GREENTHREAD, LLC, TEXAS
  • Correspondent: Not listed on this specific entry for the inventor.
  • Context: Transfer from inventor to initial assignee.

• 2019-08-19 (executed) / recorded 2021-07-22 — Reel 056949/0013

  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignor's Interest
  • Assignor: GREENTHREAD, LLC
  • Assignee: VERVAIN, LLC, TEXAS
  • Correspondent: Not listed on this specific entry.
  • Context: Transfer from initial assignee to another entity.

• 2022-03-07 (executed) / recorded 2022-03-07 — Reel 059690/0892

  • Conveyance: Confirmatory Assignment
  • Assignor: VERVAIN, LLC
  • Assignee: GREENTHREAD, LLC, TEXAS
  • Correspondent: Not listed on this specific entry.
  • Context: Re-assignment, likely to clarify or confirm previous transfers.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 11316014
    2004 : Priority Date
    2021 : Filed by GREENTHREAD LLC
         : Assigned from Inventor to Greenthread
         : Assigned from Greenthread to Vervain LLC
    2022 : Issued
         : Confirmatory Assignment to Greenthread LLC

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Present. The transfer from GREENTHREAD, LLC to VERVAIN, LLC (Reel 056949/0013, executed 2019-08-19 / recorded 2021-07-22) is a strong signal. VERVAIN, LLC is identified as a newly minted non-practicing entity (NPE) in the Western District of Texas. Corporate records indicate it is run by Phillip John Jr., who is also listed as the current President of Greenthread, LLC. Both entities appear to be backed by "Patent Capital Funding 2018 – Series 1A," a Delaware entity of uncertain origin.

2. Known asserter in the chain — Present. VERVAIN, LLC is a known NPE. GREENTHREAD, LLC has also asserted semiconductor patents from the same inventor against Samsung.

3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Unclear. The provided USPTO assignment records do not list a correspondent for the specific entries found for US11316014. While the Google Patents "Legal Events" section lists "FEPP Fee payment procedure" and "IPR AIA trial proceeding filed before the patent and appeal board: inter partes review", these do not specify correspondent attorney details for the assignments themselves.

4. Cascading transfers — Present. The patent was assigned from the inventor to Greenthread, LLC, then from Greenthread, LLC to Vervain, LLC in 2021 (Reel 056950/0048 and 056949/0013), within a short period. A confirmatory assignment back to Greenthread, LLC occurred in 2022 (Reel 059690/0892). While the confirmatory assignment reverses part of the chain, the initial transfers between Greenthread and Vervain, both associated with Phillip John Jr., demonstrate a rapid transfer pattern.

5. Pre-litigation transfer — Present. The assignment from Greenthread, LLC to Vervain, LLC was executed on 2019-08-19 and recorded on 2021-07-22 (Reel 056949/0013). The first infringement suit identified in the litigation summary, Greenthread, LLC v. Intel Corporation, was filed on December 21, 2022. While this is more than six months after the recording date, an article indicates that Vervain, LLC began asserting patents in May 2021. The patent was later confirmed to Greenthread on 2022-03-07. Many lawsuits against various companies were filed by Greenthread in 2022 and 2023. This timeline suggests the transfers were in anticipation of or to facilitate assertion.

6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. There is no indication of bankruptcy proceedings for GREENTHREAD, LLC or VERVAIN, LLC in the provided information.

7. Privateering — Unclear. While Greenthread and Vervain assert patents, and Vervain is specifically called out as an NPE, there's no direct evidence provided that an operating company transferred the patent to Greenthread or Vervain for assertion against competitors on its behalf. Greenthread, LLC's primary line of business appears to be IT solutions, specifically Identity and Access Management and Web Service Security solutions for federal agencies, with reported annual revenue. This suggests they are an operating company, but the patent at issue is for semiconductor devices with graded dopant regions, which doesn't directly align with their stated IT solutions business. This discrepancy could suggest a privateering arrangement, but more direct evidence is needed to confirm.

8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The chain does not terminate at a known defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence

The presence of multiple strong signals supports a high confidence NPE verdict. VERVAIN, LLC is explicitly identified as a non-practicing entity, and the rapid transfers between GREENTHREAD, LLC and VERVAIN, LLC (Reel 056950/0048, 056949/0013, 059690/0892) indicate cascading transfers. The connection of both entities to Phillip John Jr. and "Patent Capital Funding 2018 – Series 1A", coupled with the subsequent extensive litigation, strongly points to a patent assertion model.

USPTO Assignment Center search: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/