Assignment history

Inventors

• James J. Fallon (Employer: Realtime Data LLC). Realtime Data LLC is listed as the original assignee on the patent. The assignment from the inventor to Realtime Data LLC was recorded in 2010, several years after the application's filing date (2003) and issuance (2007). This is not an unusual pattern, as initial assignments from inventors to their employing entity are often conducted before or at the time of application filing, with formal recordings sometimes occurring later, or as confirmations.

Original assignee

The original assignee named on US7161506 is Realtime Data LLC.
Realtime Data LLC is primarily involved in the development and licensing of data compression technologies. Public records and patent intelligence platforms identify Realtime Data LLC as a non-practicing entity (NPE) or patent assertion entity (PAE). They do not appear to ship products embodying the claims but rather license their patent portfolio. As of the current date, Realtime Data LLC is understood to be operating as a patent assertion entity. The patent US7161506 expired on 2018-12-11.

Assignment timeline

• 2010-08-10 (executed) / recorded 2010-08-25 — Reel 024844/0579
  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT
  • Assignor: FALLON, JAMES J.
  • Assignee: REALTIME DATA, LLC
  • Correspondent: BASS, STEVEN D., C/O REALTIME DATA LLC, P.O. BOX 10606, AUSTIN, TX 78766. This correspondent is directly associated with the assignee, Realtime Data LLC.
  • Context: Inventor assignment to the original assignee.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 7161506
    2003 : Application filed by Realtime Data LLC
    2007 : Patent issued to Realtime Data LLC
    2010 : Inventor assigned to Realtime Data LLC
         : First infringement suit filed (6:10-cv-00493)
    2018 : Patent expired

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — present. Realtime Data LLC is widely recognized as a patent assertion entity (NPE) that primarily engages in licensing and litigation rather than producing goods or services. This is confirmed by multiple sources.
2. Known asserter in the chain — present. Realtime Data LLC is explicitly identified as a frequent plaintiff and known NPE by organizations like Unified Patents and RPX.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — unclear. Only one assignment is recorded for this specific patent (Reel 024844/0579). The correspondent, Steven D. Bass, is listed with an address "C/O REALTIME DATA LLC, P.O. BOX 10606, AUSTIN, TX 78766", strongly indicating an in-house or dedicated counsel for Realtime Data LLC, a known NPE. However, without additional assignments in this patent's chain, we cannot confirm recurrence across the chain for this patent specifically.
4. Cascading transfers — not present. Only one assignment is recorded for this patent.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — present. The assignment from inventor James J. Fallon to Realtime Data LLC was executed on 2010-08-10 and recorded on 2010-08-25 (Reel 024844/0579). The earliest identified infringement lawsuit for US7161506, Realtime Data LLC v. Pactel Solutions Inc. (6:10-cv-00493), was filed on October 20, 2010. This filing date is approximately two months after the assignment's execution date, clearly falling within the 6-month pre-litigation window.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. There is no indication that the patent was acquired through bankruptcy proceedings.
7. Privateering — unclear. While Realtime Data LLC is an NPE, there is no public information to suggest they are asserting this patent specifically on behalf of a particular operating company against its competitors.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The patent's ownership chain terminates with Realtime Data LLC, a known NPE, not a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence. This verdict is supported by several strong signals. Realtime Data LLC is a widely recognized patent assertion entity that does not produce products embodying the claims. Furthermore, the assignment from the inventor to Realtime Data LLC (Reel 024844/0579, executed 2010-08-10, recorded 2010-08-25) occurred just months before the filing of the first infringement lawsuit related to this patent (6:10-cv-00493, filed 2010-10-20), indicating a pre-litigation transfer to facilitate assertion.

Verification: USPTO Patent Assignment Search for US7161506