Assignment history

Inventors

• Juhyung Son: Employer at time of filing not determinable from the provided text.
• Jinsam Kwak: Employer at time of filing not determinable from the provided text.
• Geonjung KO: Employer at time of filing not determinable from the provided text.
• Woojin AHN: Employer at time of filing not determinable from the provided text.

No unusual patterns regarding inventor departures within 12 months of filing can be determined from the provided information.

Original assignee

The entities named on the issued patent (based on the initial assignment recorded shortly before issuance) were SK Telecom Co Ltd and Wilus Institute of Standards and Technology Inc.

• SK Telecom Co Ltd: This is a major South Korean telecommunications operating company. They ship a wide range of products and services embodying wireless communication technologies, including those related to the claims of the patent. Their primary line of business is telecommunications services and related technologies. Current status: Operating.
• Wilus Institute of Standards and Technology Inc.: This entity appears to be involved in wireless communication standards research and intellectual property management. While their name suggests research, public information and their subsequent sole ownership of the patent point towards a primary business model focused on intellectual property, which may include licensing and assertion. Current status: Operating (as an IP entity).

Assignment timeline

Details regarding Reel/Frame numbers, exact execution dates, and correspondent information would typically be obtained from a direct search on the USPTO Patent Assignment Search portal. As direct access to this live tool is not available, and to avoid fabricating information, these specific fields are noted as not determinable from the provided text or linked sources. The events below are based on the "Legal events" timeline provided by Google Patents, which indicates recording dates.

• 2022-01-14 (recorded) — Reel N/A

  • Conveyance: Assignment (from inventors)
  • Assignor: Juhyung Son, Jinsam Kwak, Geonjung KO, Woojin AHN (inventors)
  • Assignee: SK TELECOM CO., LTD., WILUS INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY INC.
  • Correspondent: N/A
  • Context: Initial assignment of patent rights from inventors to joint owners prior to patent grant.

• 2024-06-20 (recorded) — Reel N/A

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: SK TELECOM CO., LTD.
  • Assignee: WILUS INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY INC.
  • Correspondent: N/A
  • Context: Transfer of SK Telecom's interest in the patent to Wilus Institute of Standards and Technology Inc.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 11356947
    2020 : Application filed
    2022 : Assigned to SK Telecom & Wilus
         : Patent granted
    2024 : SK Telecom assigns to Wilus

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Present. The transfer from SK Telecom Co Ltd (an operating company) to Wilus Institute of Standards and Technology Inc. (an entity whose business model, based on external information, appears to be heavily focused on IP monetization rather than product manufacturing) indicates a shell-entity transfer. Wilus's name ("Institute of Standards and Technology") while not immediately suggesting "IP/Patents/Holdings", is commonly associated with research or standardization, but its known activities align with a licensing-focused entity. The 2024-06-20 assignment from SK Telecom to Wilus is key here.
2. Known asserter in the chain — Present. Wilus Institute of Standards and Technology Inc. is identified by sources like Unified Patents as an NPE. The patent is currently assigned to Wilus. This is based on the 2024-06-20 assignment to Wilus Institute of Standards and Technology Inc.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Unclear. Without access to the USPTO Assignment Center to view correspondent names and firms, it is not possible to determine if there is a repeat correspondent pattern.
4. Cascading transfers — Not present. There are only two recorded assignments in the patent's history, not multiple consecutive transfers within a short period.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — Unclear. The Google Patents record indicates "Family has litigation," but does not specify the date of the first infringement suit naming this particular patent. Therefore, it's not possible to determine if the 2024-06-20 assignment occurred within 6 months prior to litigation.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. There is no indication in the provided patent information or general knowledge that either SK Telecom or Wilus Institute of Standards and Technology Inc. have filed for bankruptcy and sold this patent as part of those proceedings.
7. Privateering — Unclear. While SK Telecom transferred its interest to Wilus, and Wilus is an NPE, without further context (e.g., joint defense agreements, specific SEC filings, or public reports), it's unclear if this is a privateering arrangement where Wilus asserts on SK Telecom's behalf.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The current assignee, Wilus Institute of Standards and Technology Inc., is not a known defensive aggregator; rather, it is identified as an NPE.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence. The presence of a known NPE (Wilus Institute of Standards and Technology Inc.) as the current sole assignee, coupled with the clear transfer of an operating company's interest (SK Telecom Co Ltd) to this NPE as recorded on 2024-06-20, provides strong signals of an NPE assertion pattern.

For verification, see the assignment history for US11356947 on the USPTO Patent Assignment Search website: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/ (search by patent number US11356947).