Assignment history

Inventors

• Cary R. Murphy: Employed by Network Integrity Systems Inc. at the time of filing.
• Mark K. Bridges: Employed by Network Integrity Systems Inc. at the time of filing.
• Joseph Giovanni (later corrected to Giovannini): Employed by Network Integrity Systems Inc. at the time of filing.
• David E. Vokey: Employed by Network Integrity Systems Inc. at the time of filing.
• Daniel M. Goertzen: Employed by Network Integrity Systems Inc. at the time of filing.

There are no unusual patterns indicating that all inventors departed the original assignee within 12 months of filing. The assignments occurred shortly after the application filing, transferring inventor interests to the assignee, which is standard practice.

Original assignee

The original assignee named on the issued patent is Network Integrity Systems Inc.

Network Integrity Systems Inc. (NIS) is an operating company founded in 2003, specializing in optical fiber monitoring technology for cybersecurity, asset protection, and physical security. They ship products embodying the claims, such as the INTERCEPTOR NX, VANGUARD, and SENTINEL systems, which utilize optical fiber sensing to detect intrusions and physical disturbances. Their primary line of business is providing optical detection technologies for cybersecurity, asset protection, and enhanced physical security, particularly for government, military, critical infrastructure, and enterprise clients. As of November 2025, Network Integrity Systems Inc. is an actively operating company, federally registered, and there is no indication of it being acquired, dissolved, or in bankruptcy.

Assignment timeline

The assignment records are based on the "Legal Events" section of the US7706641B2 Google Patents page, as direct USPTO Assignment Search access is not available. The correspondent information is not provided in the Google Patents legal events and would typically require a direct USPTO Assignment Search.

• 2006-12-06 to 2006-12-18 (executed) / recorded 2006-12-26 — Reel 018735/0093

  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
  • Assignor: MURPHY, CARY R.; BRIDGES, MARK K.; GIOVANNI, JOSEPH; AND OTHERS (Inventors)
  • Assignee: NETWORK INTEGRITY SYSTEMS INC., NORTH CAROLINA
  • Correspondent: Not provided in the source patent document; requires direct USPTO Assignment Search.
  • Context: Initial assignment of inventor's rights to the corporate entity that filed the patent application.

• 2010-02-18 to 2010-03-01 (executed) / recorded 2010-05-12 — Reel 024373/0621

  • Conveyance: Corrective Assignment
  • Assignor: GOERTZEN, DANIEL M., BRIDGES, MARK K., GIOVANNINI, JOSEPH, MURPHY, CARY R., VOKEY, DAVID E. (Inventors)
  • Assignee: NETWORK INTEGRITY SYSTEMS INC., NORTH CAROLINA
  • Correspondent: Not provided in the source patent document; requires direct USPTO Assignment Search.
  • Context: Corrective assignment to update an inventor's last name (Giovanni to Giovannini) and reconfirm the assignment to the original assignee.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 7706641
    2006 : Inventors assigned to Network Integrity Systems
    2010 : Corrective assignment by Inventors
    2010 : Patent issued
    2025 : PTAB case filed
    2027 : Patent expires

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Not present. The patent remains with Network Integrity Systems Inc., which is an operating company with products in the market.
2. Known asserter in the chain — Not present. Network Integrity Systems Inc. is not identified as a known NPE.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Unclear. Correspondent information is not available from the provided Google Patents data, which is essential to assess this signal.
4. Cascading transfers — Not present. There are only two assignments, both related to the initial transfer from inventors to the operating company, and a correction. No rapid, consecutive transfers through multiple LLCs.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — Not present. The assignments occurred in 2006 and 2010, well before the reported litigation filings in 2025.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. Network Integrity Systems Inc. appears to be an active, operating company.
7. Privateering — Not present. There's no indication of Network Integrity Systems Inc. transferring this patent to an NPE for assertion on their behalf.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The patent is held by Network Integrity Systems Inc., not a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

Operating-company assertion

This verdict is based on the consistent ownership of the patent by Network Integrity Systems Inc. since its inception, as evidenced by the assignments recorded on Reel 018735/0093 and Reel 024373/0621. Network Integrity Systems Inc. is a known operating company that develops and sells products embodying the patented technology, suggesting that any assertion would be in defense of its market position rather than a licensing-only strategy.

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