Assignment history

Inventors

• Thomas A. Howell: Employer at time of filing not explicitly stated in the patent.
• David Chao: Employer at time of filing not explicitly stated in the patent.
• C. Douglass Thomas: Employer at time of filing not explicitly stated in the patent.
• Peter P. Tong: Employer at time of filing not explicitly stated in the patent.

The patent itself (US11852901) does not explicitly state the employers of the inventors at the time of its filing (September 12, 2022). The "Original Assignee" is listed as Ingeniospec LLC, which suggests they were likely associated with or assigned their rights to Ingeniospec LLC at or before the filing date.

Original assignee

The original assignee named on the issued patent is Ingeniospec LLC.

Based on the nature of the patent (a wireless headset supporting messages and hearing enhancement) and common patent assertion patterns, Ingeniospec LLC does not appear to be an operating company that ships products embodying the claims. Information publicly available for Ingeniospec LLC often points to its involvement in patent licensing and assertion rather than product development or sales. For instance, the Google Patents entry notes "Family has litigation" and lists several district court cases, which is typical for a licensing entity.

Its primary line of business appears to be intellectual property monetization and licensing.

Current status: Ingeniospec LLC appears to be an active entity for patent assertion and licensing, as indicated by ongoing litigation noted on Google Patents.

Assignment timeline

A search of the USPTO Assignment Center for patent number US11852901 (as of 2026-05-24) shows no recorded assignments for this specific patent number. This means that, according to the USPTO public assignment records, the original assignee, Ingeniospec LLC, still holds ownership of the patent. Transfers prior to issuance for an earlier application in the patent family would not be directly linked to this specific patent number in the current search.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 11852901
    2004 : Priority date
    2022 : Application filed by Ingeniospec LLC
    2023 : Patent Issued to Ingeniospec LLC

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Not present. There are no recorded transfers for this specific patent number. Ingeniospec LLC is the original and current assignee. While Ingeniospec LLC's business model involves creating, investing in, acquiring, and licensing innovative technologies and patents in the electronic eyewear market, and partnering with innovators and companies to license patent portfolios, it also claims to develop smart glasses for AR applications. News articles indicate they introduce products like "SnapSpec" glasses (based on related patents, not this specific one) and have announced new technologies for smart eyewear. This suggests more than a pure shell, though its primary focus appears to be IP monetization.
2. Known asserter in the chain — Present. Ingeniospec LLC is identified as the original and current assignee. The Google Patents entry for US11852901 explicitly states "Family has litigation" and lists multiple US District Court cases, as well as a PTAB case. This, combined with their stated business model of licensing and acquiring patents, aligns with the behavior of a known asserter. News articles confirm settlements in ITC disputes with companies like HTC and Meta, and gaining licensees for their portfolio.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Not present. There is no recorded assignment chain for this patent number to observe recurrence of a correspondent.
4. Cascading transfers — Not present. There are no recorded transfers for this patent number.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — Unclear. There are no recorded transfers for this patent number. However, the litigation noted on Google Patents indicates disputes involving the patent family. Without a transfer for this specific patent, it's not possible to assess a pre-litigation transfer of this patent.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. No information suggests Ingeniospec LLC has filed for bankruptcy, and there are no recorded assignments for this patent.
7. Privateering — Unclear. While Ingeniospec LLC's business model involves licensing and assertion, there is no explicit evidence from the patent record or general search results to confirm an operating company transferred this patent to Ingeniospec LLC to assert on its behalf against competitors. The inventors are consistently listed as assigning to Ingeniospec LLC in related patents, suggesting direct assignment.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The patent remains with Ingeniospec LLC.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence

The verdict is high confidence NPE due to the explicit "Family has litigation" status on Google Patents for US11852901, and the business model of Ingeniospec LLC, the current assignee, which focuses on creating, acquiring, and licensing intellectual property in the electronic eyewear market, rather than primarily selling products embodying the claims of this particular patent. News articles further solidify this by reporting on Ingeniospec's settlements in ITC disputes and their efforts to gain licensees. The absence of recorded assignments for this specific patent number in the USPTO Assignment Center means Ingeniospec LLC remains the owner, consistent with an entity that directly asserts or licenses its portfolio.

Verify on USPTO Assignment Center