Assignment history

Inventors

• Thomas Jay Billhartz (employed by Harris Corp at the time of filing, as indicated by the immediate assignment of his interest to Harris Corp on the filing date).

Original assignee

• Harris Corp
• Shipped a product embodying the claims: Yes, it is highly probable that Harris Corp, a diversified technology company specializing in communications equipment, developed and shipped wireless network products that incorporated or could benefit from intrusion detection features described in the patent.
• Primary line of business: Information technology, telecommunications, government services, electronic systems.
• Current status: Acquired. Harris Corporation merged with L3 Technologies in 2019 to form L3Harris Technologies, Inc., which is currently an operating company.

Assignment timeline

• 2002-08-12 (executed) / recorded 2002-09-03 — Reel 013444/0839
  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
  • Assignor: BILLHARTZ, THOMAS JAY
  • Assignee: HARRIS CORPORATION
  • Correspondent: NOT PROVIDED
  • Context: Original assignment from inventor to the initial assignee.
• 2020-05-29 (executed) / recorded 2020-06-05 — Reel 052853/0153
  • Conveyance: PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT
  • Assignor: ACACIA RESEARCH GROUP LLC, AMERICAN VEHICULAR SCIENCES LLC, BONUTTI SKELETAL INNOVATIONS LLC, CELLULAR COMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT LLC, INNOVATIVE DISPLAY TECHNOLOGIES LLC, LIFEPORT SCIENCES LLC, LIMESTONE MEMORY SYSTEMS LLC, MERTON ACQUISITION HOLDCO LLC, MOBILE ENHANCEMENT SOLUTIONS LLC, MONARCH NETWORKING SOLUTIONS LLC, NEXUS DISPLAY TECHNOLOGIES LLC, PARTHENON UNIFIED MEMORY ARCHITECTURE LLC, R2 SOLUTIONS LLC, SAINT LAWRENCE COMMUNICATIONS LLC, STINGRAY IP SOLUTIONS LLC, SUPER INTERCONNECT TECHNOLOGIES LLC, TELECONFERENCE SYSTEMS LLC, UNIFICATION TECHNOLOGIES LLC
  • Assignee: STARBOARD VALUE INTERMEDIATE FUND LP, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
  • Correspondent: ANDREW K. ROSZEL, ESQ., AKERMAN LLP, 777 S. FLAGLER DRIVE, SUITE 1100 WEST, WEST PALM BEACH, FL 33401. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Securitization event involving numerous Acacia-related entities granting a security interest.
• 2020-06-18 (executed) / recorded 2020-06-23 — Reel 053654/0254
  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
  • Assignor: EAGLE TECHNOLOGIES, INC., HARRIS GLOBAL COMMUNICATIONS, INC., L3HARRIS TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
  • Assignee: ACACIA RESEARCH GROUP LLC
  • Correspondent: SCOTT S. MARSHALL, LAW OFFICE OF SCOTT S. MARSHALL, P.C., 1801 RESEARCH BOULEVARD, SUITE 400, ROCKVILLE, MD 20850. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Transfer of patent from the original operating company's successor (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.) to a known patent assertion entity (Acacia Research Group LLC).
• 2020-06-18 (executed) / recorded 2020-06-23 — Reel 053654/0259
  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
  • Assignor: ACACIA RESEARCH GROUP LLC
  • Assignee: STINGRAY IP SOLUTIONS LLC
  • Correspondent: SCOTT S. MARSHALL, LAW OFFICE OF SCOTT S. MARSHALL, P.C., 1801 RESEARCH BOULEVARD, SUITE 400, ROCKVILLE, MD 20850. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Internal transfer within Acacia's network, to one of its specific patent assertion subsidiaries (Stingray IP Solutions LLC).
• 2020-07-02 (executed) / recorded 2020-07-08 — Reel 053787/0942
  • Conveyance: RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS
  • Assignor: STARBOARD VALUE INTERMEDIATE FUND LP
  • Assignee: AMERICAN VEHICULAR SCIENCES LLC, CELLULAR COMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT LLC, R2 SOLUTIONS LLC, UNIFICATION TECHNOLOGIES LLC, STINGRAY IP SOLUTIONS LLC, SUPER INTERCONNECT TECHNOLOGIES LLC, ACACIA RESEARCH GROUP LLC, TELECONFERENCE SYSTEMS LLC, MOBILE ENHANCEMENT SOLUTIONS LLC, INNOVATIVE DISPLAY TECHNOLOGIES LLC, BONUTTI SKELETAL INNOVATIONS LLC, LIMESTONE MEMORY SYSTEMS LLC, LIFEPORT SCIENCES LLC, MONARCH NETWORKING SOLUTIONS LLC, PARTHENON UNIFIED MEMORY ARCHITECTURE LLC, NEXUS DISPLAY TECHNOLOGIES LLC, SAINT LAWRENCE COMMUNICATIONS LLC
  • Correspondent: ANDREW K. ROSZEL, ESQ., AKERMAN LLP, 777 S. FLAGLER DRIVE, SUITE 1100 WEST, WEST PALM BEACH, FL 33401. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Release of a previously granted security interest.
• 2021-11-09 (executed) / recorded 2021-11-11 — Reel 055866/0337
  • Conveyance: CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE ASSIGNOR NAME PREVIOUSLY RECORDED ON REEL 052853 FRAME 0153. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE SECURITY INTEREST GRANTED PURSUANT TO THE PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT PREVIOUSLY RECORDED.
  • Assignor: STINGRAY IP SOLUTIONS LLC
  • Assignee: STARBOARD VALUE INTERMEDIATE FUND LP, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
  • Correspondent: ANDREW K. ROSZEL, ESQ., AKERMAN LLP, 777 S. FLAGLER DRIVE, SUITE 1100 WEST, WEST PALM BEACH, FL 33401. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Corrective assignment confirming a security interest previously granted.
• 2021-11-09 (executed) / recorded 2021-11-11 — Reel 055866/0342
  • Conveyance: CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE ASSIGNEE NAME PREVIOUSLY RECORDED ON REEL 053654 FRAME 0254. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST GRANTED PURSUANT TO THE PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT PREVIOUSLY RECORDED.
  • Assignor: STARBOARD VALUE INTERMEDIATE FUND LP, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
  • Assignee: STINGRAY IP SOLUTIONS LLC
  • Correspondent: ANDREW K. ROSZEL, ESQ., AKERMAN LLP, 777 S. FLAGLER DRIVE, SUITE 1100 WEST, WEST PALM BEACH, FL 33401. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Corrective assignment confirming a release of security interest.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 7224678
    2002 : Filed by Harris Corp
    2007 : Patent Issued
    2020 : Securitization to Starboard
         : Assigned to Acacia Research Group
         : Assigned to Stingray IP Solutions
         : Security interest released
    2021 : Corrective assignment
         : Corrective release

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Present. The patent was transferred to Stingray IP Solutions LLC (Reel 053654/0259, 2020-06-18), which is a subsidiary of Acacia Research Group LLC, known for patent licensing and assertion. Stingray IP Solutions LLC itself functions as a licensing-only entity.
2. Known asserter in the chain — Present. The patent was assigned to ACACIA RESEARCH GROUP LLC (Reel 053654/0254, 2020-06-18) and subsequently to STINGRAY IP SOLUTIONS LLC (Reel 053654/0259, 2020-06-18), both of which are publicly known patent assertion entities.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Present.
   • SCOTT S. MARSHALL, LAW OFFICE OF SCOTT S. MARSHALL, P.C., appears on Reel 053654/0254 and 053654/0259, handling the transfers to Acacia and then to Stingray.
   • ANDREW K. ROSZEL, ESQ., AKERMAN LLP, appears on Reel 052853/0153, 053787/0942, 055866/0337, and 055866/0342 for the securitization and subsequent corrective filings.
4. Cascading transfers — Present. The assignments from L3Harris to Acacia Research Group LLC (Reel 053654/0254) and from Acacia Research Group LLC to Stingray IP Solutions LLC (Reel 053654/0259) were both executed on 2020-06-18 and recorded on 2020-06-23, showing consecutive transfers within a very short timeframe.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — Present. The transfers to Acacia Research Group LLC and Stingray IP Solutions LLC were executed on 2020-06-18 and recorded on 2020-06-23 (Reel 053654/0254, 053654/0259). This timing precedes numerous infringement suits filed in 2021 (e.g., cases 2:21-cv-00202, 2:21-cv-00196, etc.), falling within the 6-month window often indicative of pre-litigation transfers.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. Harris Corp merged with L3 Technologies; there is no indication of bankruptcy leading to the patent transfer.
7. Privateering — Unclear. While the patent was transferred from an operating company (L3Harris) to a known NPE (Acacia/Stingray), there is no explicit public evidence to determine if L3Harris retained a financial interest or directed the subsequent assertion campaigns.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The ownership chain ends with Stingray IP Solutions LLC, an active patent assertion entity.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence

The assignment chain demonstrates multiple strong indicators of NPE activity, including the transfer from an operating company (L3Harris) to a known patent assertion entity (Acacia Research Group LLC and its subsidiary Stingray IP Solutions LLC) via cascading transfers on 2020-06-18 (Reel 053654/0254, 053654/0259). These transfers occurred immediately prior to a flurry of litigation commencing in 2021, and the consistent use of specific correspondents in the chain further reinforces this conclusion.

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