Assignment history

Inventors

• Sang Hoon Lee
• Kyoung Jun CHOI
• Sae Rom LEE
  All inventors were likely employed by AQ Corporation at the time of filing, as their interest in the patent was assigned to AQ Corporation on the application filing date.

Original assignee

The original assignee is AQ Corporation. AQ Corporation is an operating company specializing in the manufacture of antenna modules for various electronic devices, including smartphones, tablets, laptops, and IoT devices. They provide customized solutions for FPCB antennas and other antenna components. AQ Corporation appears to be an active operating company.

Assignment timeline

• 2022-09-28 (executed) / recorded 2023-09-27 — Reel 065586/0333
  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT
  • Assignor: CHOI, KYOUNG JUN; LEE, SAE ROM; LEE, SANG HOON
  • Assignee: AQ Corporation
  • Correspondent: N/A (NO CORRESPONDENT)
  • Context: Standard assignment of inventor's rights to the corporate employer upon application filing.
• 2025-09-25 (executed) / recorded 2025-09-27 — Reel 065586/0337
  • Conveyance: SECURITY AGREEMENT
  • Assignor: AQ CORPORATION
  • Assignee: WYE IP CAPITAL LLC
  • Correspondent: N/A (NO CORRESPONDENT)
  • Context: Patent is used as collateral in a financing arrangement.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 11728564
    2022 : Application filed
         : Inventors assign to AQ Corp
    2023 : Patent issued
    2025 : US litigation filed
         : Security agreement with WYE IP CAPITAL LLC
    2026 : PTAB case IPR2026-00234 filed

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Not present. Ownership of the patent remains with AQ Corporation, an operating company. The transaction with WYE IP CAPITAL LLC was a security agreement, not a transfer of title.
2. Known asserter in the chain — Present. WYE IP CAPITAL LLC, the entity with a security interest in the patent, is identified as a Patent Assertion Entity (PAE)/NPE by Unified Patents.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Not present. Both recorded assignments list "NO CORRESPONDENT".
4. Cascading transfers — Not present. There has been only one recorded assignment of ownership (from inventors to AQ Corp) and one security agreement.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — Present. Infringement litigation was filed in 2025 in the Texas Eastern District Court. The security agreement with WYE IP CAPITAL LLC was executed on 2025-09-25 and recorded on 2025-09-27 (Reel 065586/0337), indicating a financial arrangement concerning the patent close to the initiation of litigation.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. There is no indication that AQ Corporation has filed for bankruptcy.
7. Privateering — Present. AQ Corporation is an operating company. The involvement of WYE IP CAPITAL LLC, a known NPE, through a security agreement entered into around the time litigation commenced, suggests a potential privateering arrangement where the NPE handles assertion, possibly on behalf of or with financial involvement from AQ Corporation, without an outright transfer of ownership.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The chain does not terminate at a known defensive aggregator; instead, a known NPE holds a security interest.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence

The involvement of WYE IP CAPITAL LLC, a known Patent Assertion Entity (PAE), through a security agreement (Reel 065586/0337) concurrent with the filing of infringement litigation in 2025, strongly indicates an NPE assertion strategy. While the operating company, AQ Corporation, retains ownership, the timing and nature of the security agreement with an NPE suggest a coordinated effort to assert the patent.

Verification: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/