Assignment history

Inventors

• Henry Geddes (Splashlight Studios)

Original assignee

Splashlight Studios was the original assignee. Their primary line of business appears to be in photography and visual content creation, specifically noted as "Splashlight Studios South, LLC" in later assignments. It's unclear from the patent text whether they shipped a product directly embodying the claims, but the invention itself addresses a need in online viewing and video conferencing, suggesting it would be used in conjunction with their broader business activities. Splashlight Studios South, LLC is currently operating.

Assignment timeline

• 2008-03-04 (executed) / recorded 2008-04-04 — Reel 020782/0006

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: GEDDES, HENRY
  • Assignee: SPLASHLIGHT STUDIOS, FLORIDA
  • Correspondent: MCDERMOTT, WILL & EMERY LLP, 227 W. MONROE STREET, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60606. This correspondent does not recur in this chain.
  • Context: Original assignment from inventor to initial assignee.

• 2011-11-07 (executed) / recorded 2011-12-01 — Reel 027504/0482

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: SPLASHLIGHT STUDIOS SOUTH, LLC; GEDDES, HENRY
  • Assignee: GLOWZI, LLC, FLORIDA
  • Correspondent: JOHN R. WHEATLEY, ESQ., 125 E. PALMETTO PARK ROAD, SUITE 1200, BOCA RATON, FLORIDA 33432. This correspondent does not recur in this chain.
  • Context: Transfer of ownership.

• 2008-03-04 (executed) / recorded 2024-02-27 — Reel 066833/0125

  • Conveyance: Corrective Assignment
  • Assignor: GEDDES, HENRY
  • Assignee: SPLASHLIGHT STUDIOS SOUTH, LLC, FLORIDA
  • Correspondent: KOLEY JESSEN P.C., L.L.O., ONE PACIFIC PLACE, SUITE 800, 1125 S. 103RD STREET, OMAHA, NE 68124-1079. This correspondent does not recur in this chain.
  • Context: Corrective assignment to update assignee name and entity type.

• 2024-02-21 (executed) / recorded 2024-02-27 — Reel 066579/0392

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: GLOWZI, LLC
  • Assignee: PATHWAY IP LLC, NEW YORK
  • Correspondent: JOHN R. WHEATLEY, ESQ., 125 E. PALMETTO PARK ROAD, SUITE 1200, BOCA RATON, FLORIDA 33432. This correspondent has recurred in this chain.
  • Context: Transfer of ownership to current assignee.

• 2011-03-25 (executed) / recorded 2024-03-28 — Reel 067525/0723

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: SPLASHLIGHT STUDIOS SOUTH, LLC; GEDDES, HENRY
  • Assignee: GLOWZI, LLC, FLORIDA
  • Correspondent: JOHN R. WHEATLEY, ESQ., 125 E. PALMETTO PARK ROAD, SUITE 1200, BOCA RATON, FLORIDA 33432. This correspondent has recurred in this chain.
  • Context: Reassignment back to Glowzi, LLC. Note: This assignment has an earlier execution date (2011-03-25) than its recording date (2024-03-28) and the assignment from Glowzi, LLC to Pathway IP LLC (executed 2024-02-21, recorded 2024-02-27). This suggests a delayed recording or a complex series of transactions.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 7841729
    2008 : Filed by Splashlight Studios
    2010 : Issued
    2011 : Assigned to Glowzi LLC
    2024 : Corrective Assign to Splashlight Studios South
         : Assigned to Pathway IP LLC
         : Reassigned to Glowzi LLC

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — present. Pathway IP LLC's name "IP LLC" suggests a licensing-focused entity. The current litigation in the Illinois Northern District Court (1:24-cv-11651) further supports an assertion-focused strategy.
2. Known asserter in the chain — unclear. While Pathway IP LLC is currently involved in litigation, it is not explicitly listed on the provided public NPE lists (Acacia Research Corp, Marathon Patent Group, etc.). Further research would be needed to definitively categorize them.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — present. John R. Wheatley, Esq. of 125 E. Palmetto Park Road, Suite 1200, Boca Raton, Florida 33432, appears as the correspondent for the assignment from Splashlight Studios South, LLC and Henry Geddes to Glowzi, LLC (reel 027504/0482, recorded 2011-12-01), the assignment from Glowzi, LLC to Pathway IP LLC (reel 066579/0392, recorded 2024-02-27), and the assignment from Splashlight Studios South, LLC and Henry Geddes to Glowzi, LLC (reel 067525/0723, recorded 2024-03-28). This recurrence strongly suggests a consistent legal representative handling transfers within this chain.
4. Cascading transfers — present. There were two assignments recorded within a month in early 2024 (Reel 066579/0392 recorded 2024-02-27 to Pathway IP LLC, and Reel 067525/0723 recorded 2024-03-28 back to Glowzi, LLC), involving the same correspondent, John R. Wheatley. While the execution dates differ, the close recording dates suggest a rapid succession of transfers or a complex restructuring.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — present. The assignment to Pathway IP LLC was executed on 2024-02-21 and recorded on 2024-02-27 (Reel 066579/0392). A US case (1:24-cv-11651) was filed in the Illinois Northern District Court, suggesting this transfer happened shortly before or in preparation for litigation.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. No evidence in the provided information suggests a bankruptcy sale.
7. Privateering — unclear. There is no information in the provided text to determine if this is privateering.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The chain ends with Pathway IP LLC, which is currently asserting the patent in litigation, indicating it is not a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence. This verdict is supported by multiple strong signals: the transfer to a shell-entity name (Pathway IP LLC), the recurrence of the same correspondent attorney across multiple transfers in the chain, and the cascading nature of recent transfers in early 2024 (Reel 066579/0392 and 067525/0723). Furthermore, the recent assignment to Pathway IP LLC appears to be a pre-litigation transfer, as the patent is currently involved in a US District Court case filed in 2024 (1:24-cv-11651).

Verification can be done through the USPTO Assignment Center: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/