Assignment history

Inventors

• Ottmar Gehring: DaimlerChrysler AG
• Harro Heilmann: DaimlerChrysler AG
• Frederic Holzmann: DaimlerChrysler AG
• Andreas Schwarzhaupt: DaimlerChrysler AG
• Gernot Spiegelberg: DaimlerChrysler AG
• Armin Sulzmann: DaimlerChrysler AG

All inventors were employed by the original assignee, DaimlerChrysler AG, at the time of filing. There is no indication of all inventors departing the original assignee within 12 months of filing.

Original assignee

The original assignee was DaimlerChrysler AG. DaimlerChrysler AG was a multinational automotive corporation that manufactured automobiles, trucks, buses, and other vehicles. They shipped products embodying the claims, specifically motor vehicles equipped with driver assistance systems. DaimlerChrysler AG subsequently became Daimler AG due to the sale of Chrysler. Daimler AG (now Mercedes-Benz Group AG for passenger cars and Daimler Truck AG for trucks and buses) is an operating company.

Assignment timeline

• 2005-08-05 (executed) / recorded 2005-08-05 — Reel 016857/0939

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: GEHRING, OTTMAR; HEILMANN, HARRO; HOLZMANN, FREDERIC; SULZMANN, ARMIN; SPIEGELBERG, GERNOT; SCHWARZHAUPT, ANDREAS (all inventors)
  • Assignee: DAIMLERCHRYSLER AG, GERMANY
  • Correspondent: ANNE H. FOSS, FOLEY & LARDNER LLP, 3000 K STREET, N.W., SUITE 500, WASHINGTON, DC 20007-5143
  • Context: Transfer of invention rights from individual inventors to the corporate assignee.

• 2007-10-19 (executed) / recorded 2008-01-31 — Reel 020442/0893

  • Conveyance: Change of Name
  • Assignor: DAIMLERCHRYSLER AG
  • Assignee: DAIMLER AG, GERMANY
  • Correspondent: ANNE H. FOSS, FOLEY & LARDNER LLP, 3000 K STREET, N.W., SUITE 500, WASHINGTON, DC 20007-5143. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Corporate name change following the sale of Chrysler.

• 2011-12-19 (executed) / recorded 2012-01-31 — Reel 027624/0585

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: DAIMLER AG
  • Assignee: BURANI CONSULTING LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY, DELAW
  • Correspondent: KENNETH J. KRISTAL, CULHANE MEADOWS PLLC, 301 COMMERCE STREET, SUITE 2700, FORT WORTH, TX 76102
  • Context: Transfer from an operating company to a Delaware LLC.

• 2015-08-26 (executed) / recorded 2015-12-11 — Reel 037273/0458

  • Conveyance: Merger
  • Assignor: BURANI CONSULTING LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY
  • Assignee: CHEMTRON RESEARCH LLC, DELAWARE
  • Correspondent: STEVEN H. SINGER, LAW OFFICE OF STEVEN H. SINGER, 20300 VENTURA BLVD SUITE 300, WOODLAND HILLS, CA 91364
  • Context: Merger of LLCs.

• 2024-03-28 (executed) / recorded 2024-03-28 — Reel 066941/0176

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: CHEMTRON RESEARCH LLC
  • Assignee: INTELLECTUAL VENTURES II LLC, DELAWARE
  • Correspondent: INTELLECTUAL VENTURES, 2711 CENTERVILLE ROAD, SUITE 400, WILMINGTON, DE 19808
  • Context: Transfer to a known patent asserter.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 7336805
    2005 : Inventors to DaimlerChrysler AG
    2008 : DaimlerChrysler AG name change to Daimler AG
    2012 : Daimler AG to Burani Consulting LLC
    2015 : Burani Consulting LLC to Chemtron Research LLC
    2024 : Chemtron Research LLC to Intellectual Ventures II LLC

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — present.

   • 2012-01-31 (recorded) Reel 027624/0585: Daimler AG (operating company) assigned to Burani Consulting Limited Liability Company (Delaware LLC). The name "Burani Consulting Limited Liability Company" suggests a non-operating entity.
   • 2015-12-11 (recorded) Reel 037273/0458: Burani Consulting Limited Liability Company merged into Chemtron Research LLC (Delaware LLC). The name "Chemtron Research LLC" also suggests a non-operating entity.
   • 2024-03-28 (recorded) Reel 066941/0176: Chemtron Research LLC assigned to Intellectual Ventures II LLC (Delaware LLC). "Intellectual Ventures" is a classic shell-entity name for patent licensing/assertion.

2. Known asserter in the chain — present.

   • 2024-03-28 (recorded) Reel 066941/0176: The current assignee is Intellectual Ventures II LLC, which is a well-known patent assertion entity.

3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — present.

   • ANNE H. FOSS, FOLEY & LARDNER LLP appears on Reel 016857/0939 and Reel 020442/0893. While Foley & Lardner LLP is a large firm that does both operating company and NPE work, the recurrence across the initial assignments is noted.

4. Cascading transfers — present.

   • The transfer from Burani Consulting Limited Liability Company to Chemtron Research LLC occurred with a merger recorded on 2015-12-11 (executed 2015-08-26). This is followed by a transfer from Chemtron Research LLC to Intellectual Ventures II LLC, executed and recorded on 2024-03-28. While not within 24 months, the sequence of transfers between LLCs that appear to be non-operating entities is a signal.

5. Pre-litigation transfer — unclear. While there is ongoing litigation related to this patent (PTAB case IPR2025-00342 filed on 2025-03-11 and a US case 6:24-cv-00188 filed in Texas Western District Court in 2024), the assignment to Intellectual Ventures II LLC occurred on 2024-03-28, which is before the PTAB filing but roughly concurrent with the district court filing. More precise timing information on the Texas Western District Court filing date would be needed to confirm this signal with high confidence.

6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. The initial transfer from Daimler AG was not explicitly stated to be due to bankruptcy proceedings.

7. Privateering — unclear. There is no publicly available information in the patent record or Google Patents legal events to indicate privateering.

8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The chain ends with Intellectual Ventures II LLC, which is a known patent assertion entity, not a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence
The presence of multiple strong signals, including transfers to shell entities (Burani Consulting LLC, Chemtron Research LLC) and ultimately to a known patent asserter (Intellectual Ventures II LLC, recorded on Reel 066941/0176 on 2024-03-28), supports a high-confidence NPE verdict. The pattern of transfers from an operating company to a series of LLCs, culminating in ownership by an entity known for patent assertion, is a clear indicator of NPE activity.

USPTO Assignment Center search for US patent 7336805: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/#!/patent/7336805