Assignment history

Inventors

• Thomas Cona: Employer at time of filing: Sitnet LLC (implied, as Sitnet LLC is the original assignee and filed the application).
• Patrick T. Igoe: Employer at time of filing: Sitnet LLC (implied).
• Leonid Kravets: Employer at time of filing: Sitnet LLC (implied).
• Edward A. Ehrlacher: Employer at time of filing: Sitnet LLC (implied).

There is no information provided to suggest that the inventors departed the original assignee within 12 months of filing.

Original assignee

The entity named on the issued patent is Sitnet LLC.
The patent describes a "Method and system for using a situational network," which outlines a technological framework for connecting participants based on events. The patent text does not provide information about whether Sitnet LLC ships a product embodying the claims, its primary line of business, or its current operating status beyond being listed as "Active" in legal status and "Current Assignee."

Assignment timeline

The provided Google Patents data indicates the following assignment events:

• 2024-04-19 (executed) / recorded 2024-04-19 — Reel Not available from provided data/Not available from provided data
  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: EHRLACHER, EDWARD A., KRAVETS, LEONID, IGOE, PATRICK T., CONA, THOMAS (Inventors)
  • Assignee: RESOURCE CONSORTIUM LIMITED
  • Correspondent: Not available from provided data
  • Context: Transfer of inventors' interest to an intermediate entity.
• 2024-04-19 (executed) / recorded 2024-04-19 — Reel Not available from provided data/Not available from provided data
  • Conveyance: Reassignment (RE-DOMESTICATION AND ENTITY CONVERSION)
  • Assignor: RESOURCE CONSORTIUM LIMITED
  • Assignee: RESOURCE CONSORTIUM LIMITED, LLC
  • Correspondent: Not available from provided data
  • Context: Internal corporate restructuring/entity conversion of an intermediate entity.
• 2024-04-19 (executed) / recorded 2024-04-19 — Reel Not available from provided data/Not available from provided data
  • Conveyance: Reassignment (ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST)
  • Assignor: RESOURCE CONSORTIUM LIMITED, LLC
  • Assignee: SitNet LLC
  • Correspondent: Not available from provided data
  • Context: Transfer from intermediate entity to SitNet LLC, formalizing ownership for the entity that filed the application.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 12120769
    2024 : Filed by Sitnet LLC
         : Inventors assign to Resource Consortium Limited
         : Resource Consortium re-domestication
         : Resource Consortium assigns to SitNet LLC
    2024 : Granted

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — unclear. The transfers on 2024-04-19 involve "RESOURCE CONSORTIUM LIMITED" and "RESOURCE CONSORTIUM LIMITED, LLC" which could be shell entities. However, the final assignee is SitNet LLC, which is also listed as the original assignee of the patent application. Without more information on these entities' business activities or addresses (e.g., registered agent services), it's difficult to confirm they are purely shell entities. The rapid succession of transfers (cascading) often accompanies shell entities.
2. Known asserter in the chain — not present. Sitnet LLC is the current assignee. While Unified Patents is involved in a district court case related to this patent, Sitnet LLC itself is not widely recognized as a "known asserter" on par with entities like Acacia Research or Marathon Patent Group based on the provided information. The PTAB petitioner was Meta Platforms, Inc., not a listed asserter in the chain.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — unclear. Correspondent information (attorney name, firm, address) is "Not available from provided data" for any of the assignment records. Therefore, it's not possible to determine if a repeat correspondent is present.
4. Cascading transfers — present. On 2024-04-19, there are three consecutive assignments: from inventors to Resource Consortium Limited, then to Resource Consortium Limited, LLC (due to re-domestication/conversion), and finally to SitNet LLC. This sequence of transfers within a single day strongly indicates cascading transfers.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — unclear. The District Court case (1:25-cv-06185) was filed in 2025 (implied by case number). The assignments occurred on 2024-04-19. This means the assignments occurred more than six months prior to the likely filing date of the first infringement suit, so it does not directly fit the "within 6 months" criterion.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. There is no indication of bankruptcy proceedings for any entity in the assignment chain.
7. Privateering — unclear. There is no information in the provided patent text or legal event descriptions to suggest an operating company transferred the patent to an NPE for assertion on its behalf.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The chain ends at Sitnet LLC, not a known defensive aggregator like RPX or AST.

Verdict

NPE — moderate confidence

The "cascading transfers" on a single day (2024-04-19) involving intermediate entities before landing with SitNet LLC are a strong signal of internal structuring often associated with patent assertion entities or the preparation for such activities. While the absence of correspondent data and specific information on product shipment by Sitnet LLC limits full confidence, the rapid and complex ownership transfers among newly formed entities, combined with the presence of litigation, leans towards an NPE profile.

USPTO Assignment Center search page: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/