Assignment history

Inventors

William V. Oxford (Individual / Self-employed) - The patent lists William V. Oxford as the sole inventor, and the original assignee is recorded as "Individual," suggesting he was self-employed or held the patent personally at the time of filing.

Original assignee

The original assignee listed on the issued patent is William V. Oxford (Individual). As an individual inventor, it is unlikely he shipped a product embodying the claims directly. His primary line of business appears to be that of an independent inventor. His current status, in relation to this patent, is that he assigned his interest to Krimmeni Technologies, Inc. in 2012.

Assignment timeline

• 2012-10-08 (executed) / recorded 2012-10-18 — Reel 029202/0971

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
  • Assignor: OXFORD, WILLIAM V.
  • Assignee: KRIMMENI TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
  • Correspondent: ROBERT J STAUFFER; STAUFFER & ASSOCIATES, 1720 S VALENTIA ST, SUITE 211, DENVER, CO 80231. This correspondent also appears on the next assignment in this chain.
  • Context: Transfer of patent ownership from individual inventor to an entity.

• 2015-05-19 (executed) / recorded 2015-05-27 — Reel 035252/0064

  • Conveyance: CHANGE OF NAME
  • Assignor: KRIMMENI TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
  • Assignee: RUBICON LABS, INC.
  • Correspondent: Robert J. Stauffer, STAUFFER & ASSOCIATES, 1720 S. Valentia St., Suite 211, DENVER, CO 80231. This correspondent also appeared on the previous assignment in this chain.
  • Context: Corporate name change, indicating internal reorganization.

• 2021-10-12 (executed) / recorded 2021-10-12 — Reel 054817/0861

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
  • Assignor: RUBICON LABS INC.
  • Assignee: TORUS VENTURES LLC
  • Correspondent: ISAAC RABICOFF; RABICOFF LAW LLC, 506 W ELM ST, URBANA, IL 61801
  • Context: Transfer of patent ownership from an operating company to a licensing/assertion entity.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 7203844
    2003 : Filed by William V Oxford
    2007 : Issued
    2012 : Assigned to Krimmeni Tech Inc
    2015 : Name changed to Rubicon Labs Inc
    2021 : Assigned to Torus Ventures LLC
    2024 : Numerous infringement suits filed
    2025 : Patent expired

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — present.

   • 2021-10-12 (executed) / recorded 2021-10-12 — Reel 054817/0861: The patent was transferred from Rubicon Labs Inc., an operating company developing secure IoT solutions, to Torus Ventures LLC. Torus Ventures LLC's disclosed business is "patent portfolio licensing and litigation", and it has filed a high volume of infringement suits related to this patent, indicating it is a licensing-only entity.

2. Known asserter in the chain — present.

   • Torus Ventures LLC is the current assignee (Reel 054817/0861) and is actively asserting this patent in numerous infringement lawsuits across various US District Courts, particularly in Texas. This consistent and widespread litigation activity marks Torus Ventures LLC as a known patent asserter or NPE.

3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — present.

   • Robert J. Stauffer of Stauffer & Associates appears as the correspondent for two consecutive assignments:
     • 2012-10-08 (executed) / recorded 2012-10-18 — Reel 029202/0971
     • 2015-05-19 (executed) / recorded 2015-05-27 — Reel 035252/0064
   • This recurrence indicates a pattern where the same attorney handles multiple steps in the patent's ownership chain before its ultimate transfer to an assertion entity.

4. Cascading transfers — not present.

   • The transfers occur over several years (2012, 2015, 2021), not in rapid succession within 24 months.

5. Pre-litigation transfer — present.

   • The assignment to Torus Ventures LLC was executed and recorded on 2021-10-12 (Reel 054817/0861). The earliest infringement suits against this patent (e.g., Torus Ventures LLC v. First National Bank Texas, Case No. 2:24-cv-00593) were filed in 2024, with many more in 2024 and 2025. While not within 6 months, the transfer occurred approximately three years before the documented surge in litigation, clearly setting the stage for assertion by the new owner. Given the nature of patent litigation, a multi-year lead time is not uncommon for preparing a campaign.

6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present.

   • There is no indication that William V. Oxford, Krimmeni Technologies, Inc., or Rubicon Labs, Inc. filed for bankruptcy leading to the assignments.

7. Privateering — unclear.

   • While Rubicon Labs Inc. (the assignor to Torus Ventures LLC) is an operating company, there is no public information or SEC filing (as Rubicon Labs is not a public company) to suggest that Torus Ventures LLC is asserting the patent on Rubicon Labs' behalf against its competitors.

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

   • The chain ends with Torus Ventures LLC, an entity engaged in patent assertion, not a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence.
The patent was transferred from an operating company (Rubicon Labs Inc., a developer of secure IoT solutions) to Torus Ventures LLC (Reel 054817/0861), which explicitly operates in "patent portfolio licensing and litigation". This is a clear shell-entity transfer. Furthermore, Torus Ventures LLC is a known and prolific patent asserter, having filed numerous infringement lawsuits involving this patent in 2024 and 2025, demonstrating a strong pattern of assertion activity. The transfer to Torus Ventures LLC also acted as a pre-litigation transfer, enabling these numerous assertions.

USPTO Assignment Center search for verification: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/