Assignment history

Inventors

• Yu-Jih Liu (Employer: ITT Manufacturing Enterprises, Inc. at the time of filing)

There are no unusual patterns noted, as only one inventor is listed, and the initial assignment on the filing date suggests employment with the original assignee.

Original assignee

The original assignee named on the issued patent is ITT Manufacturing Enterprises LLC (initially filed as ITT Manufacturing Enterprises, Inc.).

ITT Inc. (the successor to ITT Manufacturing Enterprises) is a global manufacturer of engineered components and technology solutions. The patent's subject matter, related to communication network cluster formation and ad hoc wireless networks, aligns with ITT's historical involvement in defense communication systems, which later became part of Exelis Inc.

ITT Inc. is currently an operating company. However, the business unit primarily concerned with the technology of this patent (Exelis Inc.) was later acquired by Harris Corporation (now L3Harris Technologies).

Assignment timeline

(Note: The following timeline is reconstructed from the "Legal status" section of the provided Google Patents data for US6980537. Recorded dates, reel/frame numbers for most entries, and correspondent information are not explicitly provided in this source, and a live USPTO Assignment Search would be required for these details.)

• 2000-11-13 (executed) / recorded [DATE UNKNOWN] — Reel [UNKNOWN]

  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
  • Assignor: LIU, YU-JIH
  • Assignee: ITT MANUFACTURING ENTERPRISES, INC.
  • Correspondent: [INFORMATION NOT PROVIDED]
  • Context: Original assignment from inventor to initial operating company assignee.

• 2012-01-10 (executed) / recorded [DATE UNKNOWN] — Reel [UNKNOWN]

  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
  • Assignor: ITT MANUFACTURING ENTERPRISES LLC (FORMERLY KNOWN AS ITT MANUFACTURING ENTERPRISES, INC.)
  • Assignee: Exelis Inc.
  • Correspondent: [INFORMATION NOT PROVIDED]
  • Context: Corporate spin-off/reorganization.

• 2016-07-01 (executed) / recorded [DATE UNKNOWN] — Reel [UNKNOWN]

  • Conveyance: Merger
  • Assignor: Exelis Inc.
  • Assignee: HARRIS CORPORATION
  • Correspondent: [INFORMATION NOT PROVIDED]
  • Context: Corporate acquisition (Harris acquired Exelis).

• 2018-11-19 (executed) / recorded [DATE UNKNOWN] — Reel [UNKNOWN]

  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
  • Assignor: HARRIS CORPORATION
  • Assignee: Harris Solutions NY, Inc.
  • Correspondent: [INFORMATION NOT PROVIDED]
  • Context: Internal corporate reorganization.

• 2018-11-19 (executed) / recorded [DATE UNKNOWN] — Reel [UNKNOWN]

  • Conveyance: Change of Name
  • Assignor: Harris Solutions NY, Inc.
  • Assignee: HARRIS GLOBAL COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
  • Correspondent: [INFORMATION NOT PROVIDED]
  • Context: Corporate name change/internal reorganization.

• 2020-06-05 (executed) / recorded [DATE UNKNOWN] — Reel [UNKNOWN]

  • 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: [INFORMATION NOT PROVIDED]
  • Context: Securitization/financing arrangement involving multiple Acacia-affiliated entities.

• 2020-06-23 (executed) / recorded [DATE UNKNOWN] — Reel [UNKNOWN]

  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
  • Assignor: EAGLE TECHNOLOGIES, INC., HARRIS GLOBAL COMMUNICATIONS, INC., L3HARRIS TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
  • Assignee: ACACIA RESEARCH GROUP LLC
  • Correspondent: [INFORMATION NOT PROVIDED]
  • Context: Acquisition of patents from former Harris/Exelis entities by Acacia Research Group LLC.

• 2020-06-23 (executed) / recorded [DATE UNKNOWN] — Reel [UNKNOWN]

  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
  • Assignor: ACACIA RESEARCH GROUP LLC
  • Assignee: STINGRAY IP SOLUTIONS LLC
  • Correspondent: [INFORMATION NOT PROVIDED]
  • Context: Internal transfer within the Acacia family to a specific assertion entity.

• 2020-07-08 (executed) / recorded [DATE UNKNOWN] — Reel [UNKNOWN]

  • Conveyance: Release of Security Interest in Patents
  • Assignor: STARBOARD VALUE INTERMEDIATE FUND LP
  • Assignee: MONARCH NETWORKING SOLUTIONS LLC, CELLULAR COMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT LLC, MOBILE ENHANCEMENT SOLUTIONS LLC, R2 SOLUTIONS LLC, BONUTTI SKELETAL INNOVATIONS LLC, STINGRAY IP SOLUTIONS LLC, UNIFICATION TECHNOLOGIES LLC, AMERICAN VEHICULAR SCIENCES LLC, INNOVATIVE DISPLAY TECHNOLOGIES LLC, NEXUS DISPLAY TECHNOLOGIES LLC, ACACIA RESEARCH GROUP LLC, SAINT LAWRENCE COMMUNICATIONS LLC, TELECONFERENCE SYSTEMS LLC, PARTHENON UNIFIED MEMORY ARCHITECTURE LLC, LIMESTONE MEMORY SYSTEMS LLC, LIFEPORT SCIENCES LLC, SUPER INTERCONNECT TECHNOLOGIES LLC
  • Correspondent: [INFORMATION NOT PROVIDED]
  • Context: Release of security interest held by Starboard Value Intermediate Fund LP.

• 2021-11-11 (executed) / recorded [DATE UNKNOWN] — Reel 053654/0254 (referenced)

  • Conveyance: Corrective Assignment
  • Assignor: STARBOARD VALUE INTERMEDIATE FUND LP, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
  • Assignee: STINGRAY IP SOLUTIONS LLC
  • Correspondent: [INFORMATION NOT PROVIDED]
  • Context: Corrective assignment to clarify assignee name from previous security agreement.

• 2021-11-11 (executed) / recorded [DATE UNKNOWN] — Reel 052853/0153 (referenced)

  • Conveyance: Corrective Assignment
  • Assignor: STINGRAY IP SOLUTIONS LLC
  • Assignee: STARBOARD VALUE INTERMEDIATE FUND LP, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
  • Correspondent: [INFORMATION NOT PROVIDED]
  • Context: Corrective assignment to clarify assignor name from previous security agreement.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 6980537
    2000 : Filed, assigned to ITT
    2005 : Patent issued
    2012 : Assigned to Exelis Inc
    2016 : Merged to Harris Corp
    2018 : Assigned to Harris Solutions NY
         : Name changed to Harris Global Comm
    2020 : Patent security agreement
         : Assigned to Acacia Research
         : Assigned to Stingray IP
         : Security interest released
    2021 : Corrective assignment
         : Corrective assignment

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Present. The transfer from Harris/L3Harris entities to Acacia Research Group LLC and then to Stingray IP Solutions LLC indicates a move to licensing-focused entities. "Stingray IP Solutions LLC" contains "IP Solutions," a common naming convention for shell entities. Stingray IP Solutions LLC is generally recognized as a non-practicing entity.
2. Known asserter in the chain — Present. Acacia Research Group LLC and Stingray IP Solutions LLC are both well-known Non-Practicing Entities (NPEs) or "patent trolls" recognized for asserting patents.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Unclear. The provided Google Patents data does not include correspondent attorney or firm information for any of the recorded assignments. A direct USPTO Assignment Center search would be necessary to determine this.
4. Cascading transfers — Present. There are multiple consecutive assignments and related legal events within a short timeframe:
   • 2020-06-05: Patent Security Agreement with Starboard Value and multiple Acacia-affiliated entities.
   • 2020-06-23: Assignment to Acacia Research Group LLC.
   • 2020-06-23: Assignment to Stingray IP Solutions LLC.
   • 2020-07-08: Release of Security Interest.
   • 2021-11-11: Two Corrective Assignments involving Stingray IP Solutions LLC and Starboard Value Intermediate Fund LP.
     This series of transactions within ~17 months, especially the transfers to and between Acacia entities, indicates cascading transfers often seen in NPE activity.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — Unclear. Google Patents lists "First worldwide family litigation filed 2018-11-13". The initial internal Harris corporate reassignments occurred on 2018-11-19, after this litigation filing. However, the major transfer to Acacia Research Group LLC (2020-06-23) and Stingray IP Solutions LLC (2020-06-23) occurred before some of the other listed litigation events in 2021 (e.g., 2:21-cv-00201, 2:21-cv-00195, etc. in Texas Eastern District Court). This suggests the transfers to Acacia/Stingray were in preparation for or immediately preceding further assertion activities. Without the specific plaintiff in the 2018 litigation, it's hard to definitively call it "pre-litigation transfer" for the current NPE chain, but it aligns with a pattern of enabling assertion.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. The assignment chain does not indicate any bankruptcy proceedings for the assignors.
7. Privateering — Present. The transfer of the patent from Harris Corporation (a former operating company, now part of L3Harris Technologies) to Acacia Research Group LLC, a known NPE, is a common pattern for privateering, where an operating company divests patents to an NPE that then asserts them, potentially against the operating company's competitors.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The chain terminates with Stingray IP Solutions LLC, an assertion entity, not a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence

The assignment chain for US6980537 demonstrates multiple strong signals of NPE activity. The patent was transferred from an operating company (Harris Corporation/L3Harris Technologies) to known Non-Practicing Entities, Acacia Research Group LLC and Stingray IP Solutions LLC, via a series of cascading transfers between June 2020 and November 2021. This pattern, including the use of an entity named "Stingray IP Solutions LLC," is highly indicative of a patent assertion campaign.

Verification of assignment records can be performed at the USPTO Assignment Center by searching patent number 6980537: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/