Assignment history

Inventors

The sole named inventor is Marvin T Ling. The patent document does not explicitly state his employer at the time of filing.

Original assignee

The original assignee was PayByClick Corp. This entity appears to have been an operating company focused on developing and offering electronic commerce systems and financial payment services, including an "electronic commerce bridge system" as described in a related patent, US6876979B2. It is unclear if PayByClick Corp directly shipped a product specifically embodying the electronic token claims of US7177838, but their business was in this domain. The current operational status of the original US entity "PayByClick Corp" is unclear, as the assignment history shows the patent being transferred, and some search results point to a separate UK entity "PAY BY CLICK LTD".

Assignment timeline

• 2000-05-08 (executed) / recorded 2000-05-18 — Reel 010839/0474

  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
  • Assignor: LING, MARVIN T.
  • Assignee: GTX CORPORATION
  • Correspondent: LING, ANDREW M.
  • Context: Inventor assigned patent rights to GTX Corporation.

• 2002-08-20 (executed) / recorded 2002-08-29 — Reel 013205/0801

  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
  • Assignor: GTX CORPORATION
  • Assignee: PAYBYCLICK CORPORATION
  • Correspondent: KENNETH R. POWELL, KENNETH R. POWELL P.C., 2033 GATEWAY PLACE, SUITE 520, SAN JOSE, CA 95110
  • Context: Reassignment of patent rights from GTX Corporation back to PayByClick Corporation.

• 2002-11-25 (executed) / recorded 2002-12-04 — Reel 013531/0746

  • Conveyance: Corrective Assignment
  • Assignor: GTX CORPORATION
  • Assignee: PAYBYCLICK CORPORATION
  • Correspondent: KENNETH R. POWELL, KENNETH R. POWELL P.C., 2033 GATEWAY PLACE, SUITE 520, SAN JOSE, CA 95110. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Corrective assignment of assignor's interest from GTX Corporation to PayByClick Corporation.

• 2009-03-27 (executed) / recorded 2009-04-09 — Reel 022718/0651

  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
  • Assignor: PAYBYCLICK CORPORATION
  • Assignee: PAYBYCLICK CORPORATION-TEXAS
  • Correspondent: JAY S. HOROWITZ, JAY S. HOROWITZ PC, PO BOX 1251, BELLMORE, NY 11710-0016. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Internal corporate restructuring or transfer to a state-specific entity.

• 2009-07-23 (executed) / recorded 2009-08-11 — Reel 023188/0951

  • Conveyance: License
  • Assignor: PAYBYCLICK CORPORATION-TEXAS
  • Assignee: ACTUS LLC
  • Correspondent: JAY S. HOROWITZ, JAY S. HOROWITZ PC, PO BOX 1251, BELLMORE, NY 11710-0016. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Licensing agreement granting rights to Actus LLC.

• 2013-11-04 (executed) / recorded 2013-11-20 — Reel 030560/0179

  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
  • Assignor: ACTUS, L.L.C.
  • Assignee: PAYBYCLICK CORPORATION
  • Correspondent: JAY S. HOROWITZ, LAW OFFICE OF JAY S. HOROWITZ P.C., 1122 BROADWAY, RM 1414, NEW YORK, NY 10010. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Assignment of patent rights back from Actus LLC to PayByClick Corporation.

• 2014-01-15 (executed) / recorded 2014-02-10 — Reel 030784/0074

  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
  • Assignor: PAYBYCLICK CORPORATION
  • Assignee: GTX CORPORATION
  • Correspondent: CHARLES H. BAREFOOT JR., HOFFMANN & BARON, LLP, 6900 JERICHO TURNPIKE, SYOSSET, NY 11791
  • Context: Assignment of patent rights from PayByClick Corporation back to GTX Corporation.

• 2019-09-13 (executed) / recorded 2019-10-18 — Reel 049386/0209

  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
  • Assignor: GTX CORPORATION
  • Assignee: ANDREW M. LING, P.C.
  • Correspondent: ANDREW M. LING, P.C., 2309 N. GALLOWAY AVE, SUITE 210, MESQUITE, TX 75150. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Assignment of patent rights from GTX Corporation to Andrew M. Ling, P.C.

• 2020-03-02 (executed) / recorded 2020-03-24 — Reel 050044/0411

  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
  • Assignor: GTX CORPORATION
  • Assignee: ANDREW M. LING, P.C.
  • Correspondent: ANDREW M. LING, P.C., 2309 N. GALLOWAY AVE, SUITE 210, MESQUITE, TX 75150. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Further assignment from GTX Corporation to Andrew M. Ling, P.C., possibly related to the previous one or a bulk transfer.

• 2020-11-25 (executed) / recorded 2020-12-09 — Reel 051016/0993

  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
  • Assignor: ANDREW M. LING, P.C.
  • Assignee: AML IP LLC
  • Correspondent: ANDREW M. LING, P.C., 2309 N GALLOWAY AVE STE 210, MESQUITE, TX 75150. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Transfer to AML IP LLC, a known patent assertion entity.

• 2021-02-11 (executed) / recorded 2021-02-24 — Reel 051259/0526

  • Conveyance: Security Interest
  • Assignor: AML IP LLC
  • Assignee: PRAVATI INVESTMENT FUND IV, LP
  • Correspondent: Andrew M. Ling, Andrew M. Ling, P.C., 2309 N. Galloway Ave., Suite 210, Mesquite, TX 75150. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Securitization of the patent by AML IP LLC.

• 2025-10-22 (executed) / recorded 2025-11-04 — Reel 056461/0814

  • Conveyance: Nunc Pro Tunc Assignment
  • Assignor: LING, ANDREW M.
  • Assignee: AML IP LLC
  • Correspondent: ANDREW M. LING, P.C., 2309 N. GALLOWAY AVE., SUITE 210, MESQUITE, TX 75150. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Nunc pro tunc assignment from individual Andrew M. Ling to AML IP LLC, likely to clarify or confirm past ownership.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 7177838
    2000 : Filed by PayByClick Corp
         : Inventor Ling to GTX Corp
    2002 : GTX to PayByClick Corp
         : Corrective Assignment
    2007 : Patent Issued
    2009 : PayByClick to PayByClick-Texas
         : License to Actus LLC
    2013 : Actus LLC to PayByClick Corp
    2014 : PayByClick to GTX Corp
    2019 : GTX to Andrew M Ling PC
    2020 : GTX to Andrew M Ling PC
         : Andrew M Ling PC to AML IP LLC
    2021 : AML IP LLC Security Interest
    2025 : Andrew M Ling to AML IP LLC

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Present. The assignment to "AML IP LLC" on 2020-11-25 / recorded 2020-12-09 (Reel 051016/0993) is a transfer to an entity whose name indicates a focus on intellectual property, and it has been identified as a patent assertion entity. The consistent correspondent address also suggests a shell operation.
2. Known asserter in the chain — Present. AML IP LLC is the current assignee (Reel 051016/0993, 2020-11-25) and has been identified as a patent assertion entity (PAE) in the previously generated litigation summary.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Present.
   • Jay S. Horowitz, Jay S. Horowitz PC (or Law Office of Jay S. Horowitz P.C.) appears as the correspondent for three assignments: 2009-03-27 (Reel 022718/0651), 2009-07-23 (Reel 023188/0951), and 2013-11-04 (Reel 030560/0179).
   • Andrew M. Ling, P.C. (or Andrew M. Ling) appears as the correspondent for five assignments/conveyances: 2019-09-13 (Reel 049386/0209), 2020-03-02 (Reel 050044/0411), 2020-11-25 (Reel 051016/0993), 2021-02-11 (Reel 051259/0526), and 2025-10-22 (Reel 056461/0814). The recurrence of Andrew M. Ling, P.C. as a correspondent for multiple transfers, including those to the known asserter AML IP LLC, is a strong signal.
4. Cascading transfers — Present. There were three assignments within a 14-month period leading up to the current asserter: 2019-09-13 (GTX to Andrew M. Ling, P.C., Reel 049386/0209), 2020-03-02 (GTX to Andrew M. Ling, P.C., Reel 050044/0411), and 2020-11-25 (Andrew M. Ling, P.C. to AML IP LLC, Reel 051016/0993).
5. Pre-litigation transfer — Present. The assignment to AML IP LLC on 2020-11-25 (Reel 051016/0993) occurred less than two months before the first recorded litigation by Aml Ip LLC on January 13, 2021, indicating a strategic transfer for assertion purposes.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. No evidence of bankruptcy proceedings for any assignor or assignee in the chain.
7. Privateering — Unclear. There is no explicit evidence in the assignment records or provided context to determine if privateering is involved.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The patent is currently held by AML IP LLC, a known asserter, not a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence. The presence of AML IP LLC as a known asserter (current assignee, Reel 051016/0993, 2020-11-25), the shell-entity nature of AML IP LLC, the consistent recurrence of Andrew M. Ling, P.C. as a correspondent across multiple transfers including those to AML IP LLC, and the clear pre-litigation transfer to AML IP LLC on 2020-11-25, strongly indicate an NPE assertion pattern. These factors, combined with cascading transfers, provide high confidence in this verdict. (USPTO Assignment Center search: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/)