Assignment history

Inventors

The following individuals are named inventors on US Patent 11892897:

• Paulo Shakarian
• Mohammed Almukaynizi
• Jana Shakarian
• Eric Nunes
• Krishna Dharaiya
• Manoj Balasubramaniam Senguttuvan
• Alexander Grimm

At the time of filing (October 26, 2018), it is highly probable that all inventors were employed by Arizona State University Downtown Phoenix campus, as it was the original assignee listed on the patent application. There is no readily available information indicating unusual patterns such as all inventors departing the original assignee within 12 months of filing.

Original assignee

The original assignee named on the issued patent is Arizona State University Downtown Phoenix campus.

Arizona State University (ASU) is a public research university, and its primary line of business is education and academic research. As a university, it does not typically "ship products" embodying the claims of patents in the commercial sense, but rather conducts research that leads to inventions, which may then be licensed or spun off into commercial entities.

Arizona State University is an operating entity and remains active. Skysong Innovations, LLC, a wholly-owned technology transfer and intellectual property management organization for ASU, is currently listed as the assignee.

Assignment timeline

The USPTO Assignment Center search (https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/) shows the following records for US patent 11892897:

• 2020-01-30 (executed) / recorded 2020-02-24 — Reel 051050/0942

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: SENGUTTUVAN, MANOJ BALASUBRAMANIAM; SHAKARIAN, PAULO; GRIMM, ALEXANDER; NUNES, ERIC; DHARAIYA, KRISHNA; ALMUKAYNIZI, MOHAMMED; SHAKARIAN, JANA (all listed inventors)
  • Assignee: ARIZONA BOARD OF REGENTS ON BEHALF OF ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY
  • Correspondent: KENNETH R. BURROUGHS, ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY, OFFICE OF KNOWLEDGE ENTERPRISE, 660 S. MILL AVE., SUITE 611, TEMPE, ARIZONA 85281
  • Context: Transfer from inventors to the university, a standard practice for university-developed intellectual property.

• 2025-01-30 (executed) / recorded 2025-02-04 — Reel 063548/0339

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: ARIZONA BOARD OF REGENTS ON BEHALF OF ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY
  • Assignee: SKYSONG INNOVATIONS, LLC
  • Correspondent: Kenneth R. Burroughs, Skysong Innovations, LLC, 1475 N. Scottsdale Road, Suite 200, Scottsdale, AZ 85257-3538 (Same correspondent as previous assignment)
  • Context: Transfer from the university system to its affiliated technology transfer organization.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 11892897
    2018 : Filed by ASU Downtown Phoenix
    2020 : Inventors assign to ASU Regents
    2024 : Issued
    2025 : ASU Regents assign to Skysong Innovations

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Not present.

   • The transfer to Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of Arizona State University (Reel 051050/0942) is a standard internal university transfer.
   • The transfer to Skysong Innovations, LLC (Reel 063548/0339) is a transfer to the university's technology transfer and intellectual property management organization. Skysong Innovations is a non-profit entity dedicated to commercializing ASU's inventions, which is a common function for university tech transfer offices. This is not indicative of a shell entity for licensing-only assertion but rather a standard IP management practice for a research institution.

2. Known asserter in the chain — Not present.

   • Neither Arizona Board of Regents, Arizona State University, nor Skysong Innovations, LLC, appear on common NPE lists. Skysong Innovations facilitates partnerships for commercialization and works with industry, which is distinct from patent assertion as a primary business model.

3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Present.

   • Kenneth R. Burroughs, associated with Arizona State University and later Skysong Innovations, LLC, is the correspondent for both recorded assignments (Reel 051050/0942, Reel 063548/0339). This indicates a consistent legal representative handling IP matters for the university and its tech transfer arm.

4. Cascading transfers — Not present.

   • There are two assignments recorded, separated by approximately five years between the filing date and the first assignment, and five years between the first and second assignment, the latter occurring just after the patent was granted. These are not multiple consecutive transfers in a short period.

5. Pre-litigation transfer — Unclear.

   • The patent issued on February 6, 2024. The latest assignment to Skysong Innovations, LLC was executed on January 30, 2025, and recorded on February 4, 2025 (Reel 063548/0339). Google Patents lists litigation for this patent in February and March 2025. Specifically, a US case was filed in Texas Western District Court and another in Texas Eastern District Court in 2025. The PTAB case IPR2025-01170 was filed in 2025. Given the assignment to Skysong Innovations occurred in late January 2025, and litigation was filed shortly thereafter, this timing could indicate a pre-litigation transfer to the entity responsible for managing and potentially asserting the university's intellectual property. However, as Skysong Innovations is a university tech transfer office, its primary goal is typically commercialization through licensing, not solely litigation.

6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present.

   • There is no indication that Arizona State University or Arizona Board of Regents has filed for bankruptcy.

7. Privateering — Not present.

   • There is no evidence to suggest that ASU or Skysong Innovations transferred the patent to an NPE to assert on their behalf against competitors. Skysong Innovations manages ASU's IP.

8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present.

   • The current assignee, Skysong Innovations, LLC, is the technology transfer organization for Arizona State University. It is not a defensive aggregator like RPX or AST.

Verdict

Operating-company assertion
The assignment chain reflects a standard path for university-generated intellectual property, moving from the individual inventors to the university (Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of Arizona State University per Reel 051050/0942) and then to its dedicated technology transfer and commercialization entity (Skysong Innovations, LLC per Reel 063548/0339). While litigation is associated with the patent shortly after its transfer to Skysong Innovations, Skysong Innovations' primary function is to bring ASU's innovations to market through licensing and supporting startups, rather than operating solely as an NPE. This indicates a strategic management and potential assertion of intellectual property by an organization directly associated with an operating research institution.

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