Assignment history

Inventors

• William E. Beller: Likely employed by Metanetics Corp. at the time of filing, as he assigned his interest to Metanetics Corporation on the filing date.
• Ynjiun P. Wang: Likely employed by Metanetics Corp. at the time of filing, as he assigned his interest to Metanetics Corporation on the filing date.

No unusual patterns, such as inventors departing the original assignee shortly after filing, are immediately apparent from the provided information. William E. Beller is also listed as a correspondent for a later assignment.

Original assignee

The original assignee named on the issued patent is Metanetics Corp. (later known as Metanetics Corporation and involved with Meta Holding Corporation).

Metanetics Corp. was in the business of developing bar code dataform scanning and labeling apparatus and methods, as described in the patent. The patent's description of a "portable scanning and labeling apparatus" (FIG. 1) suggests that Metanetics likely aimed to ship a product embodying the claims, or to license the technology for such products.

The current status of Metanetics Corp. itself is complicated by a name change and subsequent merger. In 2004, Metanetics Corporation formally changed its name to Meta Holding Corporation. On the same date, Meta Holding Corporation merged into Telxon Corporation. Thus, the original entity, Metanetics Corp., no longer exists under that name and was integrated into Telxon Corporation's lineage.

Assignment timeline

The following is a chronological list of recorded assignments for U.S. Patent 5,602,377 as found in the USPTO Assignment Center:

• 1995-03-01 (executed) / recorded 1997-03-13 — Reel 008129/0816

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: William E. Beller, Ynjiun P. Wang
  • Assignee: Metanetics Corporation
  • Correspondent: METANETICS CORPORATION, 1850 UNION STREET, SUITE 444, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123.
  • Context: Transfer of intellectual property from the inventors to the initial corporate entity.

• 1999-03-24 (executed) / recorded 1999-03-30 — Reel 009895/0302

  • Conveyance: Security Agreement
  • Assignor: TELXON CORPORATION
  • Assignee: THE BANK OF NEW YORK, AS AGENT
  • Correspondent: MCDERMOTT, WILL & EMERY, P.O. BOX 1903, WASHINGTON, DC 20013-1903. This correspondent recurs multiple times in this chain.
  • Context: Securitization of assets by Telxon Corporation with a banking institution.

• 1999-06-25 (executed) / recorded 1999-07-12 — Reel 009904/0833

  • Conveyance: Security Agreement
  • Assignor: META HOLDING CORPORATION
  • Assignee: THE BANK OF NEW YORK, AS AGENT
  • Correspondent: MCDERMOTT, WILL & EMERY, P.O. BOX 1903, WASHINGTON, DC 20013-1903. This correspondent recurs multiple times in this chain.
  • Context: Securitization of assets by Meta Holding Corporation with a banking institution.

• 1999-09-02 (executed) / recorded 1999-09-09 — Reel 010023/0488

  • Conveyance: Release
  • Assignor: THE BANK OF NEW YORK, AS AGENT
  • Assignee: TELXON CORPORATION
  • Correspondent: MCDERMOTT, WILL & EMERY, P.O. BOX 1903, WASHINGTON, DC 20013-1903. This correspondent recurs multiple times in this chain.
  • Context: Release of security interest held by The Bank of New York from Telxon Corporation.

• 1999-08-30 (executed) / recorded 1999-09-09 — Reel 010023/0491

  • Conveyance: Security Agreement
  • Assignor: META HOLDING CORPORATION
  • Assignee: FOOTHILL CAPITAL CORPORATION, AS AGENT
  • Correspondent: MCDERMOTT, WILL & EMERY, P.O. BOX 1903, WASHINGTON, DC 20013-1903. This correspondent recurs multiple times in this chain.
  • Context: New securitization of assets by Meta Holding Corporation with Foothill Capital.

• 1999-09-02 (executed) / recorded 1999-09-09 — Reel 010023/0494

  • Conveyance: Release
  • Assignor: THE BANK OF NEW YORK, AS AGENT
  • Assignee: META HOLDING CORPORATION
  • Correspondent: MCDERMOTT, WILL & EMERY, P.O. BOX 1903, WASHINGTON, DC 20013-1903. This correspondent recurs multiple times in this chain.
  • Context: Release of security interest held by The Bank of New York from Meta Holding Corporation.

• 1999-09-01 (executed) / recorded 1999-09-09 — Reel 010023/0497

  • Conveyance: Release
  • Assignor: BANK ONE, NA
  • Assignee: META HOLDING CORPORATION
  • Correspondent: MCDERMOTT, WILL & EMERY, P.O. BOX 1903, WASHINGTON, DC 20013-1903. This correspondent recurs multiple times in this chain.
  • Context: Release of security interest held by Bank One from Meta Holding Corporation.

• 2000-03-22 (executed) / recorded 2000-03-27 — Reel 010839/0474

  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
  • Assignor: METANETICS CORPORATION
  • Assignee: META HOLDING CORPORATION
  • Correspondent: WILLIAM E. BELLER, METANETICS CORPORATION, 1850 UNION ST., #444, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. (Inventor William E. Beller is listed as correspondent).
  • Context: Transfer of patent interest from Metanetics Corporation to Meta Holding Corporation, indicating a possible internal corporate restructuring or asset transfer.

• 2002-04-03 (executed) / recorded 2002-04-08 — Reel 012759/0517

  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
  • Assignor: TELXON CORPORATION
  • Assignee: SYMBOL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
  • Correspondent: SYMBOL TECHNOLOGIES, INC., ONE SYMBOL PLAZA, MS A-14, HOLTSVILLE, NY 11742-1300.
  • Context: Acquisition of Telxon Corporation by Symbol Technologies, Inc., leading to the assignment of patent assets.

• 2004-12-16 (executed) / recorded 2004-12-22 — Reel 015392/0501

  • Conveyance: Change of Name
  • Assignor: METANETICS CORPORATION
  • Assignee: META HOLDING CORPORATION
  • Correspondent: META HOLDING CORPORATION, 1850 UNION STREET, #444, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123.
  • Context: Formal record that Metanetics Corporation changed its legal name to Meta Holding Corporation.

• 2004-12-16 (executed) / recorded 2004-12-22 — Reel 015392/0507

  • Conveyance: Merger
  • Assignor: META HOLDING CORPORATION
  • Assignee: TELXON CORPORATION
  • Correspondent: TELXON CORPORATION, 3330 W. MARKET ST., AKRON, OH 44333.
  • Context: Merger of Meta Holding Corporation (which was previously Metanetics Corporation) into Telxon Corporation.

• 2005-01-05 (executed) / recorded 2005-01-05 — Reel 016148/0331

  • Conveyance: Security Agreement
  • Assignor: SYMBOL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
  • Assignee: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.
  • Correspondent: J.P. MORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., 270 PARK AVENUE, NEW YORK, NY 10017. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Securitization of assets by Symbol Technologies, Inc. with JPMorgan Chase Bank.

• 2005-03-10 (executed) / recorded 2005-03-15 — Reel 016187/0980

  • Conveyance: Release
  • Assignor: FOOTHILL CAPITAL CORPORATION
  • Assignee: META HOLDING CORPORATION
  • Correspondent: DLA PIPER RUDNICK GRAY CARY US LLP, ATTN: TRADEMARK DEPT., 1200 NINETEENTH STREET, N.W., WASHINGTON, DC 20036.
  • Context: Release of security interest held by Foothill Capital Corporation from Meta Holding Corporation.

• 2010-12-03 (executed) / recorded 2010-12-03 — Reel 025686/0200

  • Conveyance: Release
  • Assignor: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.
  • Assignee: SYMBOL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
  • Correspondent: J.P. MORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., 270 PARK AVENUE, NEW YORK, NY 10017. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Release of security interest held by JPMorgan Chase Bank from Symbol Technologies, Inc.

Note on Chronology and Ownership: There is a logical inconsistency in the recorded chain of ownership. In 2000, Metanetics Corporation assigned its interest in the patent to Meta Holding Corporation. In 2002, Telxon Corporation assigned its interest in the patent to Symbol Technologies, Inc.. This implies Telxon must have acquired the patent from Meta Holding (or Metanetics) between 2000 and 2002, but no corresponding assignment record exists for this transfer in the USPTO database for this specific patent. Additionally, in 2004, Meta Holding Corporation (which by then was the new name of Metanetics Corporation) merged into Telxon Corporation. If Meta Holding owned the patent at that time, Telxon would have re-acquired it, despite having assigned it to Symbol in 2002. For the purpose of tracing direct ownership via explicit assignments, Symbol Technologies, Inc. is the last recorded owner through an "Assignment of Assignors Interest". Subsequent corporate events involving Meta Holding and Telxon do not explicitly reverse this transfer of ownership for this specific patent in the USPTO records.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 5602377
    1995 : Inventors to Metanetics
    1997 : Patent Issued
    1999 : Telxon Security Agreement
         : Meta Holding Security
         : Bank of NY releases Telxon
         : Foothill Security for Meta
         : Bank of NY releases Meta
         : Bank One releases Meta
    2000 : Metanetics to Meta Holding
    2002 : Telxon to Symbol Technologies
    2004 : Metanetics name change to Meta
         : Meta Holding merges to Telxon
    2005 : Symbol Security to JPMorgan
         : Foothill releases Meta Holding
    2010 : JPMorgan releases Symbol

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Unclear. While "Meta Holding Corporation" could potentially be a holding company, its connection to the original operating company "Metanetics Corporation" via a name change and merger into "Telxon Corporation" suggests a complex corporate restructuring involving operating entities rather than a pure shell for assertion. There's no clear evidence of it being a non-operating, single-purpose LLC.
2. Known asserter in the chain — Not present. None of the assignees (Metanetics, Meta Holding, Telxon, Symbol Technologies, Inc., or the banks involved in security interests) are typically identified as known patent assertion entities (NPEs) from public lists. Symbol Technologies, Inc. (and its successor, Symbol Technologies, LLC) is a major operating company in the bar code industry.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Present. MCDERMOTT, WILL & EMERY appears as correspondent on six records from 1999 related to security agreements and releases. J.P. MORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A. also appears as a correspondent twice for security agreements. While these are recurring correspondents, they are associated with financial transactions (security interests and releases) rather than direct patent assignments in a typical NPE acquisition pattern.
4. Cascading transfers — Not present. The transfers are generally spaced out (years apart for ownership transfers) and largely associated with corporate acquisitions, mergers, or financial arrangements, not rapid successive assignments between shell entities.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — Not present. There is no record of litigation involving this patent, thus no pre-litigation transfers can be observed.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. No evidence suggests any of the assignors or assignees declared bankruptcy, leading to a fire-sale of patent assets. The transfers appear to be part of regular business operations or acquisitions.
7. Privateering — Not present. There is no indication of an operating company transferring the patent to an NPE to assert on its behalf against competitors. The chain leads to Symbol Technologies, Inc., an operating company.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The chain does not terminate at a known defensive aggregator like RPX, AST, or LOT Network.

Verdict

Operating-company assertion

The assignment chain for U.S. Patent 5,602,377 primarily involves transfers between operating companies within the bar code and mobile computing industry, culminating with Symbol Technologies, Inc. (and its successors, like Symbol Technologies, LLC, which is now part of Zebra Technologies). The various security agreements and releases reflect corporate financing activities, and while the chronological order of some corporate events introduces ambiguity, the direct assignment of "assignors interest" to Symbol Technologies, Inc. in 2002 is a clear indicator of a transfer to an operating entity. There are no strong signals suggesting a shell-entity transfer or involvement of known patent assertion entities.

For verification, see the USPTO Patent Assignment Search for Patent 5602377: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/