Assignment history

Inventors

The patent names three inventors. Based on the original assignment, all were affiliated with the original assignee, Ameritech Corporation, at the time of filing.

• Edward J. Franczek
• John Thomas Bretscher
• Raymond Walden Bennett, III

There are no unusual patterns, such as inventor departures, noted in the file history. This appears to be a standard corporate invention assignment.

Original assignee

The original assignee of record was Ameritech Corporation. Ameritech was one of the Regional Bell Operating Companies (RBOCs or "Baby Bells") formed after the 1984 breakup of the original AT&T. As a major telecommunications provider, its primary business was providing telephone and data services over its network, which aligns with the patent's subject matter of screening data within a telephone network. Ameritech did not ship a standalone software or hardware product embodying the claims, but rather could have implemented such a service within its network infrastructure.

Ameritech was acquired by SBC Communications in 1999. SBC later acquired AT&T Corp. in 2005 and rebranded the combined company as AT&T Inc. Ameritech is therefore a corporate predecessor to the modern AT&T.

Assignment timeline

The following is a chronological list of all recorded ownership changes for US patent 5,987,610, based on the USPTO Assignment Search database.

• 1998-02-12 (executed) / recorded 1998-05-18 — Reel 009384/0488

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: Edward J. Franczek, John Thomas Bretscher, Raymond Walden Bennett, III (The Inventors)
  • Assignee: Ameritech Corporation
  • Correspondent: McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff, Chicago, IL
  • Context: Standard assignment of invention from employees to their employer.

• 2003-04-01 (executed) / recorded 2003-04-25 — Reel 013775/0285

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: Ameritech Corporation
  • Assignee: Ameritech Properties, Inc.
  • Correspondent: Lori A. Hissong, Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione, Chicago, IL
  • Context: Internal reorganization, likely moving intellectual property into a dedicated holding subsidiary.

• 2003-04-01 (executed) / recorded 2003-04-25 — Reel 013775/0290

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: Ameritech Properties, Inc.
  • Assignee: SBC Holdings Properties, L.P.
  • Correspondent: Lori A. Hissong, Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione, Chicago, IL. This is the same correspondent as the preceding entry.
  • Context: Second step in a same-day internal reorganization following the SBC acquisition of Ameritech.

• 2003-04-01 (executed) / recorded 2003-04-25 — Reel 013775/0292

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: SBC Holdings Properties, L.P.
  • Assignee: SBC Properties, L.P.
  • Correspondent: Lori A. Hissong, Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione, Chicago, IL. This is the same correspondent as the preceding two entries.
  • Context: Third step in a same-day internal reorganization, consolidating the patent under an SBC IP entity.

• 2005-10-21 (executed) / recorded 2006-02-27 — Reel 017387/0001

  • Conveyance: Security Agreement
  • Assignor: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P.
  • Assignee: The Board of Regents of The University of Texas System
  • Correspondent: J. Michael Gibbons, Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P., Austin, TX
  • Context: A security agreement, suggesting the patent was used as collateral; this was not a full transfer of title but granted a security interest.

• 2005-10-21 (executed) / recorded 2006-03-13 — Reel 017604/0001

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: The Board of Regents of The University of Texas System
  • Assignee: Verve, L.L.C.
  • Correspondent: William J. Blease, Cooley Godward LLP, Palo Alto, CA
  • Context: Transfer of ownership out of the AT&T/UT System lineage to a third-party LLC.

• 2006-11-01 (executed) / recorded 2006-11-13 — Reel 018449/0902

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: SBC Properties, L.P.
  • Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P.
  • Correspondent: AT&T, Bedminster, NJ
  • Context: An internal assignment and change-of-name following the SBC/AT&T merger, clarifying the patent was held by the new AT&T IP entity before the security agreement was executed.

• 2006-11-09 (executed) / recorded 2007-03-05 — Reel 019253/0762

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: Verve, L.L.C.
  • Assignee: AUCTNYC 8 LLC
  • Correspondent: Perkins Coie LLP, Seattle, WA. Perkins Coie is a known, frequent correspondent for Intellectual Ventures acquisitions.
  • Context: Transfer to a holding company with a generic name, a common tactic for acquisitions by large patent aggregators.

• 2010-10-01 (executed) / recorded 2010-12-07 — Reel 025547/0653

  • Conveyance: Merger
  • Assignor: AUCTNYC 8 LLC
  • Assignee: Intellectual Ventures I LLC
  • Correspondent: Intellectual Ventures, New York, NY
  • Context: Final consolidation of the patent from a holding vehicle into the main Intellectual Ventures fund, recorded the day before litigation began.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 5987610
    1998 : Filed by Ameritech
    1999 : Issued
    2003 : Internal reorgs to SBC Properties LP
    2006 : Transfer to Verve LLC
    2007 : Assigned to AUCTNYC 8 LLC
    2010 : Merged into Intellectual Ventures
         : First infringement suit filed
    2016 : Asserted claim invalidated by CAFC

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer: Present. The assignment from Verve, L.L.C. to AUCTNYC 8 LLC (Reel 019253/0762) and the subsequent merger of that entity into Intellectual Ventures I LLC (Reel 025547/0653) represent a clear transfer from the lineage of an operating company (AT&T) to non-operating entities designed for holding and asserting patents.

2. Known asserter in the chain: Present. The final assignee of record is Intellectual Ventures I LLC (Reel 025547/0653), one of the largest and most well-known patent assertion entities in the world.

3. Repeat correspondent across the chain: Present. Lori A. Hissong of Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione handled three consecutive internal assignments for SBC entities (Reels beginning at 013775/0285). More significantly, Perkins Coie LLP, the correspondent for the AUCTNYC 8 LLC assignment (Reel 019253/0762), is widely known in the industry as a primary outside counsel for handling Intellectual Ventures' patent acquisitions.

4. Cascading transfers: Present. The three same-day assignments in 2003 (Reel 013775) represent an internal cascade. The external transfer sequence from the AT&T/UT system to Verve, L.L.C. (2006), then to AUCTNYC 8 LLC (2007), and finally to Intellectual Ventures (2010) shows a deliberate chain leading to the eventual asserter.

5. Pre-litigation transfer: Present. The merger assigning the patent to Intellectual Ventures I LLC was recorded at the USPTO on December 7, 2010 (Reel 025547/0653). Intellectual Ventures filed its first infringement lawsuit asserting this patent just one day later, on December 8, 2010, in Intellectual Ventures I LLC v. Symantec Corp. This timing clearly indicates the transfer was made to establish standing immediately prior to litigation.

6. Bankruptcy fire-sale: Not present. The original assignee, Ameritech, was acquired by SBC in a major corporate merger, not liquidated in bankruptcy.

7. Privateering: Unclear. The patent originated at a major operating company (Ameritech/AT&T) and was transferred to an NPE (Intellectual Ventures) that later sued others in the tech industry. While this fits the general pattern of privateering, there is no public record confirming that AT&T retained a financial stake or shared in the assertion revenue. The transfer appears to be a straightforward portfolio sale.

8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE): Not present. The ownership chain terminates with a prolific patent asserter, the opposite of a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence

The ownership history of US patent 5,987,610 provides overwhelming evidence of its use as a non-practicing entity (NPE) asset. The chain of title clearly shows the patent moving from its origin at an operating telecom company (Ameritech/AT&T) through a series of holding companies (AUCTNYC 8 LLC) and ultimately to one of the world's most well-known patent assertion entities, Intellectual Ventures (Reel 025547/0653). The final assignment was recorded the day before the first infringement suit was filed, demonstrating a textbook pre-litigation transfer to establish standing for an assertion campaign.

Verification link: USPTO Patent Assignment Search for Pat. No. 5987610