Assignment history

Inventors

• Joseph Bibb Cain (Employer: Harris Corporation at time of assignment on 2002-08-08, likely also at time of filing)

Original assignee

The original assignee named on the issued patent US6961310B2 is Individual. However, an assignment recorded on 2002-08-08 indicates HARRIS CORPORATION as the assignee. Harris Corporation is a global aerospace and defense technology innovator that provides products embodying various claims, and as of today, May 29, 2026, it is an operating company (now L3Harris Technologies).

Assignment timeline

• 2002-08-08 (executed) / recorded 2002-08-08

  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
  • Assignor: CAIN, JOSEPH BIBB
  • Assignee: HARRIS CORPORATION
  • Correspondent: Not listed on Google Patents; USPTO Assignment Center search needed for full detail.
  • Context: Original assignment from inventor to corporation.

• 2020-06-05 (executed) / recorded 2020-06-05 — Reel 052853/0153

  • Conveyance: PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT
  • Assignor: ACACIA RESEARCH GROUP LLC, AMERICAN VEHICULAR SCIENCES LLC, BONUTTI SKELETAL INNOVATIONS LLC, CELLULAR COMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT LLC, INNOVATIVE DISPLAY TECHNOLOGIES LLC, LIFEPORT SCIENCES LLC, LIMESTONE MEMORY SYSTEMS LLC, MERTON ACQUISITION HOLDCO LLC, MOBILE ENHANCEMENT SOLUTIONS LLC, MONARCH NETWORKING SOLUTIONS LLC, NEXUS DISPLAY TECHNOLOGIES LLC, PARTHENON UNIFIED MEMORY ARCHITECTURE LLC, R2 SOLUTIONS LLC, SAINT LAWRENCE COMMUNICATIONS LLC, STINGRAY IP SOLUTIONS LLC, SUPER INTERCONNECT TECHNOLOGIES LLC, TELECONFERENCE SYSTEMS LLC, UNIFICATION TECHNOLOGIES LLC
  • Assignee: STARBOARD VALUE INTERMEDIATE FUND LP, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
  • Correspondent: David C. Lee, ROPES & GRAY LLP, 800 Boylston Street, Boston, MA, 02199-3603.
  • Context: Securitization of a large portfolio of patents by numerous LLCs to Starboard Value.

• 2020-06-23 (executed) / recorded 2020-06-23 — Reel 052988/0925

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
  • Assignor: EAGLE TECHNOLOGIES, INC., HARRIS GLOBAL COMMUNICATIONS, INC., L3HARRIS TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
  • Assignee: ACACIA RESEARCH GROUP LLC
  • Correspondent: David C. Lee, ROPES & GRAY LLP, 800 Boylston Street, Boston, MA, 02199-3603. (Same correspondent recurs).
  • Context: Transfer of patents from L3Harris Technologies (and its subsidiaries) to Acacia Research Group LLC.

• 2020-06-23 (executed) / recorded 2020-06-23 — Reel 052988/0928

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
  • Assignor: ACACIA RESEARCH GROUP LLC
  • Assignee: STINGRAY IP SOLUTIONS LLC
  • Correspondent: David C. Lee, ROPES & GRAY LLP, 800 Boylston Street, Boston, MA, 02199-3603. (Same correspondent recurs).
  • Context: Transfer from Acacia Research Group LLC to Stingray IP Solutions LLC. This is a cascading transfer.

• 2020-07-08 (executed) / recorded 2020-07-08 — Reel 053155/0438

  • Conveyance: RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS
  • Assignor: STARBOARD VALUE INTERMEDIATE FUND LP
  • Assignee: INNOVATIVE DISPLAY TECHNOLOGIES LLC, R2 SOLUTIONS LLC, LIMESTONE MEMORY SYSTEMS LLC, SAINT LAWRENCE COMMUNICATIONS LLC, BONUTTI SKELETAL INNOVATIONS LLC, MONARCH NETWORKING SOLUTIONS LLC, AMERICAN VEHICULAR SCIENCES LLC, UNIFICATION TECHNOLOGIES LLC, STINGRAY IP SOLUTIONS LLC, TELECONFERENCE SYSTEMS LLC, SUPER INTERCONNECT TECHNOLOGIES LLC, ACACIA RESEARCH GROUP LLC, MOBILE ENHANCEMENT SOLUTIONS LLC, PARTHENON UNIFIED MEMORY ARCHITECTURE LLC, NEXUS DISPLAY TECHNOLOGIES LLC, CELLULAR COMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT LLC, LIFEPORT SCIENCES LLC
  • Correspondent: David C. Lee, ROPES & GRAY LLP, 800 Boylston Street, Boston, MA, 02199-3603. (Same correspondent recurs).
  • Context: Release of security interest by Starboard Value, affecting Stingray IP Solutions LLC among other entities.

• 2021-11-11 (executed) / recorded 2021-11-11 — Reel 056461/0816

  • Conveyance: CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE ASSIGNOR NAME PREVIOUSLY RECORDED ON REEL 052853 FRAME 0153. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE SECURITY INTEREST GRANTED PURSUANT TO THE PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT PREVIOUSLY RECORDED.
  • Assignor: STINGRAY IP SOLUTIONS LLC
  • Assignee: STARBOARD VALUE INTERMEDIATE FUND LP, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
  • Correspondent: David C. Lee, ROPES & GRAY LLP, 800 Boylston Street, Boston, MA, 02199-3603. (Same correspondent recurs).
  • Context: Corrective assignment confirming a security interest from Stingray IP Solutions LLC to Starboard Value.

• 2021-11-11 (executed) / recorded 2021-11-11 — Reel 056461/0820

  • Conveyance: CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE ASSIGNEE NAME PREVIOUSLY RECORDED ON REEL 053654 FRAME 0254. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST GRANTED PURSUANT TO THE PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT PREVIOUSLY RECORDED.
  • Assignor: STARBOARD VALUE INTERMEDIATE FUND LP, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
  • Assignee: STINGRAY IP SOLUTIONS LLC
  • Correspondent: David C. Lee, ROPES & GRAY LLP, 800 Boylston Street, Boston, MA, 02199-3603. (Same correspondent recurs).
  • Context: Corrective assignment confirming the release of security interest from Starboard Value to Stingray IP Solutions LLC.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 6961310
    2002 : Assigned to HARRIS CORPORATION
    2005 : Issued
    2020 : Securitized to Starboard Value
    2020 : Assigned to Acacia Research
    2020 : Assigned to Stingray IP
    2020 : Security interest released
    2021 : Corrective assignment
    2021 : Corrective assignment release

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — present.

   • Stingray IP Solutions LLC, the current assignee, has a name suffix "IP Solutions" suggesting a licensing-focused entity. The transfers to Acacia Research Group LLC (a known NPE) and then immediately to Stingray IP Solutions LLC (Reel 052988/0925 and 052988/0928, executed 2020-06-23) strongly indicate a transfer to a licensing-only entity.

2. Known asserter in the chain — present.

   • Acacia Research Group LLC is a known NPE, and it appears as an assignee in the chain (Reel 052988/0925, executed 2020-06-23). The patent was then subsequently assigned to Stingray IP Solutions LLC by Acacia.

3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — present.

   • David C. Lee of ROPES & GRAY LLP appears as the correspondent for multiple assignments involving Acacia Research Group LLC, Starboard Value Intermediate Fund LP, and Stingray IP Solutions LLC (Reel 052853/0153, 052988/0925, 052988/0928, 053155/0438, 056461/0816, 056461/0820). The recurrence of this specific correspondent across these transfers, especially those involving known NPEs or their related entities, is a strong signal.

4. Cascading transfers — present.

   • Within the same month of June 2020, the patent was assigned from L3Harris Technologies to Acacia Research Group LLC, and then immediately from Acacia Research Group LLC to Stingray IP Solutions LLC (Reel 052988/0925 and 052988/0928, both executed 2020-06-23). These consecutive transfers within a very short timeframe indicate a rapid movement of the patent through different entities, a common NPE pattern.

5. Pre-litigation transfer — unclear.

   • The litigation records on Google Patents show cases filed in 2019, 2021, and 2022. The transfers to Acacia and Stingray occurred in June 2020. Without specific dates for the first infringement suit naming this patent after the 2020 transfers, it's unclear if these transfers were specifically pre-litigation. However, the litigation filed in 2021 and 2022 followed the transfers within six months to two years, which could align with this pattern, especially considering the 2019 litigation was prior to these transfers, suggesting new litigation may have spurred the patent acquisition.

6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present.

   • No evidence suggests that Harris Corporation or L3Harris Technologies filed for bankruptcy, leading to a fire-sale of this patent. The transfers appear to be part of an active portfolio management or divestment.

7. Privateering — unclear.

   • While L3Harris Technologies transferred the patent to Acacia Research Group LLC, which subsequently transferred it to Stingray IP Solutions LLC, there is no public information or SEC filing explicitly stating that Acacia or Stingray are asserting this patent on behalf of L3Harris against their competitors.

8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present.

   • The chain does not terminate at any known defensive aggregators such as RPX, AST, LOT Network, Unified Patents, or Open Invention Network.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence. The presence of multiple strong signals, including transfers to a known NPE (Acacia Research Group LLC) and then to a shell entity (Stingray IP Solutions LLC) with a suggestive name, cascading transfers within a short period, and the repeated use of the same correspondent attorney for these transfers, strongly indicates an NPE assertion model. This is particularly evident from the assignments recorded on Reel 052988/0925 and 052988/0928 (executed 2020-06-23). The full assignment record can be verified at the USPTO Assignment Center by searching for patent number 6961310.