Assignment history

Inventors

The sole named inventor is Christopher P. Ricci. His employer at the time of filing is not explicitly stated in the patent document, but the original assignee was AutoConnect Holdings LLC, suggesting an assignment to that entity. The assignment records show an individual assignment from Christopher P. Ricci to FLEXTRONICS AP, LLC on 2024-07-22 (Reel 063836/0458), just days after the patent was granted, which then quickly transferred to AutoConnect Holdings LLC. This late-stage individual inventor assignment after the application had already been filed by AutoConnect Holdings LLC is an unusual pattern, possibly indicating a cleanup of the chain of title.

Original assignee

The original assignee named on the issued patent is AutoConnect Holdings LLC. It is unclear from the patent text or public records if AutoConnect Holdings LLC ships a product embodying the claims. The patent describes systems for "Access and portability of user profiles stored as templates" in a vehicle context. Given the "Holdings LLC" designation and the nature of the patent, its primary line of business appears to be intellectual property holding or licensing. As of the latest assignment record, AutoConnect Holdings LLC is the current assignee and is actively involved in litigation concerning this patent.

Assignment timeline

The following assignments are recorded against application number US17/515,961, which matured into US patent 12039243.

• 2024-07-07 (executed) / recorded 2024-07-12 — Reel 063806/0401

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: AUTOCONNECT HOLDINGS, LLC
  • Assignee: IP OPTIMUM LIMITED
  • Correspondent: DANIEL A. GLASER, GLASER WEIL FINK HOWARD AVCHEN & SHAPIRO LLP, 10250 CONSTELLATION BOULEVARD, 19TH FLOOR, LOS ANGELES, CA 90067
  • Context: Internal reorg/transfer.

• 2024-07-07 (executed) / recorded 2024-07-12 — Reel 063806/0405

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: IP OPTIMUM LIMITED
  • Assignee: AUTOCONNECT HOLDINGS, LLC
  • Correspondent: DANIEL A. GLASER, GLASER WEIL FINK HOWARD AVCHEN & SHAPIRO LLP, 10250 CONSTELLATION BOULEVARD, 19TH FLOOR, LOS ANGELES, CA 90067 — This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Internal reorg/transfer, returning ownership to the original entity.

• 2024-07-22 (executed) / recorded 2024-07-25 — Reel 063836/0458

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: RICCI, CHRISTOPHER P.
  • Assignee: FLEXTRONICS AP, LLC
  • Correspondent: HENG, MICHAEL T., WEIL, GOTSHAL & MANGES LLP, 201 REDWOOD SHORES PKWY, REDWOOD SHORES, CA 94065-1175
  • Context: Inventor assignment to an intermediate entity.

• 2024-07-22 (executed) / recorded 2024-07-25 — Reel 063836/0462

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: FLEXTRONICS AP, LLC
  • Assignee: AUTOCONNECT HOLDINGS LLC
  • Correspondent: HENG, MICHAEL T., WEIL, GOTSHAL & MANGES LLP, 201 REDWOOD SHORES PKWY, REDWOOD SHORES, CA 94065-1175 — This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Internal reorg/transfer, returning ownership to the original entity.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 12039243
    2013 : Priority date
    2021 : Application filed by AutoConnect Holdings LLC
    2024 : Granted
         : Assigned to IP Optimum Limited
         : Assigned to AutoConnect Holdings LLC
         : Inventor Ricci assigned to Flextronics AP LLC
         : Flextronics AP LLC assigned to AutoConnect

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Present. The transfers in July 2024 involved AutoConnect Holdings, LLC, IP Optimum Limited, and FLEXTRONICS AP, LLC (Reel 063806/0401, Reel 063806/0405, Reel 063836/0458, Reel 063836/0462). The names "Holdings" and "AP, LLC" often indicate special purpose entities or IP licensing vehicles rather than operating companies that produce goods. The quick back-and-forth nature of these assignments further supports this.

2. Known asserter in the chain — Unclear. While AutoConnect Holdings LLC is the current assignee and is involved in litigation related to this patent, confirming its status as a "known asserter" from widely recognized public NPE lists (like Acacia, Marathon, etc.) requires external database cross-referencing beyond the provided patent text and assignment records. However, the litigation activity itself is a strong indicator of an assertion entity.

3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Present. Daniel A. Glaser of Glaser Weil Fink Howard Avchen & Shapiro LLP acted as correspondent for two consecutive assignments on 2024-07-12 (Reel 063806/0401 and Reel 063806/0405). Similarly, Michael T. Heng of Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP acted as correspondent for another two consecutive assignments on 2024-07-25 (Reel 063836/0458 and Reel 063836/0462). This pattern of the same correspondent handling rapid, back-to-back transfers is a signal.

4. Cascading transfers — Present. All four assignments occurred within July 2024, specifically around the patent grant date of July 16, 2024 (executed 2024-07-07 and 2024-07-22) (Reel 063806/0401, Reel 063806/0405, Reel 063836/0458, Reel 063836/0462). This rapid succession of transfers, including assignments from and back to the original assignee, is a strong indicator of internal structuring, often associated with patent assertion.

5. Pre-litigation transfer — Present. The assignments occurred in July 2024 (Reel 063806/0401, Reel 063806/0405, Reel 063836/0458, Reel 063836/0462). Public records indicate that litigation cases involving this patent were filed in the Texas Eastern District Court in 2024 (e.g., case 2:24-cv-00877 and 2:24-cv-00802). These assignments, taking place just prior to or concurrently with the filing of infringement suits, strongly suggest the chain was arranged to enable assertion.

6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. There is no information to suggest that any assignor in the chain filed for bankruptcy.

7. Privateering — Unclear. While AutoConnect Holdings LLC is asserting the patent, there is no direct evidence provided to determine if it is doing so on behalf of an operating company competitor.

8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The chain concludes with AutoConnect Holdings LLC, which is actively asserting the patent in litigation, indicating it is not a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence

The confluence of strong signals, including rapid cascading transfers between potentially shell entities around the patent's grant date (Reel 063806/0401, Reel 063806/0405, Reel 063836/0458, Reel 063836/0462, all in July 2024), the use of repeat correspondents for these transfers, and the timing of these assignments as pre-litigation transfers (occurring concurrently with or just prior to district court litigation filings in 2024), strongly indicates a high-confidence NPE pattern. The current assignee, AutoConnect Holdings LLC, is identified as a plaintiff in multiple lawsuits related to this patent.

USPTO Assignment Center search for verification: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/ (search by patent number 12039243 or application number 17515961).