Assignment history

Inventors

• Mark J. Thompson (Hewlett Packard Development Co LP)
• Mark B. Harris (Hewlett Packard Development Co LP)
• Peter C. Fry (Hewlett Packard Development Co LP)

No unusual patterns suggesting inventors departing the original assignee within 12 months of filing are determinable from the provided information.

Original assignee

The entity named on the issued patent is Hewlett Packard Development Co LP.

Hewlett Packard Development Co LP (now part of HP Inc. and Hewlett Packard Enterprise) is primarily engaged in the business of information technology products and services, including hardware (like disk drives and computer systems) and software. They shipped products embodying the claims, specifically mentioning the "ProLiant DL 380 Package Cluster with MSA 1000 manufactured by Hewlett Packard Corporation" as an exemplary computer system in the patent description.

Hewlett Packard Development Co LP is an operating entity, with its successor companies (HP Inc. and Hewlett Packard Enterprise) continuing to operate.

Assignment timeline

• 2005-05-12 (executed) / recorded 2005-05-12 — Reel 016559/0332

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: FRY, PETER C., HARRIS, MARK B., THOMPSON, MARK J.
  • Assignee: HEWLETT-PACKARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, L.P.
  • Correspondent: HEWLETT-PACKARD COMPANY, 2055 GATEWAY PLACE, MS 1051, SANTA CLARA, CA 95054, US. This correspondent appears for the initial assignment from the inventors to the original assignee.
  • Context: Internal transfer of inventorship rights to employer.

• 2015-10-27 (executed) / recorded 2015-11-09 — Reel 037079/0001

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: HEWLETT-PACKARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, L.P.
  • Assignee: HEWLETT PACKARD ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT LP
  • Correspondent: HEWLETT-PACKARD ENTERPRISE COMPANY, 11445 TAFT STREET, BROOMFIELD, COLORADO 80020, US.
  • Context: Internal corporate reorganization as Hewlett-Packard split into two companies.

• 2022-08-22 (executed) / recorded 2023-02-16 — Reel 062725/0741

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: HEWLETT PACKARD ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT LP; HEWLETT PACKARD ENTERPRISE COMPANY
  • Assignee: QUEST PATENT RESEARCH CORPORATION
  • Correspondent: BRENT E. RUPERT, ESQ., STONE & SUFFOLK, PC, 1290 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS, SUITE 310, NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10104, US. This correspondent is known to represent NPEs.
  • Context: Transfer to an asserting entity.

• 2023-06-15 (executed) / recorded 2024-03-22 — Reel 066878/0656

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: QUEST PATENT RESEARCH CORPORATION
  • Assignee: FLASH UPLINK LLC
  • Correspondent: BRENT E. RUPERT, STONE & SUFFOLK, PC, 1290 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS, SUITE 310, NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10104, US. This correspondent recurs in the chain, appearing in both the 2023 and 2024 assignments.
  • Context: Transfer between asserting entities.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 7426633
    2005 : Filed by inventors to HP
    2008 : Issued
    2015 : Assigned to HP Enterprise
    2023 : Assigned to Quest Patent Research
    2024 : Assigned to Flash Uplink LLC

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — present.

   • 2023-02-16 (Reel 062725/0741): Transfer from Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP / Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company to QUEST PATENT RESEARCH CORPORATION. Quest Patent Research Corporation is a known patent assertion entity.
   • 2024-03-22 (Reel 066878/0656): Transfer from QUEST PATENT RESEARCH CORPORATION to FLASH UPLINK LLC. Flash Uplink LLC is the current assignee and, based on its litigation activity (see pre-litigation transfer below), functions as a licensing-only entity.

2. Known asserter in the chain — present.

   • QUEST PATENT RESEARCH CORPORATION (assignee in 2023, Reel 062725/0741) is a known high-frequency plaintiff / patent assertion entity.
   • FLASH UPLINK LLC (current assignee in 2024, Reel 066878/0656) is also identified in public litigation data as a patent assertion entity.

3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — present.

   • BRENT E. RUPERT, STONE & SUFFOLK, PC (1290 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS, SUITE 310, NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10104, US) appears as the correspondent for both:
     • The 2023-02-16 assignment to QUEST PATENT RESEARCH CORPORATION (Reel 062725/0741).
     • The 2024-03-22 assignment to FLASH UPLINK LLC (Reel 066878/0656).
       This recurrence signals a consistent legal representative for the NPEs in the chain.

4. Cascading transfers — present.

   • The transfer to Quest Patent Research Corporation (recorded 2023-02-16) and the subsequent transfer to Flash Uplink LLC (recorded 2024-03-22) occurred within 14 months, with both assignees being known NPEs and sharing the same correspondent attorney.

5. Pre-litigation transfer — present.

   • The transfer to Flash Uplink LLC was recorded on 2024-03-22 (Reel 066878/0656). Google Patents indicates litigation cases were filed in the Texas Eastern District Court with case numbers 2:26-cv-00085 and 2:26-cv-00072. Given the current date of 2026-06-19, these filings occurred within approximately 24 months of the final assignment, indicating a strong likelihood of pre-litigation transfer to enable assertion.

6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. The original assignee, Hewlett Packard Development Co LP, underwent a corporate reorganization, not a bankruptcy.

7. Privateering — unclear. While Hewlett Packard Enterprise transferred the patent to a known NPE, the specific details of any agreement (e.g., whether HPE benefits from the assertion) are not publicly available in the patent assignment records or general litigation information.

8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The chain terminates with Flash Uplink LLC, which is an asserting entity, not a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence. This verdict is supported by several strong signals. The patent was transferred from an operating company (Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP) to a known patent assertion entity, Quest Patent Research Corporation, in 2023 (Reel 062725/0741). Subsequently, it was transferred to another asserting entity, Flash Uplink LLC, in 2024 (Reel 066878/0656), shortly before litigation commenced. The consistent use of the same correspondent attorney (BRENT E. RUPERT, STONE & SUFFOLK, PC) for these NPE transfers further reinforces the pattern.

USPTO Assignment Center search for US7426633: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/