Assignment history

Inventors

• James D. Logan
• Daniel F. Goessling
• Charles G. Call

The inventors appear to have been individuals at the time of the original patent application filing. They later assigned their rights to Personal Audio, Inc., which suggests they may have founded this entity or were closely associated with it. There is no information indicating they departed an employer within 12 months of filing; rather, the patent was initially held by the individuals.

Original assignee

The patent was originally assigned by the individual inventors (James D. Logan, Daniel F. Goessling, Charles G. Call) to Personal Audio, Inc. on February 27, 2008. This entity, and its successor Personal Audio LLC, is widely recognized as a patent assertion entity. Personal Audio LLC's primary line of business is patent licensing and assertion, not shipping products embodying the claims. The current assignee, Personal Audio LLC, is operating.

Assignment timeline

• 2008-02-27 (executed) / recorded 2008-03-05 — Reel 020473/0971

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT
  • Assignor: LOGAN, JAMES D; GOESSLING, DANIEL F; CALL, CHARLES G
  • Assignee: PERSONAL AUDIO, INC.
  • Correspondent: BAKER & MCKENZIE LLP; 815 CONNECTICUT AVE., NW; WASHINGTON, DC 20006-4078. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Initial assignment from individual inventors to a corporate entity.

• 2008-02-27 (executed) / recorded 2008-03-05 — Reel 020473/0974

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT
  • Assignor: PERSONAL AUDIO, INC.
  • Assignee: LOGAN, JAMES D.
  • Correspondent: BAKER & MCKENZIE LLP; 815 CONNECTICUT AVE., NW; WASHINGTON, DC 20006-4078. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Internal restructuring, transfer from Personal Audio, Inc. back to one of the inventors.

• 2008-02-27 (executed) / recorded 2008-03-05 — Reel 020473/0977

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT
  • Assignor: LOGAN, JAMES D.
  • Assignee: THE JAMES D. LOGAN AND KERRY M. LOGAN FAMILY TRUST DATED AUGUST 20, 2001
  • Correspondent: BAKER & MCKENZIE LLP; 815 CONNECTICUT AVE., NW; WASHINGTON, DC 20006-4078. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Internal restructuring, transfer from an inventor to a family trust.

• 2009-06-27 (executed) / recorded 2009-07-02 — Reel 022830/0805

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT
  • Assignor: THE JAMES D. LOGAN AND KERRY M. LOGAN FAMILY TRUST DATED AUGUST 20, 2001
  • Assignee: PERSONAL AUDIO LLC
  • Correspondent: PATTERSON & SHERIDAN, L.L.P.; 3040 POST OAK BLVD., SUITE 1500; HOUSTON, TX 77056
  • Context: Transfer to a patent assertion entity (NPE).

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 7509178
    2001 : Application filed by inventors
    2008 : Inventors assign to Personal Audio Inc
         : Personal Audio Inc assigns to J. Logan
         : J. Logan assigns to Logan Family Trust
    2009 : Patent issued
         : Logan Family Trust assigns to Personal Audio LLC
         : First infringement suit filed

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Present. The final assignment on 2009-06-27 (recorded 2009-07-02) to Personal Audio LLC represents a transfer to a licensing-only entity known for patent assertion, which does not ship products embodying the claims.
2. Known asserter in the chain — Present. Personal Audio LLC is a well-known patent assertion entity (NPE), particularly associated with "podcasting" patents.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Present. Baker & McKenzie LLP (815 Connecticut Ave., NW, Washington, DC) served as the correspondent for three assignments recorded on 2008-03-05 (Reel 020473/0971, 020473/0974, 020473/0977), indicating a consistent legal representative for these internal transfers.
4. Cascading transfers — Present. Three assignments were executed on the same day (2008-02-27) and recorded concurrently (2008-03-05), followed by another transfer within 16 months (2009-06-27 executed / 2009-07-02 recorded). This sequence from inventors to a corporation, then back to an inventor, to a family trust, and finally to an LLC, indicates a concerted internal restructuring of ownership.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — Present. The patent was assigned to Personal Audio LLC on 2009-06-27 (recorded 2009-07-02). The first recorded litigation involving this patent, Personal Audio LLC v. [Apple Inc.](/litigations/by-plaintiff/Apple%20Inc.) (9:09-cv-00111), was filed on 2009-09-29, which is less than three months after the assignment to the asserting entity.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. No evidence in the assignment records suggests a bankruptcy proceeding.
7. Privateering — Unclear. While Personal Audio LLC asserts patents, the initial assignors were the individual inventors, not an operating company.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The chain does not terminate at a known defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence
This verdict is based on the presence of multiple strong signals: a known patent assertion entity (Personal Audio LLC) is the current assignee, there are cascading transfers involving a family trust, and a clear pre-litigation transfer occurred less than three months before the first infringement suit was filed against Apple.
Link to USPTO Assignment Center search for US7509178