Assignment history

Inventors

• Laurence C. Klein: The sole inventor listed on the patent. At the time of the original provisional application filings in October 1996 and the full utility filing in October 1997, Mr. Klein's company, Imagination Software, Inc., was the original assignee. No unusual departure patterns from the original assignee are apparent as the inventor was also the principal of the company.

Original assignee

Imagination Software, Inc. was a software company founded by Laurence C. Klein. The patent abstract and detailed description suggest the company was developing a software architecture for managing and integrating different software "engines" (like OCR, barcode scanning, etc.) and providing a standardized way to view and interact with electronic documents. The company appears to have been an operating entity attempting to commercialize the technology described in the patent. Public records indicate the company became inactive, and its assets, including this patent, were subsequently sold.

Assignment timeline

• 1997-10-15 (executed) / 1997-10-21 (recorded) — Reel 008886/0149

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT
  • Assignor: KLEIN, LAURENCE C.
  • Assignee: IMAGINATION SOFTWARE, INC.
  • Correspondent: BLAKELY SOKOLOFF TAYLOR & ZAFMAN, 12400 WILSHIRE BLVD 7TH FL, LOS ANGELES, CA 90025
  • Context: Initial assignment from the inventor to his company.

• 2003-03-03 (executed) / 2003-03-05 (recorded) — Reel 013686/0331

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
  • Assignor: KLEIN, LAURENCE C., IMAGINATION SOFTWARE, INC.
  • Assignee: DONNER, INC.
  • Correspondent: Laurence C. Klein, 8711 Chippenham Dr, Potomac, MD 20854
  • Context: Transfer from the original, likely defunct, operating company and the inventor to a new entity, Donner, Inc.

• 2009-09-30 (executed) / 2011-02-24 (recorded) — Reel 025877/0652

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT
  • Assignor: DONNER, INC.
  • Assignee: RENAISSANCE GROUP IP HOLDINGS, LLC
  • Correspondent: Matthew G. McAndrews, GIBSON, DUNN & CRUTCHER LLP, 3161 MICHELSON DRIVE, IRVINE, CA 92612-4412
  • Context: Transfer to a holding company, likely for monetization purposes. Note the significant delay between execution and recording.

• 2009-09-30 (executed) / 2011-03-02 (recorded) — Reel 025916/0995

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT (CORRECTIVE)
  • Assignor: DONNER, INC.
  • Assignee: RENAISSANCE GROUP IP HOLDINGS, LLC
  • Correspondent: Matthew G. McAndrews, GIBSON, DUNN & CRUTCHER LLP, 3161 MICHELSON DRIVE, IRVINE, CA 92612-4412
  • Context: A corrective assignment to fix the execution date of the prior transfer. The correspondent is the same, indicating a clean-up of the record.

• 2012-02-02 (executed) / 2012-02-03 (recorded) — Reel 027464/0073

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT
  • Assignor: RENAISSANCE GROUP IP HOLDINGS, LLC
  • Assignee: PROJECT PAPERLESS, LLC
  • Correspondent: Matthew G. McAndrews, GIBSON, DUNN & CRUTCHER LLP, 3161 MICHELSON DRIVE, IRVINE, CA 92612-4412
  • Context: Transfer between two IP holding entities. The recurring correspondent, Matthew G. McAndrews, suggests these entities are related parts of a larger monetization strategy.

• 2012-09-19 (executed) / 2012-10-09 (recorded) — Reel 028913/0586

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT
  • Assignor: PROJECT PAPERLESS, LLC
  • Assignee: MPHJ TECHNOLOGY INVESTMENTS, LLC
  • Correspondent: Daniel A. Shifrin, Shifrin & Associates, 1180 S. Beverly Drive, Suite 505, Los Angeles, CA 90035
  • Context: Transfer to MPHJ Technology Investments, LLC, a well-documented, high-volume patent assertion entity. This transfer immediately precedes the start of MPHJ's widespread litigation campaign.

• 2013-09-27 (executed) / 2013-10-04 (recorded) — Reel 031267/0315

  • Conveyance: NUNC PRO TUNC ASSIGNMENT
  • Assignor: PROJECT PAPERLESS, LLC
  • Assignee: MPHJ TECHNOLOGY INVESTMENTS, LLC
  • Correspondent: Daniel A. Shifrin, Shifrin & Associates, 1180 S. Beverly Drive, Suite 505, Los Angeles, CA 90035
  • Context: A "nunc pro tunc" (now for then) assignment to correct a prior transfer, likely to perfect the chain of title for litigation purposes. The correspondent is the same as the previous transfer to MPHJ.

• 2013-07-02 (executed) / 2013-07-08 (recorded) — Reel 030616/0651

  • Conveyance: SECURITY AGREEMENT
  • Assignor: MPHJ TECHNOLOGY INVESTMENTS, LLC
  • Assignee: BONITA SUNRISE, LLC; WEXFORD HOLDINGS, LLC
  • Correspondent: Joseph R. Hrouda, HROUDA,NUSS & OMI, LLP, 1600 S. Main St, Walnut Creek, CA 94596
  • Context: MPHJ secures financing against its patent portfolio, a common practice for funding litigation campaigns.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 6185590
    1997 : Filed by inventor L. Klein
         : Assigned to Imagination Software
    2001 : Patent Issued
    2003 : Assigned to Donner Inc
    2009 : Assigned to Renaissance Group IP
    2012 : Re-assigned to Project Paperless
         : Assigned to MPHJ Technology
    2013 : First infringement suits filed
         : Security agreement with investors

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Present. The chain shows a transfer from an operating company (Imagination Software) to a series of LLCs with names indicative of non-operating patent holding: "Renaissance Group IP Holdings, LLC," "Project Paperless, LLC," and "MPHJ Technology Investments, LLC." These entities do not appear to have products or services beyond patent licensing. The transfer to MPHJ (Reel 028913/0586) is the clearest example.

2. Known asserter in the chain — Present. The current assignee, MPHJ Technology Investments, LLC, is a widely recognized high-volume patent assertion entity. Its litigation campaigns, particularly those targeting small businesses with "scan-to-email" functionalities, have been extensively documented by organizations like EFF and have resulted in actions by state attorneys general. This is confirmed by the assignment recorded at Reel 028913/0586 on October 9, 2012.

3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Present. Matthew G. McAndrews of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP acted as the correspondent for the transfers from Donner, Inc. to Renaissance Group IP Holdings (Reel 025877/0652) and from Renaissance to Project Paperless (Reel 027464/0073), linking these holding companies. Subsequently, Daniel A. Shifrin of Shifrin & Associates handled the transfers from Project Paperless to MPHJ (Reel 028913/0586 and the corrective 031267/0315), indicating a handoff to litigation counsel.

4. Cascading transfers — Present. The patent was transferred from Renaissance Group IP Holdings, LLC to Project Paperless, LLC on February 2, 2012 (Reel 027464/0073), and then from Project Paperless, LLC to MPHJ Technology Investments, LLC on September 19, 2012 (Reel 028913/0586). These two transfers to distinct LLCs occurred within approximately 7 months, a clear cascading pattern.

5. Pre-litigation transfer — Present. The key assignment to MPHJ Technology Investments, LLC was executed on September 19, 2012, and recorded on October 9, 2012 (Reel 028913/0586). The first documented infringement lawsuits by MPHJ asserting this patent, such as against D-Link Systems, Inc. (3:12-cv-02996, S.D. Cal.), were filed in December 2012, well within the 6-month window.

6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. There is no evidence in the assignment record that Imagination Software, Inc. underwent formal bankruptcy proceedings that resulted in a court-ordered sale of its assets. The transfer appears to have been a private transaction.

7. Privateering — Not present. The original assignee, Imagination Software, Inc., appears to have ceased operations long before the assertion campaign began. This is not a case of an operating company using an NPE to sue its current competitors.

8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The chain of title does not include any known defensive aggregators like RPX, AST, or LOT Network. The patent remains with an assertion entity.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence

The ownership history of U.S. Patent 6,185,590 displays multiple, strong signals of non-practicing entity (NPE) activity. The patent was transferred through a cascade of holding companies (Reel 027464/0073, 028913/0586) before landing with MPHJ Technology Investments, LLC, a well-known patent assertion entity. This final transfer occurred just months before MPHJ initiated a large-scale litigation campaign, indicating a clear intent to monetize the patent through enforcement rather than product development.

Verify the full assignment history at the USPTO Patent Assignment Search.