Assignment history

Inventors

• Daniel Shearer: Not explicitly stated, but based on the original assignee (Conexant Systems, Inc.), likely employed by Conexant Systems, Inc. at the time of filing.
• Mark A. Webster: Not explicitly stated, but based on the original assignee (Conexant Systems, Inc.), likely employed by Conexant Systems, Inc. at the time of filing.

No unusual patterns, such as inventors departing the original assignee within 12 months of filing, are immediately apparent from the provided information.

Original assignee

The original assignee, as named on the issued patent, is Individual. However, the patent was subsequently assigned to CONEXANT SYSTEMS, INC. on 2005-10-14. Conexant Systems, Inc. was a semiconductor company that shipped products embodying various communication technologies, including those related to wireless local area networks (WLANs). Conexant Systems, Inc. has since been acquired by Synaptics in 2017.

Assignment timeline

• 2005-07-20 (executed) / recorded 2005-10-14 — Reel 016766/0333
  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: Shearer, Daniel; Webster, Mark A
  • Assignee: Conexant Systems, Inc.
  • Correspondent: Gregory B. Vicentini, Conexant Systems, Inc., 4000 MacArthur Blvd., Newport Beach, CA 92660.
  • Context: Transfer from inventors to an operating company.
• 2006-11-22 (executed) / recorded 2006-12-14 — Reel 018805/0969
  • Conveyance: Security Agreement
  • Assignor: Conexant Systems, Inc.
  • Assignee: Bank of New York Trust Company, N.A.
  • Correspondent: William S. Green, Esq., Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP, 919 Third Ave., New York, NY 10022.
  • Context: Securitization (patent used as collateral).
• 2008-10-27 (executed) / recorded 2008-11-04 — Reel 022716/0400
  • Conveyance: Release
  • Assignor: Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A. (formerly, Bank of New York Trust Company, N.A.)
  • Assignee: Conexant Systems Inc.
  • Correspondent: Steven W. Wynalda, Esq., Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP, 919 Third Ave., New York, NY 10022. This correspondent's firm appeared previously in this chain.
  • Context: Release of security interest, returning full rights to Conexant.
• 2009-01-02 (executed) / recorded 2009-01-15 — Reel 023190/0748
  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: Conexant Systems, Inc.
  • Assignee: Xocyst Transfer AG L.L.C.
  • Correspondent: Mark A. Webster, Conexant Systems, Inc., 4000 MacArthur Blvd., Newport Beach, CA 92660. One of the inventors acted as correspondent.
  • Context: Transfer to a likely shell entity.
• 2011-07-22 (executed) / recorded 2011-08-08 — Reel 027878/0268
  • Conveyance: Merger
  • Assignor: Xocyst Transfer AG L.L.C.
  • Assignee: Intellectual Ventures I LLC
  • Correspondent: Intellectual Ventures, PO Box 3097, Grand Central Station, New York, NY 10163. This correspondent (Intellectual Ventures) is a known high-frequency NPE.
  • Context: Transfer to a known NPE via merger.
• 2020-05-01 (executed) / recorded 2020-05-18 — Reel 051066/0890
  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: Intellectual Ventures I LLC
  • Assignee: Intellectual Ventures Assets 163 LLC
  • Correspondent: Intellectual Ventures, 2711 Centerville Rd., Suite 400, Wilmington, DE 19808. This correspondent (Intellectual Ventures) is a known high-frequency NPE.
  • Context: Internal reorganization within the Intellectual Ventures family.
• 2020-06-05 (executed) / recorded 2020-06-11 — Reel 051268/0879
  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: Intellectual Ventures Assets 163 LLC
  • Assignee: Fleet Connect Solutions LLC
  • Correspondent: Richard F. Mcclain, 420 Lexington Ave., Ste 2100, New York, NY 10170.
  • Context: Transfer to an asserting entity.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 7742388
    2005 : Assigned to Conexant Systems Inc
    2006 : Security Agreement to Bank of New York
    2008 : Security Released to Conexant
    2009 : Assigned to Xocyst Transfer AG LLC
    2011 : Merged into Intellectual Ventures I LLC
    2020 : Assigned to Intellectual Ventures Assets 163 LLC
         : Assigned to Fleet Connect Solutions LLC

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — present

   • 2009-01-02 (executed) / 2009-01-15 (recorded) — Reel 023190/0748: Transfer from Conexant Systems, Inc. to Xocyst Transfer AG L.L.C. The name "Xocyst Transfer AG L.L.C." strongly suggests a non-operating, special-purpose entity.
   • 2011-07-22 (executed) / 2011-08-08 (recorded) — Reel 027878/0268: Transfer to Intellectual Ventures I LLC, a known NPE.
   • 2020-06-05 (executed) / 2020-06-11 (recorded) — Reel 051268/0879: Transfer to Fleet Connect Solutions LLC, which appears to be a licensing-only entity based on the extensive litigation identified previously and the lack of readily apparent products.

2. Known asserter in the chain — present

   • 2011-07-22 (executed) / 2011-08-08 (recorded) — Reel 027878/0268: Intellectual Ventures I LLC is a well-known NPE/patent troll.
   • 2020-06-05 (executed) / 2020-06-11 (recorded) — Reel 051268/0879: Fleet Connect Solutions LLC is the current assignee and has initiated extensive litigation, identifying it as an active asserter.

3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — present

   • Steven W. Wynalda, Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP, appears on Reel 018805/0969 and 022716/0400.
   • Intellectual Ventures (firm address) appears on Reel 027878/0268 and 051066/0890. This recurrence, especially with Intellectual Ventures, is a strong signal of NPE activity.

4. Cascading transfers — present

   • 2020-05-01 (executed) / 2020-05-18 (recorded) — Reel 051066/0890 (IV I LLC to IV Assets 163 LLC) followed by 2020-06-05 (executed) / 2020-06-11 (recorded) — Reel 051268/0879 (IV Assets 163 LLC to Fleet Connect Solutions LLC). These two assignments occurred within approximately one month of each other.

5. Pre-litigation transfer — present

   • The transfer to Fleet Connect Solutions LLC was executed on 2020-06-05 and recorded on 2020-06-11 (Reel 051268/0879). The first infringement suit, Fleet Connect Solutions LLC v. Ford Motor Company (6:20-cv-01095), was filed on November 24, 2020. This transfer occurred approximately five months before the first known litigation, falling within the 6-month window often associated with pre-litigation transfers.

6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present

   • No evidence of Conexant Systems, Inc. entering bankruptcy proceedings and selling off patents was found in the provided information or a quick check of public records. Its acquisition by Synaptics was a standard corporate merger.

7. Privateering — unclear

   • While Conexant Systems, Inc. was an operating company, the chain moved through Intellectual Ventures and then to Fleet Connect Solutions LLC. There is no clear evidence from the provided records that Conexant initiated this transfer to specifically assert against its competitors via Fleet Connect Solutions LLC.

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

   • The chain ends with Fleet Connect Solutions LLC, an asserting entity, not a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence

The assignment chain for US 7,742,388 exhibits multiple strong signals indicative of NPE activity. This includes transfers to known NPE Intellectual Ventures I LLC (Reel 027878/0268, recorded 2011-08-08) and subsequently to Fleet Connect Solutions LLC (Reel 051268/0879, recorded 2020-06-11), which has a pattern of extensive litigation. The presence of repeat correspondents (Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP and Intellectual Ventures themselves) across multiple transfers, cascading transfers in 2020, and a pre-litigation transfer to the current asserter further solidify this verdict.

USPTO Assignment Center search for US7742388