Assignment history

Inventors

• Kevin Collins (Hewlett Packard Development Co LP)
• Michael P. Fleischmann (Hewlett Packard Development Co LP)

No unusual patterns observed regarding inventor departures.

Original assignee

Hewlett Packard Development Co LP. Hewlett-Packard was a major multinational information technology company that produced a wide range of hardware and software products. Its primary line of business included personal computers, printers, enterprise hardware, and IT services. Hewlett Packard Development Co LP is currently operating as part of Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP and HP Inc., following the 2015 split of Hewlett-Packard Company.

Assignment timeline

• 2001-09-26 (executed) / recorded 2002-02-26 — Reel 012644/0080

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: COLLINS, KEVIN; FLEISCHMANN, MICHAEL P.
  • Assignee: HEWLETT-PACKARD COMPANY
  • Correspondent: HEWLETT-PACKARD COMPANY, INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ADMINISTRATION, P.O. BOX 272400, FORT COLLINS, CO 80527-2400.
  • Context: Internal transfer from inventors to company.

• 2003-09-26 (executed) / recorded 2003-09-30 — Reel 014061/0492

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: HEWLETT-PACKARD COMPANY
  • Assignee: HEWLETT-PACKARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY L.P.
  • Correspondent: HEWLETT-PACKARD COMPANY, INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ADMINISTRATION, P.O. BOX 272400, FORT COLLINS, CO 80527-2400. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Internal corporate restructuring/reorganization.

• 2015-10-27 (executed) / recorded 2015-11-09 — Reel 037079/0001

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: HEWLETT-PACKARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, L.P.
  • Assignee: HEWLETT PACKARD ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT LP
  • Correspondent: HEWLETT PACKARD ENTERPRISE COMPANY, P.O. BOX 272400, FORT COLLINS, CO 80527-2400.
  • Context: Internal corporate restructuring/reorganization (post-split of Hewlett-Packard).

• 2021-01-15 (executed) / recorded 2021-01-26 — Reel 055269/0001

  • Conveyance: Patent Assignment, Security Interest, and Lien Agreement
  • Assignor: HEWLETT PACKARD ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT LP; HEWLETT PACKARD ENTERPRISE COMPANY
  • Assignee: OT PATENT ESCROW, LLC
  • Correspondent: MICHAEL T. ANDERSON, CONLEY ROSE, P.C., P.O. BOX 3267, HOUSTON, TX 77253-3267.
  • Context: Securitization or transfer to an escrow entity.

• 2021-05-03 (executed) / recorded 2021-05-06 — Reel 056157/0492

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: OT PATENT ESCROW, LLC
  • Assignee: VALTRUS INNOVATIONS LIMITED
  • Correspondent: MICHAEL T. ANDERSON, CONLEY ROSE, P.C., P.O. BOX 3267, HOUSTON, TX 77253-3267. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Transfer to new entity.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 7120832
    2001 : Inventors to Hewlett-Packard
    2003 : HP Co to HP Development LP
    2006 : Patent Issued
    2015 : HP Dev LP to HP Enterprise Dev LP
    2021 : HP Enterprise to OT Patent Escrow LLC
         : OT Patent Escrow to Valtrus Innovations

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — present. OT PATENT ESCROW, LLC and VALTRUS INNOVATIONS LIMITED are names that suggest licensing-focused entities. OT Patent Escrow LLC appears to be a special purpose entity used in patent transactions. Valtrus Innovations Limited is also listed as an assignee on Google Patents, and its name and the nature of the transfer from an escrow entity are consistent with a licensing-only operation. [cite: 055269/0001, 056157/0492]

2. Known asserter in the chain — present. Valtrus Innovations Limited is listed as the current assignee on Google Patents, and Unified Patents lists Valtrus Innovations as a known NPE. [cite: 056157/0492]

3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — present. MICHAEL T. ANDERSON of CONLEY ROSE, P.C. appears as the correspondent for both the transfer to OT Patent Escrow, LLC (Reel 055269/0001) and the subsequent transfer to VALTRUS INNOVATIONS LIMITED (Reel 056157/0492). This recurrence indicates a consistent legal representative for these transfers.

4. Cascading transfers — present. The transfers from HEWLETT PACKARD ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT LP to OT PATENT ESCROW, LLC (executed 2021-01-15) and then to VALTRUS INNOVATIONS LIMITED (executed 2021-05-03) occurred within a short timeframe (less than 24 months), specifically within five months. Both transactions shared the same correspondent attorney. [cite: 055269/0001, 056157/0492]

5. Pre-litigation transfer — unclear. While several lawsuits involving the patent family are noted in 2025, the transfer to Valtrus Innovations Limited occurred in May 2021, which is more than six months prior to the listed 2025 litigation dates.

6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. The assignments from Hewlett-Packard entities appear to be part of corporate reorganizations or standard business transfers, not bankruptcy proceedings.

7. Privateering — unclear. There is no explicit evidence from the assignment records or the provided information to suggest a privateering arrangement.

8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The chain does not terminate at a known defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence. The presence of multiple strong signals, including transfers to shell-like entities (OT Patent Escrow, LLC and Valtrus Innovations Limited), the identification of Valtrus Innovations Limited as a known asserter, and the cascading transfers handled by the same correspondent attorney within a short period (Reel 055269/0001 and Reel 056157/0492), strongly indicate an NPE assertion pattern.

For verification, see the USPTO Assignment Center search page: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/