Assignment history

Inventors

• Vikram Shrowty: LSI Logic Corp
• Santhanakrishnan Raman: LSI Logic Corp

No unusual patterns, such as all inventors departing within 12 months of filing, are immediately determinable from the provided information.

Original assignee

LSI Logic Corp. was the original assignee. LSI Logic Corp. was a prominent designer and manufacturer of semiconductors and integrated circuits, indicating they shipped products embodying the claims. LSI Logic Corp. was acquired by Avago Technologies in 2014, which subsequently became Broadcom Limited.

Assignment timeline

• 2003-07-28 (executed) / recorded 2003-07-31 — Reel 014374/0425

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: SHROWTY, VIKRAM; RAMAN, SANTHANAKRISHNAN
  • Assignee: LSI LOGIC CORPORATION
  • Correspondent: Not recorded.
  • Context: Original assignment from inventors to employer.

• 2014-05-06 (executed) / recorded 2014-05-08 — Reel 032856/0031

  • Conveyance: Patent Security Agreement
  • Assignor: LSI CORPORATION; AGERE SYSTEMS LLC
  • Assignee: DEUTSCHE BANK AG NEW YORK BRANCH, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
  • Correspondent: Not recorded.
  • Context: Securitization of patent assets.

• 2007-04-06 (executed) / recorded 2014-06-06 — Reel 033102/0270

  • Conveyance: Change of Name
  • Assignor: LSI LOGIC CORPORATION
  • Assignee: LSI CORPORATION
  • Correspondent: Not recorded.
  • Context: Change of name for the entity.

• 2014-08-04 (executed) / recorded 2015-02-20 — Reel 035058/0248

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: LSI CORPORATION
  • Assignee: AVAGO TECHNOLOGIES GENERAL IP (SINGAPORE) PTE. LTD.
  • Correspondent: Not recorded.
  • Context: Acquisition of LSI Corporation by Avago Technologies.

• 2016-02-01 (executed) / recorded 2016-02-02 — Reel 037684/0039

  • Conveyance: Termination and Release of Security Interest in Patent Rights
  • Assignor: DEUTSCHE BANK AG NEW YORK BRANCH, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
  • Assignee: LSI CORPORATION; AGERE SYSTEMS LLC
  • Correspondent: Not recorded.
  • Context: Release of prior securitization.

• 2016-02-01 (executed) / recorded 2016-02-11 — Reel 037808/0001

  • Conveyance: Patent Security Agreement
  • Assignor: AVAGO TECHNOLOGIES GENERAL IP (SINGAPORE) PTE. LTD.
  • Assignee: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
  • Correspondent: Not recorded.
  • Context: Securitization of patent assets.

• 2017-01-19 (executed) / recorded 2017-02-03 — Reel 041710/0001

  • Conveyance: Termination and Release of Security Interest in Patents
  • Assignor: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
  • Assignee: AVAGO TECHNOLOGIES GENERAL IP (SINGAPORE) PTE. LTD.
  • Correspondent: Not recorded.
  • Context: Release of prior securitization.

• 2017-12-08 (executed) / recorded 2017-12-17 — Reel 044887/0109

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: AVAGO TECHNOLOGIES GENERAL IP (SINGAPORE) PTE. LTD.; BROADCOM CORPORATION
  • Assignee: BELL SEMICONDUCTOR, LLC
  • Correspondent: Not recorded.
  • Context: Transfer to Bell Semiconductor, LLC.

• 2018-01-24 (executed) / recorded 2018-02-01 — Reel 045216/0020

  • Conveyance: Security Interest
  • Assignor: HILCO PATENT ACQUISITION 56, LLC; BELL SEMICONDUCTOR, LLC; BELL NORTHERN RESEARCH, LLC
  • Assignee: CORTLAND CAPITAL MARKET SERVICES LLC, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
  • Correspondent: Not recorded.
  • Context: Securitization of patent assets.

• 2022-04-01 (executed) / recorded 2022-04-15 — Reel 059720/0223

  • Conveyance: Release by Secured Party
  • Assignor: CORTLAND CAPITAL MARKET SERVICES LLC
  • Assignee: HILCO PATENT ACQUISITION 56, LLC; BELL SEMICONDUCTOR, LLC; BELL NORTHERN RESEARCH, LLC
  • Correspondent: Not recorded.
  • Context: Release of prior securitization.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 7007259
    2003 : Assigned to LSI Logic Corp
    2006 : Patent Granted
    2014 : Security Agreement Deutsche Bank
         : LSI Logic changes name to LSI Corp
    2015 : Assigned to Avago Tech IP (Singapore)
    2016 : Release of Security Interest
         : Security Agreement Bank of America
    2017 : Release of Security Interest
         : Assigned to Bell Semiconductor LLC
    2018 : Security Interest Cortland Capital
    2022 : Release of Security Interest
    2024 : Patent Expired

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — present. The transfer from Avago Technologies General IP (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. to BELL SEMICONDUCTOR, LLC (Reel 044887/0109, recorded 2017-12-17) suggests a shell entity. Bell Semiconductor, LLC is the current assignee according to Google Patents and is frequently associated with patent assertion.

2. Known asserter in the chain — present. Bell Semiconductor LLC is a known patent asserter (often referred to as an NPE).

3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — unclear. The provided data does not consistently list correspondent information, so it's not possible to definitively identify recurring correspondents or link them to known NPE activities.

4. Cascading transfers — not present. While there are multiple transfers, they are typically separated by more than 24 months or involve security agreements and releases, rather than a rapid succession of assignments through chained LLCs.

5. Pre-litigation transfer — unclear. The assignment to Bell Semiconductor, LLC occurred in late 2017. A quick search of the Google Patents litigation section shows many cases filed in 2022-2024 by Bell Semiconductor, LLC (e.g., 2:22-cv-10906, 3:22-cv-01178, 1:22-cv-01096), but without precise filing dates for the first suit naming this specific patent, it is hard to say with high confidence if the transfer was within 6 months of litigation. However, the timing is somewhat suggestive, with litigation appearing several years after the transfer.

6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. LSI Logic Corp. was acquired by Avago Technologies, not involved in a bankruptcy fire sale for this patent.

7. Privateering — unclear. While Avago/Broadcom transferred the patent to Bell Semiconductor, LLC, there's no explicit evidence within the provided records to confirm a privateering arrangement where Bell Semiconductor is asserting on Broadcom's behalf against competitors.

8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The chain ends with Bell Semiconductor, LLC, which is a known asserter, not a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence

The presence of Bell Semiconductor, LLC, a known patent asserter, as the current assignee (Reel 044887/0109, recorded 2017-12-17) is a strong signal. This transfer from an operating company (Avago Technologies) to an entity with a name indicative of a licensing focus, combined with Bell Semiconductor's documented history of patent litigation, strongly points to an NPE pattern.

For verification, you can search the USPTO Assignment Center: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/ (search for patent number 7007259).