Assignment history

Inventors

• John Patrick Francis DANDISON (Employer at filing: Disintermediation Services Inc.)
• James Allen Johnson (Employer at filing: Disintermediation Services Inc.)
• Paul Joseph Lyman Schottland (Employer at filing: Disintermediation Services Inc.)

All inventors were employed by the original assignee, Disintermediation Services Inc., at the time of filing.

Original assignee

The entity named on the issued patent is Disintermediation Services Inc.

Disintermediation Services Inc.'s primary line of business, as suggested by the patent title and related litigation, revolves around "disintermediation" in communication, aiming to cut out middlemen in various industries by enabling direct real-time communication between parties. While the term "disintermediation" itself refers to removing intermediaries, Disintermediation Services Inc. appears to be an entity that asserts patents related to this concept rather than a company directly shipping products embodying the claims as a core business. There is no clear evidence of Disintermediation Services Inc. directly marketing or selling a product or service named "Two-way real time communication system that allows asymmetric participation in conversations across multiple electronic platforms" or a similar commercial offering. Instead, their activity primarily appears to be patent assertion. For example, recent reports identify Disintermediation Services, Inc. as a frequent filer in patent litigation against various companies, often categorized as a Non-Practicing Entity (NPE).

The current status of Disintermediation Services Inc. is operating, as evidenced by its ongoing involvement in litigation as recent as 2025 and 2026.

Assignment timeline

• 2022-04-19 (executed) / recorded 2022-04-19 — Reel 059535/0081
  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: DANDISON, JOHN PATRICK FRANCIS, SCHOTTLAND, PAUL JOSEPH LYMAN, JOHNSON, JAMES ALLEN
  • Assignee: Disintermediation Services, Inc.
  • Correspondent: GILLAM & SMITH, L.L.P., 303 SOUTH BROADWAY, SUITE 210, TYLER, TX, 75702. This correspondent also appears in the Perq Software and Kroger litigation.
  • Context: Transfer of inventors' interest to the original assignee.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 11349787
    2011 : Provisional application filed
    2012 : Earliest non-provisional application filed
    2022 : Inventors assigned to Disintermediation Services Inc
         : Patent issued

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — unclear. While Disintermediation Services Inc. has been identified as a frequent filer in patent litigation and an NPE by third-party reports, the initial assignment is from the inventors to the company that is also the original assignee on the patent. This single assignment does not explicitly show a transfer from an operating company to a shell entity. However, the nature of Disintermediation Services Inc.'s business as primarily patent assertion suggests it operates as an NPE.
2. Known asserter in the chain — present. Disintermediation Services Inc. is identified as the current assignee and has been involved in extensive patent litigation, often characterized as a Non-Practicing Entity (NPE). The Google Patents page for US11349787 lists multiple litigation cases involving Disintermediation Services Inc. across various district courts.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — present. The correspondent listed for the assignment on 2022-04-19 (Reel 059535/0081) is GILLAM & SMITH, L.L.P. This firm is also identified as counsel for Disintermediation Services, Inc. in patent litigation, such as against Perq Software and The Kroger Co..
4. Cascading transfers — not present. There is only one recorded assignment for this patent from the inventors to the original assignee.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — unclear. The assignment from the inventors to Disintermediation Services, Inc. occurred on 2022-04-19, shortly before the patent issued on 2022-05-31. While the patent family has been involved in litigation since at least 2022, the specific first lawsuit naming this patent directly after this assignment would need to be pinpointed for a definitive "present" finding. However, the timing is suggestive.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. No indication of bankruptcy proceedings for the assignor or assignee.
7. Privateering — unclear. While Disintermediation Services Inc. asserts patents, there is no public information to confirm if it is asserting on behalf of an operating company against competitors.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The current assignee is an asserter, not a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence

This verdict is driven by Disintermediation Services Inc. being the sole recorded assignee (Reel 059535/0081) and its extensive history as a patent plaintiff identified as a Non-Practicing Entity. The consistent use of GILLAM & SMITH, L.L.P. as correspondent for both the assignment and subsequent litigation further reinforces this pattern.

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