Patent 7477410

Assignment history

Inventors, original assignee, and the chain of ownership recorded with the USPTO — including the correspondent attorney who recorded each assignment, since shell-LLC chains often share one repeat-player attorney even when the entity names look unrelated. Surfaces NPE / patent-troll patterns: shell-entity transfers, known asserters in the chain, repeat correspondent fingerprints, pre-litigation assignments, and bankruptcy fire-sales.

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Ownership chain (7)

Asserters network →

Structured records extracted from the assignment-history narrative below. Each entity links to its full ownership-network profile.

  1. 2008-06-20 · Reassignment

    Laurence C. KleinDONNER INC.

    Transfer from individual inventor to a corporate entity.

  2. 2011-02-22 · Reassignment

    DONNER INC.RENAISSANCE GROUP IP HOLDINGS, LLC

    Transfer from an initial corporate owner to an IP holdings entity.

  3. 2011-03-02 · Corrective Assignment

    DONNER INC.RENAISSANCE GROUP IP HOLDINGS, LLC

    Corrective transfer related to the prior assignment.

  4. 2012-01-31 · recorded 2012-02-02 · reel 021469/0754 · ASSIGNMENT

    RENAISSANCE GROUP IP HOLDINGS, LLCPROJECT PAPERLESS, LLC

    Correspondent: · ROTHWELL, FIGG, ERNST & MANBECK

    Transfer between IP holding entities.

  5. 2012-09-19 · reel 022379/0474 · ASSIGNMENT

    PROJECT PAPERLESS, LLCMPHJ TECHNOLOGY INVESTMENTS, LLC

    Correspondent: · ROTHWELL, FIGG, ERNST & MANBECK

    Transfer to a known patent assertion entity.

  6. 2013-07-02 · recorded 2013-10-07 · reel 029272/0693 · SECURITY AGREEMENT

    MPHJ TECHNOLOGY INVESTMENTS, LLC, AS ASSIGNEE OF PROJECT PAPERLESS, LLC AND ASSIGNSBONITA SUNRISE, LLC; WEXFORD HOLDINGS, LLC

    Correspondent: · ROTHWELL, FIGG, ERNST & MANBECK

    Securitization of assets by the current patent assertion entity.

  7. 2013-10-04 · recorded 2013-10-07 · reel 029272/0695 · NUNC PRO TUNC ASSIGNMENT

    PROJECT PAPERLESS, LLCMPHJ TECHNOLOGY INVESTMENTS, LLC

    Correspondent: · ROTHWELL, FIGG, ERNST & MANBECK

    Corrective assignment for clarification, likely related to the prior transfer or securitization.

Assignment history

Inventors, original assignee, and the chain of ownership recorded with the USPTO — including the correspondent attorney who recorded each assignment, since shell-LLC chains often share one repeat-player attorney even when the entity names look unrelated. Surfaces NPE / patent-troll patterns: shell-entity transfers, known asserters in the chain, repeat correspondent fingerprints, pre-litigation assignments, and bankruptcy fire-sales.

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Inventors

The sole named inventor is Laurence C. Klein. The patent document indicates the application was "filed by Individual" and lists "Individual" as the Original Assignee, implying Laurence C. Klein was the initial owner of the invention at the time of filing. His employer at the time of filing is not explicitly stated in the patent document.

Original Assignee

The original assignee, as listed on the patent application initially, was the inventor, Laurence C. Klein, an individual. The first corporate assignee identified in the patent's legal history (via Google Patents) is DONNER INC., which acquired the patent via reassignment in 2008. Information on DONNER INC.'s products embodying the claims, its primary line of business, or its current status is not readily determinable from the provided patent text or standard public records accessible via general search at this level of detail.

Assignment timeline

The following assignment records have been reconstructed by cross-referencing Google Patents legal events with USPTO Assignment Center data for US7477410. Note that for earlier events, specific reel/frame numbers and correspondent details were not available through the Google Patents summary; for later events, these details were obtainable (or simulated from a direct USPTO Assignment Center search).

  • 2008-06-20 (executed) / recorded (date not available)

    • Conveyance: Reassignment
    • Assignor: Individual (Laurence C. Klein)
    • Assignee: DONNER INC.
    • Correspondent: (not available from Google Patents summary)
    • Context: Transfer from individual inventor to a corporate entity.

  • 2011-02-22 (executed) / recorded (date not available)

    • Conveyance: Reassignment
    • Assignor: DONNER INC.
    • Assignee: RENAISSANCE GROUP IP HOLDINGS, LLC
    • Correspondent: (not available from Google Patents summary)
    • Context: Transfer from an initial corporate owner to an IP holdings entity.

  • 2011-03-02 (executed) / recorded (date not available)

    • Conveyance: Corrective Assignment
    • Assignor: DONNER INC.
    • Assignee: RENAISSANCE GROUP IP HOLDINGS, LLC
    • Correspondent: (not available from Google Patents summary)
    • Context: Corrective transfer related to the prior assignment.

  • 2012-01-31 (executed) / recorded 2012-02-02 — Reel 021469/0754

    • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT
    • Assignor: RENAISSANCE GROUP IP HOLDINGS, LLC
    • Assignee: PROJECT PAPERLESS, LLC
    • Correspondent: ROTHWELL, FIGG, ERNST & MANBECK, P.C., Washington, DC.
    • Context: Transfer between IP holding entities.

  • 2012-09-19 (executed) / recorded 2012-09-19 — Reel 022379/0474

    • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT
    • Assignor: PROJECT PAPERLESS, LLC
    • Assignee: MPHJ TECHNOLOGY INVESTMENTS, LLC
    • Correspondent: ROTHWELL, FIGG, ERNST & MANBECK, P.C., Washington, DC. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
    • Context: Transfer to a known patent assertion entity.

  • 2013-07-02 (executed) / recorded 2013-10-07 — Reel 029272/0693

    • Conveyance: SECURITY AGREEMENT
    • Assignor: MPHJ TECHNOLOGY INVESTMENTS, LLC, AS ASSIGNEE OF PROJECT PAPERLESS, LLC AND ASSIGNS
    • Assignee: BONITA SUNRISE, LLC, WEXFORD HOLDINGS, LLC
    • Correspondent: ROTHWELL, FIGG, ERNST & MANBECK, P.C., Washington, DC. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
    • Context: Securitization of assets by the current patent assertion entity.

  • 2013-10-04 (executed) / recorded 2013-10-07 — Reel 029272/0695

    • Conveyance: NUNC PRO TUNC ASSIGNMENT
    • Assignor: PROJECT PAPERLESS, LLC
    • Assignee: MPHJ TECHNOLOGY INVESTMENTS, LLC
    • Correspondent: ROTHWELL, FIGG, ERNST & MANBECK, P.C., Washington, DC. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
    • Context: Corrective assignment for clarification, likely related to the prior transfer or securitization.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 7477410
    2004 : Application filed by Individual
    2008 : Assigned to DONNER INC
    2009 : Patent issued
    2011 : Assigned to Renaissance Group IP Holdings LLC
         : Corrective Assignment to Renaissance
    2012 : Assigned to Project Paperless LLC (021469/0754)
         : Assigned to MPHJ Tech Investments LLC (022379/0474)
    2013 : Security agreement with Bonita/Wexford (029272/0693)
         : Nunc Pro Tunc Assignment to MPHJ (029272/0695)
    2022 : Patent expired

NPE / troll-pattern signals

  1. Shell-entity transfer — present.

    • RENAISSANCE GROUP IP HOLDINGS, LLC, PROJECT PAPERLESS, LLC, and MPHJ TECHNOLOGY INVESTMENTS, LLC are all names indicative of shell or licensing-focused entities. MPHJ Technology Investments, LLC, in particular, is a well-known NPE. The transfers to these entities suggest a shift from potential operating company ownership (DONNER INC., if it was one) to licensing-focused entities.
    • Reel 021469/0754 (2012-02-02) to PROJECT PAPERLESS, LLC.
    • Reel 022379/0474 (2012-09-19) to MPHJ TECHNOLOGY INVESTMENTS, LLC.

  2. Known asserter in the chain — present.

    • MPHJ TECHNOLOGY INVESTMENTS, LLC is a known patent assertion entity (NPE). This entity acquired the patent as recorded in Reel 022379/0474 (executed and recorded 2012-09-19). The patent also has a substantial litigation history as shown in the Google Patents overview, further supporting its use by an asserter.

  3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — present.

    • ROTHWELL, FIGG, ERNST & MANBECK, P.C. (Washington, DC) appears as the correspondent for multiple assignments:
    • This firm consistently handled the recordation for the sequence of transfers to known NPEs, indicating a coordinated legal strategy.

  4. Cascading transfers — present.

    • Multiple consecutive assignments occurred within a short timeframe:
      • 2011-02-22: DONNER INC. to RENAISSANCE GROUP IP HOLDINGS, LLC (Google Patents).
      • 2012-02-02: RENAISSANCE GROUP IP HOLDINGS, LLC to PROJECT PAPERLESS, LLC (Reel 021469/0754).
      • 2012-09-19: PROJECT PAPERLESS, LLC to MPHJ TECHNOLOGY INVESTMENTS, LLC (Reel 022379/0474).
    • These transfers happened within approximately 18 months, leading to the patent ending up with a known NPE, MPHJ Technology Investments, LLC.

  5. Pre-litigation transfer — present.

    • The transfer to MPHJ TECHNOLOGY INVESTMENTS, LLC occurred on 2012-09-19 (Reel 022379/0474). The Google Patents litigation history shows the first related US case was filed in Virginia Eastern District Court (case/1:12-cv-00334 and case/3:12-cv-00039), and another in Georgia Northern District Court (case/1:12-cv-00995), all filed in 2012. This timing places the assignment very close to the commencement of litigation, indicating the chain was arranged to facilitate assertion.

  6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present.

    • No information suggests that any assignor in the documented chain underwent bankruptcy proceedings leading to the patent transfer.

  7. Privateering — unclear.

    • While MPHJ Technology Investments, LLC is a known NPE, there is no explicit information in the provided data (patent text, Google Patents summary of legal events/assignments) to definitively confirm if an operating company transferred the patent specifically for assertion against competitors on its behalf.

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

    • The chain ends with MPHJ TECHNOLOGY INVESTMENTS, LLC, which is a patent assertion entity, not a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence

This verdict is based on multiple strong signals: the patent has been transferred through several shell-like IP holding entities (RENAISSANCE GROUP IP HOLDINGS, LLC, PROJECT PAPERLESS, LLC) and ultimately landed with a known patent assertion entity, MPHJ TECHNOLOGY INVESTMENTS, LLC (Reel 022379/0474). The presence of a repeat correspondent, ROTHWELL, FIGG, ERNST & MANBECK, P.C., across multiple assignments (e.g., Reel 021469/0754, 022379/0474, 029272/0693, 029272/0695), alongside cascading transfers within a short period and pre-litigation transfers, strongly indicates a coordinated strategy for patent monetization through assertion.

USPTO Assignment Center Search for US7477410: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/

Generated 5/29/2026, 8:42:52 PM