Assignment history

Inventors

• Ynjiun P. Wang: Employed by Symbol Technologies, Inc. at the time of filing, as indicated by the immediate assignment of the patent application to Symbol Technologies, Inc. on the filing date.

Original assignee

• Symbol Technologies, Inc. A CORPORATION OF DE: The entity named on the issued patent.
• Product Embodying Claims: Yes, Symbol Technologies, Inc. developed and commercialized the PDF417 two-dimensional barcode symbology and associated scanning and decoding systems, which embody the claims of US5243655.
• Primary Line of Business: Symbol Technologies, Inc. was a leading manufacturer and supplier of mobile data capture and information management systems, including barcode scanners, mobile computers, and wireless infrastructure.
• Current Status: Symbol Technologies, Inc. was acquired by Motorola, Inc. in 2007. Motorola's enterprise division, including the assets and intellectual property of Symbol Technologies, was subsequently acquired by Zebra Technologies in 2014. Symbol Technologies, Inc. no longer operates as an independent entity, but its intellectual property is now part of Zebra Technologies' portfolio. Google Patents lists "Symbol Technologies LLC" as the current assignee, which likely reflects the ownership within the Zebra Technologies corporate structure.

Assignment timeline

• 1992-03-16 (executed) / recorded 1992-03-16 — Reel 006421/0457

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
  • Assignor: WANG, YNJIUN P.
  • Assignee: SYMBOL TECHNOLOGIES, INC. A CORPORATION OF DE
  • Correspondent: STEVEN H. NAGY, SYMBOL TECHNOLOGIES, INC., 116 WILBUR PLACE, BOHEMIA, NY 11716.
  • Context: Original assignment from inventor to the operating company employer.

• 2004-12-17 (executed) / recorded 2005-01-05 — Reel 013404/0488

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT
  • Assignor: SYMBOL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
  • Assignee: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.
  • Correspondent: R.S. SAWYER, LAW OFFICE OF R. S. SAWYER, 260 NEW YORK AVE., HUNTINGTON, NY 11743.
  • Context: Transfer of a security interest from the operating company to a financial institution.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 5243655
    1992 : Inventor assigns to Symbol Tech
    1993 : Patent issued
    2005 : Symbol Tech assigns to JPMorgan Chase Bank NA security interest
    2007 : Symbol Tech acquired by Motorola
    2010 : Anticipated expiration (17 yrs)
    2012 : Patent expired (20 yrs)
    2014 : Motorola Enterprise acquired by Zebra Tech

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — not present. The assignors and assignees identified in the recorded chain (Symbol Technologies, Inc. and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A.) are legitimate operating companies and financial institutions, respectively.
2. Known asserter in the chain — not present. Neither Symbol Technologies, Inc. nor JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. are listed as known patent assertion entities (NPEs).
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — not present. Steven H. Nagy is listed as the correspondent for the 1992-03-16 assignment (Reel 006421/0457), and R.S. Sawyer is listed for the 2005-01-05 assignment (Reel 013404/0488). These are distinct individuals/firms for the recorded transfers.
4. Cascading transfers — not present. Only two recorded transfers are identified, separated by over a decade.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — unclear. The earliest identified litigation for this patent, Symbol Technologies, Inc. v. Lemelson Medical, Education & Research Foundation, LP, was filed in 1999. The first recorded assignment to JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. occurred in 2005-01-05 (Reel 013404/0488), which post-dates the initial litigation filing. There are no recorded assignments preceding the 1999 lawsuit.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. Symbol Technologies, Inc. was acquired by Motorola, Inc. and its assets later transferred to Zebra Technologies, rather than being sold off in bankruptcy proceedings.
7. Privateering — not present. The recorded assignments do not show any transfer to an NPE for assertion on behalf of an operating company.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The patent was not assigned to any known defensive aggregators.

Verdict

Operating-company assertion. The patent was originally assigned from the inventor to Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Reel 006421/0457), a recognized operating company that developed and commercialized the PDF417 technology. The subsequent assignment to JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (Reel 013404/0488) was for a security interest, not an outright ownership transfer for assertion by an NPE. Symbol Technologies, Inc. and its successors (Motorola, then Zebra Technologies) have been operating companies throughout the patent's effective life, and Symbol was known to assert its patents against entities it considered to be infringing or problematic (like Lemelson).

USPTO Assignment Center search for US5243655: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/patent/assignment-result.html?search=5243655