Assignment history

Inventors

• Thomas Jay Billhartz (Harris Corp)

Original assignee

Harris Corp was the original assignee. Harris Corp is a global aerospace and defense technology innovator, providing products, systems, and services for commercial and government customers. It is unclear from the patent text whether they shipped a product directly embodying the claims of US7027426B2. As of today, Harris Corporation merged with L3 Technologies in 2019 to form L3Harris Technologies.

Assignment timeline

• 2002-08-05 (executed) / recorded 2002-08-05 — Reel 013176/0876

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: BILLHARTZ, THOMAS JAY
  • Assignee: HARRIS CORPORATION, FLORIDA
  • Correspondent: Not specified in available data.
  • Context: Original assignment from inventor to employer.

• 2020-06-04 (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, NEW YORK
  • Correspondent: FRANK P. PRESTIA, RATNERPRESTIA, P.O. BOX 1010, VALLEY FORGE, PA 19482-1010. This correspondent appears multiple times in this chain.
  • Context: Security interest granted by multiple Acacia-related entities to Starboard Value.

• 2020-04-21 (executed) / recorded 2020-06-23 — Reel 053019/0876

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: EAGLE TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; L3HARRIS TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; HARRIS GLOBAL COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
  • Assignee: ACACIA RESEARCH GROUP LLC, TEXAS
  • Correspondent: MICHAEL J. ROSSI, ESQ., 321 SUMMER STREET, BUFFALO, NY 14222.
  • Context: Transfer from L3Harris (successor to original assignee Harris Corp) to Acacia Research Group LLC.

• 2020-05-04 (executed) / recorded 2020-06-23 — Reel 053326/0636

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: ACACIA RESEARCH GROUP LLC
  • Assignee: STINGRAY IP SOLUTIONS LLC, TEXAS
  • Correspondent: JOHN M. DUNCAN, ESQ., 230 PARK AVENUE, SUITE 1000, NEW YORK, NY 10169.
  • Context: Transfer from Acacia Research Group LLC to Stingray IP Solutions LLC, a subsidiary.

• 2020-06-30 (executed) / recorded 2020-07-08 — Reel 053654/0254

  • Conveyance: Release of Security Interest in Patents
  • Assignor: STARBOARD VALUE INTERMEDIATE FUND LP
  • Assignee: LIMESTONE MEMORY SYSTEMS LLC; ACACIA RESEARCH GROUP LLC; AMERICAN VEHICULAR SCIENCES LLC; BONUTTI SKELETAL INNOVATIONS LLC; UNIFICATION TECHNOLOGIES LLC; SAINT LAWRENCE COMMUNICATIONS LLC; TELECONFERENCE SYSTEMS LLC; R2 SOLUTIONS LLC; INNOVATIVE DISPLAY TECHNOLOGIES LLC; STINGRAY IP SOLUTIONS LLC; SUPER INTERCONNECT TECHNOLOGIES LLC; NEXUS DISPLAY TECHNOLOGIES LLC; MOBILE ENHANCEMENT SOLUTIONS LLC; LIFEPORT SCIENCES LLC; MONARCH NETWORKING SOLUTIONS LLC; PARTHENON UNIFIED MEMORY ARCHITECTURE LLC; CELLULAR COMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT LLC
  • Correspondent: FRANK P. PRESTIA, RATNERPRESTIA, P.O. BOX 1010, VALLEY FORGE, PA 19482-1010. This correspondent appears multiple times in this chain.
  • Context: Release of security interest by Starboard Value to various Acacia-related entities.

• 2020-06-04 (executed) / recorded 2021-11-11 — Reel 058825/0107

  • Conveyance: Corrective Assignment
  • Assignor: STINGRAY IP SOLUTIONS LLC
  • Assignee: STARBOARD VALUE INTERMEDIATE FUND LP, AS COLLATERAL AGENT, NEW YORK
  • Correspondent: FRANK P. PRESTIA, RATNERPRESTIA, P.O. BOX 1010, VALLEY FORGE, PA 19482-1010. This correspondent appears multiple times in this chain.
  • Context: Corrective assignment related to the patent security agreement.

• 2020-06-30 (executed) / recorded 2021-11-11 — Reel 058266/0599

  • Conveyance: Corrective Assignment
  • Assignor: STARBOARD VALUE INTERMEDIATE FUND LP, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
  • Assignee: STINGRAY IP SOLUTIONS LLC, TEXAS
  • Correspondent: FRANK P. PRESTIA, RATNERPRESTIA, P.O. BOX 1010, VALLEY FORGE, PA 19482-1010. This correspondent appears multiple times in this chain.
  • Context: Corrective assignment related to the release of security interest.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 7027426
    2002 : Assigned to Harris Corporation
    2020 : Security Agreement to Starboard Value
         : Assigned to Acacia Research Group LLC
         : Assigned to Stingray IP Solutions LLC
         : Release of Security Interest
    2021 : Corrective Assignment to Starboard
         : Corrective Assignment to Stingray

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — present.

   • Stingray IP Solutions LLC is the current assignee. Its name ("IP Solutions") suggests a licensing-only entity. Stingray IP Solutions LLC has been identified in patent litigation.
   • Acacia Research Group LLC, a prior assignee, is a known patent assertion entity.
   • Reel 053326/0636 (2020-05-04 / 2020-06-23) shows the transfer to Stingray IP Solutions LLC.

2. Known asserter in the chain — present.

   • Acacia Research Group LLC is listed as a prior assignee (Reel 053019/0876). Acacia Research Corporation is a well-known NPE.

3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — present.

   • FRANK P. PRESTIA of RATNERPRESTIA appears on Reel 052853/0153 (2020-06-04 / 2020-06-05), Reel 053654/0254 (2020-06-30 / 2020-07-08), Reel 058825/0107 (2020-06-04 / 2021-11-11), and Reel 058266/0599 (2020-06-30 / 2021-11-11). This recurrence across security agreements and corrective assignments for Acacia-related entities is a strong signal.

4. Cascading transfers — present.

   • Within approximately one month in 2020, the patent was assigned from L3Harris to Acacia Research Group LLC (Reel 053019/0876) and then from Acacia Research Group LLC to Stingray IP Solutions LLC (Reel 053326/0636). This rapid transfer between related entities is a cascading transfer.

5. Pre-litigation transfer — present.

   • The patent was assigned to Acacia Research Group LLC in June 2020 (Reel 053019/0876) and then to Stingray IP Solutions LLC also in June 2020 (Reel 053326/0636). Litigation records show multiple cases filed in Texas Eastern District Court in 2021 (e.g., 2:21-cv-00043, 2:21-cv-00201, 2:21-cv-00195, 2:21-cv-00193, 2:21-cv-00045, 2:21-cv-00025) and other districts in 2019, 2021, and 2022. The transfers in 2020 immediately precede these widespread assertions.

6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present.

7. Privateering — unclear. While Harris Corp is an operating company, the transfer to Acacia Research Group LLC (a known NPE) could indicate privateering. However, without specific SEC filings or other external documentation, it cannot be confirmed with high confidence.

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

Verdict

NPE — high confidence. This verdict is supported by the presence of a known patent asserter (Acacia Research Group LLC) in the chain (Reel 053019/0876), the subsequent transfer to a shell entity (Stingray IP Solutions LLC) (Reel 053326/0636), the clear pattern of cascading transfers in 2020, and the pre-litigation timing of these transfers preceding multiple lawsuits in 2021. Furthermore, the consistent use of FRANK P. PRESTIA as correspondent for various Acacia-related transactions strengthens this conclusion.

Verification: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/