Patent 6098106

Assignment history

Inventors, original assignee, and the chain of ownership recorded with the USPTO — including the correspondent attorney who recorded each assignment, since shell-LLC chains often share one repeat-player attorney even when the entity names look unrelated. Surfaces NPE / patent-troll patterns: shell-entity transfers, known asserters in the chain, repeat correspondent fingerprints, pre-litigation assignments, and bankruptcy fire-sales.

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Ownership chain (11)

Asserters network →

Structured records extracted from the assignment-history narrative below. Each entity links to its full ownership-network profile.

2000-11-20 · recorded 2000-12-04 · reel 011330/0173 · ASSIGNMENT
DIGITAL CONVERGENCE.COM, INC.DIGITAL:CONVERGENCE CORPORATION
Correspondent: · BROWNING, BUSSE & EBERLE
internal corporate name change or restructuring
2004-06-03 · recorded 2004-06-14 · reel 012879/0176 · ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
DIGITAL:CONVERGENCE CORPORATION, FORMERLY KOWN AS DIGITAL CONVERGENCE.COM INC., FORMERLY KNOWN AS DIGITAL CONVERGENCE.COM INC.JACK A TURPIN
Correspondent: C.M. KISCH · LAW OFFICE OF C.M. KISCH
Transfer from the defunct original operating company to an individual
2004-06-03 · recorded 2004-06-14 · reel 012879/0178 · ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
TURPIN, JACK A.LV PARTNERS, L.P.
Correspondent: C.M. KISCH · LAW OFFICE OF C.M. KISCH
Transfer from an individual to a limited partnership on the same day as the prior transfer
2008-10-15 · recorded 2008-10-20 · reel 021287/0572 · ASSIGNMENT
LV PARTNERS, L.P.RPX CORPORATION
Transfer from a limited partnership to a defensive patent aggregator
2008-10-15 · recorded 2008-10-20 · reel 021287/0574 · ASSIGNMENT
RPX CORPORATION RPX-LV ACQUISITION LLC
Internal transfer within the RPX corporate structure
2008-12-22 · recorded 2008-12-30 · reel 021434/0073 · SECURITY AGREEMENT
RPX-LV ACQUISITION LLC LV PARTNERS, L.P.
Grant of a security interest from RPX-LV Acquisition LLC to LV Partners, L.P.
2011-09-02 · recorded 2011-10-17 · reel 027357/0270 · ASSIGNMENT
RPX-LV ACQUISITION LLC RPX CORPORATION
Internal transfer, consolidating ownership back to RPX Corporation
2012-10-24 · recorded 2012-10-30 · reel 029241/0001 · RELEASE BY SECURED PARTY
LV PARTNERS, L.P.RPX CORPORATION; RPX-LV ACQUISITION LLC
Release of the security interest held by LV Partners, L.P.
2018-06-25 · recorded 2018-06-29 · reel 038676/0993 · SECURITY INTEREST
RPX CORPORATION JEFFERIES FINANCE LLC
Correspondent: ROBERT A. FENYVES · HOGAN LOVELLS US
Grant of a security interest from RPX Corporation to Jefferies Finance LLC
2018-12-04 · recorded 2018-12-10 · reel 039014/0001 · RELEASE BY SECURED PARTY
JEFFERIES FINANCE LLC RPX CORPORATION
Correspondent: ROBERT A. FENYVES · HOGAN LOVELLS US
Release of a security interest by Jefferies Finance LLC
2020-10-20 · recorded 2020-10-26 · reel 041355/0369 · RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST
JEFFERIES FINANCE LLC RPX CORPORATION
Another release of security interest by Jefferies Finance LLC

Assignment history

✓ Generated

Inventors

Jeffry Jovan Philyaw
David Kent Mathews
Brad Maxwell Smith
Paul Scovell Adams

The provided patent text does not specify the employer of the inventors at the time of filing, but the original assignee was Digital Convergence com Inc. There is no information to suggest an unusual pattern of inventors departing the original assignee within 12 months of filing.

Original assignee

The original assignee of US Patent 6,098,106 was Digital Convergence com Inc. (also known as Digital:Convergence Corporation). This company was a tech firm founded in 1997 in Dallas, TX, focused on bridging broadcast and print content with online resources using proprietary technology. Their primary product embodying claims similar to the patent was the ":CueCat" device, a cat-shaped barcode scanner launched in 2000 that allowed users to scan barcodes in print media and even audio tones from television broadcasts to automatically navigate to associated web pages. Digital Convergence Corporation is now defunct, with its servers reportedly shutting down by 2002 due to commercial failure and privacy concerns surrounding the :CueCat.

Assignment timeline

2000-11-20 (executed) / recorded 2000-12-04 — Reel 011330/0173
- Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT
- Assignor: DIGITAL CONVERGENCE.COM, INC.
- Assignee: DIGITAL:CONVERGENCE CORPORATION
- Correspondent: BROWNING, BUSSE & EBERLE, P.C., C/O BROWNING, BUSSE & EBERLE, P.C. 5718 WESTHEIMER, SUITE 1650 HOUSTON, TX 77057.
- Context: This appears to be an internal corporate name change or restructuring.
2004-06-03 (executed) / recorded 2004-06-14 — Reel 012879/0176
- Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
- Assignor: DIGITAL:CONVERGENCE CORPORATION, FORMERLY KOWN AS DIGITAL CONVERGENCE.COM INC., FORMERLY KNOWN AS DIGITAL CONVERGENCE.COM INC.
- Assignee: JACK A. TURPIN
- Correspondent: C.M. KISCH, ESQ., C/O LAW OFFICE OF C.M. KISCH, ESQ. 3000 LEGACY DR. STE. 240, PMB 205 PLANO, TX 75023.
- Context: Transfer from the defunct original operating company to an individual.
2004-06-03 (executed) / recorded 2004-06-14 — Reel 012879/0178
- Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
- Assignor: TURPIN, JACK A.
- Assignee: LV PARTNERS, L.P.
- Correspondent: C.M. KISCH, ESQ., C/O LAW OFFICE OF C.M. KISCH, ESQ. 3000 LEGACY DR. STE. 240, PMB 205 PLANO, TX 75023. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
- Context: Transfer from an individual to a limited partnership on the same day as the prior transfer.
2008-10-15 (executed) / recorded 2008-10-20 — Reel 021287/0572
- Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT
- Assignor: LV PARTNERS, L.P.
- Assignee: RPX CORPORATION
- Correspondent: RPX CORPORATION, ATTN: LEGAL DEPT. 101 CALIFORNIA ST., SUITE 3300 SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94111. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
- Context: Transfer from a limited partnership to a defensive patent aggregator.
2008-10-15 (executed) / recorded 2008-10-20 — Reel 021287/0574
- Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT
- Assignor: RPX CORPORATION
- Assignee: RPX-LV ACQUISITION LLC
- Correspondent: RPX CORPORATION, ATTN: LEGAL DEPT. 101 CALIFORNIA ST., SUITE 3300 SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94111. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
- Context: Internal transfer within the RPX corporate structure.
2008-12-22 (executed) / recorded 2008-12-30 — Reel 021434/0073
- Conveyance: SECURITY AGREEMENT
- Assignor: RPX-LV ACQUISITION LLC
- Assignee: LV PARTNERS, L.P.
- Correspondent: RPX CORPORATION, ATTN: LEGAL DEPT. 101 CALIFORNIA ST., SUITE 3300 SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94111. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
- Context: Grant of a security interest from RPX-LV Acquisition LLC to LV Partners, L.P.
2011-09-02 (executed) / recorded 2011-10-17 — Reel 027357/0270
- Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT
- Assignor: RPX-LV ACQUISITION LLC
- Assignee: RPX CORPORATION
- Correspondent: RPX CORPORATION, ATTN: LEGAL DEPT. 101 CALIFORNIA ST., SUITE 3300 SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94111. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
- Context: Internal transfer, consolidating ownership back to RPX Corporation.
2012-10-24 (executed) / recorded 2012-10-30 — Reel 029241/0001
- Conveyance: RELEASE BY SECURED PARTY
- Assignor: LV PARTNERS, L.P.
- Assignee: RPX CORPORATION, RPX-LV ACQUISITION LLC
- Correspondent: RPX CORPORATION, ATTN: LEGAL DEPT. 101 CALIFORNIA ST., SUITE 3300 SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94111. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
- Context: Release of the security interest held by LV Partners, L.P.
2018-06-25 (executed) / recorded 2018-06-29 — Reel 038676/0993
- Conveyance: SECURITY INTEREST
- Assignor: RPX CORPORATION
- Assignee: JEFFERIES FINANCE LLC
- Correspondent: ROBERT A. FENYVES, HOGAN LOVELLS US LLP, 7930 JONES BRANCH DRIVE, 9TH FLOOR MCLEAN, VA 22102.
- Context: Grant of a security interest from RPX Corporation to Jefferies Finance LLC.
2018-12-04 (executed) / recorded 2018-12-10 — Reel 039014/0001
- Conveyance: RELEASE BY SECURED PARTY
- Assignor: JEFFERIES FINANCE LLC
- Assignee: RPX CORPORATION
- Correspondent: ROBERT A. FENYVES, HOGAN LOVELLS US LLP, 7930 JONES BRANCH DRIVE, 9TH FLOOR MCLEAN, VA 22102. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
- Context: Release of a security interest by Jefferies Finance LLC.
2020-10-20 (executed) / recorded 2020-10-26 — Reel 041355/0369
- Conveyance: RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST
- Assignor: JEFFERIES FINANCE LLC
- Assignee: RPX CORPORATION
- Correspondent: RPX CORPORATION, ATTN: LEGAL DEPT. 101 CALIFORNIA ST., SUITE 3300 SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94111. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
- Context: Another release of security interest by Jefferies Finance LLC.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 6098106
    2000 : Assigned to Digital:Convergence Corp
    2004 : Assigned to Jack A Turpin
         : Assigned to LV Partners L.P.
    2008 : Assigned to RPX Corporation
         : Assigned to RPX-LV Acquisition LLC
         : Security agreement to LV Partners
    2011 : Assigned to RPX Corporation
    2012 : Release by LV Partners L.P.
    2018 : Security interest to Jefferies
    2018 : Release by Jefferies
    2020 : Release by Jefferies

NPE / troll-pattern signals

Shell-entity transfer — Present.
- LV Partners, L.P. (assignee in 2004) is a limited partnership, often used for investment vehicles that may not produce products. [cite: Reel 012879/0178]
- RPX-LV Acquisition LLC (assignee in 2008) is an LLC with "Acquisition" in its name, suggesting a special-purpose entity for asset holding. [cite: Reel 021287/0574]
Known asserter in the chain — Present (Defensive Aggregator).
- RPX Corporation is a well-known defensive aggregator, not a patent asserter. [cite: Reel 021287/0572, Reel 027357/0270]
Repeat correspondent across the chain — Present.
- C.M. KISCH, ESQ. handled consecutive assignments from Digital:Convergence Corporation to Jack A. Turpin and then to LV Partners, L.P. on the same day in 2004. [cite: Reel 012879/0176, Reel 012879/0178]
- RPX CORPORATION (as correspondent) appears for multiple assignments and security agreement recordings related to RPX from 2008 to 2012 and again in 2020. [cite: Reel 021287/0572, Reel 021287/0574, Reel 021434/0073, Reel 027357/0270, Reel 029241/0001, Reel 041355/0369]
Cascading transfers — Present.
- On 2004-06-03 (executed) / 2004-06-14 (recorded), the patent was transferred from Digital:Convergence Corporation to Jack A. Turpin, and immediately thereafter from Jack A. Turpin to LV Partners, L.P. [cite: Reel 012879/0176, Reel 012879/0178]
- On 2008-10-15 (executed) / 2008-10-20 (recorded), the patent was transferred from LV Partners, L.P. to RPX Corporation, and then immediately to RPX-LV Acquisition LLC. [cite: Reel 021287/0572, Reel 021287/0574]
Pre-litigation transfer — Not present. No known litigation involving this patent.
Bankruptcy fire-sale — Unclear. The transfer from the defunct Digital:Convergence Corporation in 2004 [cite: Reel 012879/0176] suggests a liquidation of assets from a failed business. While not explicitly stated as a formal bankruptcy proceeding, it functions similarly to a fire-sale of intellectual property.
Privateering — Not present. No evidence to support this.
Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Present. RPX Corporation is the current assignee, which is a known defensive aggregator. [cite: Reel 021287/0572, Reel 027357/0270]

Verdict

Defensive / non-asserting
The assignment chain clearly terminates with RPX Corporation, a prominent defensive aggregator, which acquired the patent in 2008 and 2011 (with internal transfers). The patent also exhibits signals of cascading transfers (Reel 012879/0176, Reel 012879/0178; Reel 021287/0572, Reel 021287/0574), indicating a transactional history consistent with patents being moved through secondary markets, often for defensive or investment purposes rather than direct assertion.

USPTO Patent Assignment Search for US6098106

Generated 5/30/2026, 12:48:05 AM