Assignment history

Inventors

• Stephen E. Delaporte (Employer: Lepton Computing LLC)

Original assignee

The original assignee on the issued patent US12140998 is Lepton Computing LLC. Lepton Computing LLC positions itself as an early pioneer and original developer in the field of foldable/flexible display mobile devices, with patent filings predating larger smartphone companies. They claim to have developed prototypes between 2008 and 2011, covering various aspects of foldable phone technology. While they have discussed a prototype called the "Lepton Flex" and stated that "Devices coming soon" and that a demo video with Android running on the Lepton Flex would be released, there is no evidence that Lepton Computing LLC has actually released a commercial smartphone product. Recent news reports (April 2026) refer to Lepton Computing LLC as a "patent troll" and a "Non-Practicing Entity" (NPE), noting that the company has never released a device and has no public contact details, with apparently only two employees.

Lepton Computing LLC's primary line of business appears to be the development and patenting of foldable/flexible display technologies, with a focus on licensing and assertion.

Its current status is active, and it is currently engaged in patent infringement litigation against Samsung in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, alleging infringement on nine foldable-related patents, including US12140998.

Assignment timeline

As of June 1, 2026, a search on the USPTO Assignment Center for patent US12140998 (including its application number US18/200,266) shows a single assignment record.

• 2024-09-24 (executed) / recorded 2024-09-24 - Reel 064275/0800
  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest (See Document for Details)
  • Assignor: DELAPORTE, STEPHEN E.
  • Assignee: LEPTON COMPUTING LLC
  • Correspondent: NOT RECORDED. This is the only recorded assignment for this patent.
  • Context: Inventor assigned patent rights to the original assignee.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 12140998
    2010 : Priority date
    2023 : Application filed
    2024 : Inventor assigned to Lepton Computing LLC
    2024 : Patent granted
    2026 : Infringement suit filed by Lepton Computing LLC

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — unclear. The initial assignment is from the inventor to Lepton Computing LLC, which is also the original assignee. While Lepton Computing LLC has been characterized as a "patent troll" and a "Non-Practicing Entity" by news sources, implying a shell-like nature for assertion purposes, there is no explicit transfer between entities with shell-entity naming conventions recorded on the USPTO assignment record itself for this patent.

2. Known asserter in the chain — present. Lepton Computing LLC is currently identified in news reports (April 2026) as a "patent troll" and a "Non-Practicing Entity" (NPE) in the context of filing an infringement lawsuit against Samsung.

3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — not present. There is only one recorded assignment, and the correspondent information is listed as "NOT RECORDED."

4. Cascading transfers — not present. Only one assignment is recorded for this patent.

5. Pre-litigation transfer — unclear. The assignment from the inventor to Lepton Computing LLC was recorded on September 24, 2024. The lawsuit against Samsung was filed in April 2026. This span of approximately 19 months between the assignment and the lawsuit filing does not fit the typical "within 6 months" indicator for pre-litigation transfer. However, the timing does precede the litigation, even if outside the typical narrow window.

6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. There is no indication of the original assignee, Lepton Computing LLC, being involved in bankruptcy proceedings that led to the sale of this patent.

7. Privateering — unclear. While Lepton Computing LLC is asserting the patent against Samsung, there is no publicly available information in the assignment records or other sources consulted that explicitly details a privateering agreement with an operating company.

8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The chain does not terminate at a known defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence. The primary signal is the characterization of Lepton Computing LLC as a "patent troll" and "Non-Practicing Entity" in multiple news reports directly related to its current litigation against Samsung, despite its claims of being an "original developer." The fact that Lepton Computing LLC has not released a product embodying the claims, despite its stated history of prototypes and ongoing development, further supports this. The singular assignment on record from the inventor to Lepton Computing LLC (recorded 2024-09-24, Reel 064275/0800) positions Lepton Computing LLC as the entity holding the patent for assertion, rather than product commercialization. This is corroborated by the recent lawsuit filing against Samsung in April 2026.

USPTO Assignment Center search: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/patent/index.html (search for patent number 12140998).