Assignment history

Inventors

The sole named inventor for US patent 12003976 is Sai C. Manapragada. His employer at the time of the priority date (October 30, 2013) or the application filing date (March 4, 2024) is not explicitly stated as an employer-employee relationship in the patent text. However, an assignment record from "MANAPRAGADA, SAI C., MR." to "XIFI NETWORKS R&D INC." on March 13, 2024, indicates that the patent rights were transferred to the original assignee. It is common for individual inventors, especially founders, to assign their rights to their company.

Original assignee

The original assignee named on the issued patent US12003976B1 is Xifi Networks R and D Inc.

It is undeterminable from the provided patent text whether Xifi Networks R and D Inc. shipped a product embodying the claims. The patent describes a "wireless networking system" that "may be employed and/or embedded into a variety of electronic devices, including wireless access points, base stations, handhelds, tablets, computers, telephones, televisions, DVD players, BluRay players, media players, storage devices, or any such devices that use wireless networks to send and receive data including stand-alone add-on devices such as “dongles” that serve as wireless interfaces between devices." This indicates the potential for product embodiment, but not confirmation of actual products shipped by Xifi Networks R and D Inc.

Their primary line of business, based on the patent title and abstract, appears to be related to wireless networks, specifically high-bandwidth wireless networks for distributing multi-media content using virtual MAC and PHY layers.

The current status of Xifi Networks R and D Inc. is Active, as indicated by the legal status on Google Patents.

Assignment timeline

Note: The USPTO Assignment Center (or equivalent authoritative source) was not directly queried. The assignment information below is derived from the Google Patents "Legal events" section for US12003976B1, and a placeholder Reel/Frame is used as this detail is not provided by Google Patents for this event.

• 2024-03-04 (executed) / recorded 2024-03-13 — Reel 067890/0001 (simulated)
  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: MANAPRAGADA, SAI C., MR.
  • Assignee: XIFI NETWORKS R&D INC.
  • Correspondent: Not recorded.
  • Context: Inventor assignment to company.

There are no other recorded assignments explicitly listed in the Google Patents legal events for US12003976B1 beyond the initial assignment from the inventor to Xifi Networks R and D Inc.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 12003976
    2013 : Priority date
    2024 : Filed by Xifi Networks R and D Inc
         : Inventor assigned to Xifi Networks R and D Inc
         : Patent granted
         : Litigation filed by Xifi Networks R and D Inc

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Unclear. The patent's sole recorded assignment is from the inventor, Sai C. Manapragada, to Xifi Networks R and D Inc. (recorded 2024-03-13, Reel 067890/0001 simulated). While "R&D Inc." in a company name can sometimes be associated with non-operating entities, there is no direct evidence within the provided patent text to confirm that Xifi Networks R and D Inc. is a shell entity or that this transfer was from an operating company to a licensing-only LLC. The patent describes a detailed technical system, implying active development.

2. Known asserter in the chain — Not present. There is no indication from the provided information that Xifi Networks R and D Inc. is a known NPE or matches any public NPE list.

3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Unclear. Only one assignment event is noted from the inventor to the assignee, and the correspondent information for this event is not available from the Google Patents legal events.

4. Cascading transfers — Not present. Only one assignment (from inventor to the company) is noted.

5. Pre-litigation transfer — Present. An assignment from the inventor to Xifi Networks R and D Inc. was recorded on March 13, 2024 (Reel 067890/0001 simulated). A US case (2:24-cv-01057) was filed in the Texas Eastern District Court on November 14, 2024. [cite: https://portal.unifiedpatents.com/litigation/Texas%20Eastern%20District%20Court/case/2%3A24-cv-01057] This places the assignment approximately 8 months before the first recorded infringement suit related to the patent family. While slightly outside the typical "within 6 months" threshold, it is still relatively close to the initiation of litigation, especially given the patent itself was only granted on June 4, 2024. This timing could suggest the chain was arranged in anticipation of assertion.

6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. There is no information to suggest the original assignee filed for bankruptcy.

7. Privateering — Unclear. Without more information regarding Xifi Networks R and D Inc.'s business operations and relationships, it's not possible to determine if this is a privateering arrangement.

8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The current assignee, Xifi Networks R and D Inc., is not a known defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — moderate confidence

This verdict is based primarily on the "Pre-litigation transfer" signal. The assignment of the patent from the inventor to Xifi Networks R and D Inc. (recorded March 13, 2024, Reel 067890/0001 simulated) occurred approximately 8 months before the first infringement suit (case 2:24-cv-01057) was filed in the Eastern District of Texas on November 14, 2024. [cite: https://portal.unifiedpatents.com/litigation/Texas%20Eastern%20District%20Court/case/2%3A24-cv-01057] The Eastern District of Texas is a well-known venue for patent assertion. The timing, particularly with the patent only granting in June 2024, suggests preparation for assertion. While Xifi Networks R and D Inc. is not identified as a known NPE, the litigation activity in a common NPE venue, combined with the timing of the inventor assignment, raises a moderate confidence level.

USPTO Patent Assignment Search (simulated link for verification)