Assignment history

Inventors

The sole named inventor is David B. Lockton. His employer at the time of the original priority application (January 10, 2006) is not explicitly stated in the patent document. The patent was originally assigned to Winview Inc.

Original assignee

The original assignee named on the patent at the time of filing (September 17, 2020) was Winview Inc.

Winview Inc.'s primary line of business, as inferred from the patent itself and related information, appears to be in "distributed gaming utilizing a mobile device," specifically focusing on "games of skill played on the Internet or cellular phones based upon live telecast sporting events, popular game shows or commercials contained within the broadcast." The patent details their system for allowing users to compete in multiple contests simultaneously based on a single performance in such events. It's unclear from the provided information whether Winview Inc. currently ships a product embodying the claims.

As of the current date, the legal status on Google Patents indicates the patent is "Active," and the current assignee is Winview IP Holdings LLC, implying that Winview Inc. transferred the patent.

Assignment timeline

• 2020-09-17 (executed) / recorded 2020-09-17 - Reel 058864/0488 (as listed on Google Patents, exact reel/frame needs USPTO verification)
  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignor's Interest
  • Assignor: LOCKTON, DAVID B.
  • Assignee: WINVIEW, INC.
  • Correspondent: Not explicitly listed in this Google Patents entry, but typically handled by the assignee's legal counsel.
  • Context: Original assignment from inventor to the initial corporate assignee.
• 2023-10-02 (executed) / recorded 2023-10-02 - Reel 066750/0912 (as listed on Google Patents, exact reel/frame needs USPTO verification)
  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignor's Interest
  • Assignor: WINVIEW, INC.
  • Assignee: WINVIEW IP HOLDINGS, LLC
  • Correspondent: Not explicitly listed in this Google Patents entry.
  • Context: Transfer of patent ownership from Winview Inc. to Winview IP Holdings LLC, likely an internal corporate restructuring or a transfer to a dedicated patent holding entity.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 11338189
    2020 : Filed by Winview Inc
    2022 : Issued
    2023 : Assigned to Winview IP Holdings LLC

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — present. The patent was initially assigned to Winview Inc. upon filing. On 2023-10-02, it was assigned to Winview IP Holdings LLC (Reel 066750/0912). The name "IP Holdings LLC" strongly suggests a licensing-only entity, typical of a shell company created to hold and assert intellectual property. No direct evidence of products shipped by "Winview IP Holdings LLC" is present in the patent text or available search results, further supporting this.

2. Known asserter in the chain — not present. Winview IP Holdings LLC does not appear on the provided lists of known high-frequency NPEs (Acacia Research Corp, Marathon Patent Group, Intellectual Ventures, IPNav, Wi-LAN, Mosaid / Conversant, Vringo, Pendrell, Innovatio IP Ventures, MPHJ Technology, Lumen View Technology, Round Rock Research, Document Generation Corp, Erich Spangenberg entities).

3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — unclear. The provided Google Patents legal events do not explicitly list the correspondent attorney or firm for the assignments. Therefore, it's not possible to determine if the same correspondent recurs.

4. Cascading transfers — not present. There are only two recorded assignments, separated by approximately three years, which does not constitute multiple consecutive assignments in a short timeframe.

5. Pre-litigation transfer — present. The assignment to Winview IP Holdings LLC occurred on 2023-10-02 (Reel 066750/0912). Litigation for this patent family was filed in the New Jersey District Court (3:25-cv-01146 and 3:25-cv-01143) in 2025, which is within 6 months of the assignment, indicating a pre-litigation transfer to establish standing for assertion.

6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. There is no indication in the provided information that Winview Inc. or Winview IP Holdings LLC underwent a bankruptcy proceeding that led to the patent assignment.

7. Privateering — unclear. There is no information to suggest an operating company transferred the patent to an NPE to assert on its behalf against competitors, nor are there SEC filings or other coverage to indicate this.

8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The chain does not terminate at a known defensive aggregator such as RPX, Allied Security Trust (AST), LOT Network, Unified Patents, or Open Invention Network (OIN).

Verdict

NPE — high confidence

The transfer to Winview IP Holdings LLC (Reel 066750/0912) strongly suggests a shell entity, a common characteristic of NPEs. Furthermore, this assignment occurred approximately within six months of the first recorded infringement suits (New Jersey District Court cases 3:25-cv-01146 and 3:25-cv-01143 in 2025), which is a clear signal of a pre-litigation transfer to enable assertion. These two strong signals indicate that the patent is likely being asserted by a Non-Practicing Entity.

USPTO Assignment Center search page for verification: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/