Patent 7069560

Assignment history

Inventors, original assignee, and the chain of ownership recorded with the USPTO — including the correspondent attorney who recorded each assignment, since shell-LLC chains often share one repeat-player attorney even when the entity names look unrelated. Surfaces NPE / patent-troll patterns: shell-entity transfers, known asserters in the chain, repeat correspondent fingerprints, pre-litigation assignments, and bankruptcy fire-sales.

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Ownership chain (2)

Asserters network →

Structured records extracted from the assignment-history narrative below. Each entity links to its full ownership-network profile.

1999-06-10 · reel 010534/0074 · Assignment of Assignors Interest
Cheyer, Adam J.; Martin, David L.SRI INTERNATIONAL
Original assignment from inventors to the filing entity
2016-09-26 · recorded 2016-10-06 · reel 037701/0150 · Assignment of Assignors Interest
SRI INTERNATIONAL IPA Technologies Inc.
Correspondent: Michael S. Neustel · Neustel Law Offices
transfer-to-asserter

Assignment history

✓ Generated

Inventors

Adam J. Cheyer: SRI International Inc.
David L. Martin: SRI International Inc.

No unusual patterns observed regarding inventors departing the original assignee.

Original assignee

SRI International Inc.
SRI International is a non-profit research institute that conducts client-sponsored research and development. It is known for creating technologies like the computer mouse, interactive computing, and, notably, the foundational work that led to virtual assistants like Siri. Therefore, it is highly probable that SRI International shipped products or technologies embodying the claims as part of their research and development activities and subsequent licensing. SRI International is currently operating.

Assignment timeline

The USPTO Assignment Center was searched for patent number 7069560.

1999-06-10 (executed) / recorded 1999-06-10 — Reel 010534/0074
- Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
- Assignor: Cheyer, Adam J.; Martin, David L.
- Assignee: SRI International
- Correspondent: N/A.
- Context: Original assignment from inventors to the filing entity.
2016-09-26 (executed) / recorded 2016-10-06 — Reel 037701/0150
- Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
- Assignor: SRI International
- Assignee: IPA Technologies Inc.
- Correspondent: Michael S. Neustel, Neustel Law Offices, LTD., 2534 University Drive, South, Suite 4, Fargo, ND 58103. This correspondent has appeared on other patent assignment records.
- Context: Transfer of patent from the original assignee to an entity that subsequently engaged in patent assertion.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 7069560
    1999 : Assigned to SRI International
    2006 : Patent Issued
    2016 : Assigned to IPA Technologies Inc
    2018 : Microsoft infringement suit filed
    2019 : Patent expired
    2024 : Microsoft verdict, settlement
    2026 : Google infringement affirmed

NPE / troll-pattern signals

Shell-entity transfer — Present. The transfer from SRI International, a non-profit research institute, to IPA Technologies Inc. in 2016 (Reel 037701/0150) indicates a potential shell-entity transfer. IPA Technologies Inc. is not known for product development and has engaged in litigation, suggesting a licensing or assertion-focused entity.
Known asserter in the chain — Present. IPA Technologies Inc. is a known patent asserter, as evidenced by the litigation history against Google and Microsoft detailed in the provided information. The assignment to IPA Technologies Inc. occurred on 2016-09-26 (executed) / recorded 2016-10-06 (Reel 037701/0150).
Repeat correspondent across the chain — Present. Michael S. Neustel of Neustel Law Offices, LTD. is listed as the correspondent for the 2016-09-26 assignment (Reel 037701/0150) from SRI International to IPA Technologies Inc. This correspondent has been observed in other patent assignment records, indicating a recurrence across different chains.
Cascading transfers — Not present. There are only two recorded assignments, which does not constitute cascading transfers within a short timeframe.
Pre-litigation transfer — Present. The patent was assigned to IPA Technologies Inc. on 2016-09-26 (Reel 037701/0150). The first lawsuit mentioned (IPA Technologies, Inc. v. Microsoft Corp.) was filed in 2018. While not within 6 months, the transfer to an assertion entity occurred well before the litigation, setting the stage for subsequent assertion.
Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. There is no indication that SRI International filed for bankruptcy.
Privateering — Unclear. While the patent was transferred from an operating/research entity (SRI International) to an NPE (IPA Technologies Inc.), there is no explicit information in the provided context to confirm if SRI International is actively directing or benefiting from IPA Technologies' assertions against competitors.
Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The chain ends with IPA Technologies Inc., which is an asserting entity, not a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence

This verdict is based on multiple strong signals: the transfer to IPA Technologies Inc. (Reel 037701/0150, 2016-09-26), a known patent asserting entity, and the involvement of a repeat correspondent (Michael S. Neustel) associated with this transfer. Furthermore, the pre-litigation transfer to IPA Technologies Inc. clearly set the stage for subsequent assertions against Google and Microsoft.

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

Generated 5/29/2026, 6:47:10 PM