Assignment history

Inventors

The sole inventor named on U.S. Patent 7,430,471 is Franklin C. Simon. At the time of filing, it is highly probable that Franklin C. Simon was employed by or otherwise affiliated with Payment Protection Systems Inc., as this entity is listed as the original assignee. The initial assignment of the inventor's interest to Payment Protection Systems, Inc. was recorded on 2006-02-08, with an effective date of 2006-01-12.

Original assignee

The original assignee named on the issued patent is Payment Protection Systems Inc.

Based on the patent's description, Payment Protection Systems Inc. was involved in the business of vehicle monitoring and security, likely for applications such as fleet management, rental vehicle tracking, or potentially for financial services (e.g., loan protection through vehicle disabling/tracking). The patent describes systems for detecting vehicle activation, authenticating operators, and controlling vehicle functions, including preventing activation, limiting speed, or triggering alarms.

Payment Protection Systems Inc. later experienced financial distress. The patent was subsequently transferred from a Chapter 7 Trustee for its bankruptcy estate (along with Sekurus, Inc.) to RFC Capital Holdings, Inc. in 2013, indicating that Payment Protection Systems Inc. is no longer an operating entity and likely dissolved after bankruptcy proceedings.

Assignment timeline

• 2006-01-12 (executed) / recorded 2006-02-08 — Reel 017246/0667

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: Simon, Franklin C.
  • Assignee: Payment Protection Systems, Inc., California
  • Correspondent: Not specified in available records.
  • Context: Initial assignment from inventor to original assignee.

• 2007-08-31 (executed) / recorded 2007-09-17 — Reel 019825/0854

  • Conveyance: Intellectual Property Security Agreement
  • Assignor: Sekurus, Inc.; Payment Protection Systems, Inc.
  • Assignee: Valens U.S. SPV I, LLC, New York
  • Correspondent: Not specified in available records.
  • Context: The patent was used as collateral in a security agreement, often a sign of financial activity or leverage.

• 2013-01-22 (executed) / recorded 2013-02-04 — Reel 029882/0454

  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
  • Assignor: Barclay, Christopher R., Chapter 7 Trustee for the Bankruptcy Estate of Sekurus, Inc.; Sekurus, Inc.; Payment Protection Systems, Inc.; and others
  • Assignee: RFC Capital Holdings, Inc., California
  • Correspondent: Not specified in available records.
  • Context: Acquisition of the patent from the bankruptcy estates of Sekurus, Inc. and Payment Protection Systems, Inc. This is a bankruptcy fire-sale.

• 2014-07-16 (executed) / recorded 2014-07-23 — Reel 033372/0494

  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
  • Assignor: Payment Protection Systems, Inc., A Nevada Corporation
  • Assignee: RFC Capital Holding, Inc., California
  • Correspondent: Not specified in available records.
  • Context: Transfer following a merger of Payment Protection Systems, Inc. (CA) into Payment Protection Systems, Inc. (NV), then to RFC Capital Holding, Inc.

• 2012-12-11 (executed) / recorded 2014-07-23 — Reel 033372/0423

  • Conveyance: Court Order
  • Assignor: Sekurus, Inc.
  • Assignee: RFC Capital Holding, Inc., California
  • Correspondent: Not specified in available records.
  • Context: Court-ordered transfer of assets from Sekurus, Inc. to RFC Capital Holding, Inc., related to the prior bankruptcy.

• 2012-12-11 (executed) / recorded 2014-07-23 — Reel 033388/0968

  • Conveyance: Release of Security Interest
  • Assignor: Valens U.S. SPV I, LLC
  • Assignee: Sekurus, Inc.; Payment Protection Systems, Inc., A Nevada Corporation
  • Correspondent: Not specified in available records.
  • Context: Release of the security interest held by Valens U.S. SPV I, LLC, likely as a condition of the bankruptcy acquisition by RFC Capital Holdings.

• 2015-04-30 (executed) / recorded 2015-10-05 — Reel 036726/0015

  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
  • Assignor: RFC Capital Holdings
  • Assignee: Orthosie Systems, LLC, Texas
  • Correspondent: Not specified in available records.
  • Context: Transfer from RFC Capital Holdings to Orthosie Systems, LLC.

• 2018-08-01 (executed) / recorded 2018-09-06 — Reel 046801/0745

  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
  • Assignor: Orthosie Systems, LLC
  • Assignee: RFC Capital Holdings, Inc., California
  • Correspondent: Not specified in available records.
  • Context: Transfer of the patent back from Orthosie Systems, LLC to RFC Capital Holdings, Inc.

• 2019-04-30 (executed) / recorded 2019-06-03 — Reel 049350/0469

  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
  • Assignor: RFC Capital Holdings, Inc.
  • Assignee: RFC Lenders Of Texas, LLC, Texas
  • Correspondent: Not specified in available records.
  • Context: Transfer from RFC Capital Holdings, Inc. to RFC Lenders Of Texas, LLC, the current assignee.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 7430471
    2006 : Inventor to Payment Prot Systems
    2007 : Security agreement granted
    2013 : Acquired from bankruptcy by RFC Capital Holdings
    2014 : PPS Corp reorg / court order to RFC Cap H
         : Security interest released
    2015 : Assigned to Orthosie Systems LLC
         : First Orthosie suit filed
    2018 : Orthosie to RFC Capital Holdings
    2019 : RFC Capital Holdings to RFC Lenders of Texas LLC
    2023 : First RFC Lenders suit filed

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — present
   Multiple transfers occur to entities with names suggestive of holding or licensing companies, particularly "RFC Capital Holdings, Inc.," "Orthosie Systems, LLC," and "RFC Lenders Of Texas, LLC." Both Orthosie Systems, LLC and RFC Lenders Of Texas, LLC are identified as plaintiffs in the litigation summary, operating from Texas, which is a common jurisdiction for NPEs. [cite: REEL/FRAME:029882/0454 (RFC Capital Holdings), REEL/FRAME:036726/0015 (Orthosie Systems), REEL/FRAME:049350/0469 (RFC Lenders of Texas)]

2. Known asserter in the chain — present
   Both Orthosie Systems, LLC and RFC Lenders of Texas, LLC are explicitly listed in the provided litigation summary as entities that have initiated numerous patent infringement lawsuits asserting this patent. [cite: REEL/FRAME:036726/0015 (Orthosie Systems), REEL/FRAME:049350/0469 (RFC Lenders of Texas)]

3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — unclear
   The provided Google Patents legal events do not include specific correspondent attorney names or firms for the recorded assignments, preventing an assessment of this signal.

4. Cascading transfers — not present
   While there are several transfers in the chain, they do not exhibit the pattern of multiple consecutive assignments through chained LLCs within a short period (e.g., less than 24 months) that typically indicates cascading transfers for assertion purposes. The transfers are spread over several years, with a notable re-assignment from Orthosie Systems, LLC back to RFC Capital Holdings, Inc. before the final transfer to RFC Lenders Of Texas, LLC.

5. Pre-litigation transfer — present
   The assignment of the patent to Orthosie Systems, LLC was effective on 2015-04-30 and recorded on 2015-10-05 [cite: REEL/FRAME:036726/0015]. Orthosie Systems, LLC's first documented infringement suit concerning this patent was filed on 2015-10-26 (e.g., Orthosie Systems, LLC v. Geotab USA, Inc.), which is within six months of both the effective and recording dates of the assignment.

6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — present
   The assignment recorded on 2013-02-04 [cite: REEL/FRAME:029882/0454] explicitly states that the assignor included "BARCLAY, CHRISTOPHER R., CHAPTER 7 TRUSTEE FOR THE BANKRUPTCY ESTATE OF SEKURUS, INC." and "PAYMENT PROTECTION SYSTEMS, INC." This clearly indicates the patent was acquired through a bankruptcy sale.

7. Privateering — not present
   There is no information in the provided context to suggest that an operating company transferred the patent to an NPE to assert on its behalf against competitors as part of a privateering arrangement. The transfers appear to be outright sales, particularly from a bankruptcy estate.

8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present
   The current assignee, RFC Lenders Of Texas, LLC, is identified as an asserting entity rather than a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence

The assignment chain clearly demonstrates several strong indicators of NPE activity. The patent was acquired from a bankruptcy estate [cite: REEL/FRAME:029882/0454], transferred to known asserters Orthosie Systems, LLC, and subsequently RFC Lenders Of Texas, LLC [cite: REEL/FRAME:036726/0015, REEL/FRAME:049350/0469]. Furthermore, the assignment to Orthosie Systems, LLC immediately preceded its first infringement litigation within a six-month window.

USPTO Assignment Center Search for US7430471