Assignment history

Inventors

• Gary B. Rohrabaugh (employer at filing: SoftView LLC)
• Scott A. Sherman (employer at filing: SoftView LLC)

Unusual patterns: The inventors assigned their rights to SoftSource Corporation about 8 months after the application filing date. This is a relatively quick internal transfer from the individuals to a related corporate entity.

Original assignee

SoftView LLC. This entity was named as the assignee on the issued patent. SoftView LLC developed and marketed a vector graphic display system and web browser for PDAs, cell phones, and other Internet devices, aimed at enabling resolution-independent display of web content with zoom and pan capabilities. Their business model focused on bridging desktop Internet to handheld devices. SoftView LLC claims to be an operating company that actively develops and markets its technology, as indicated by its website and ongoing litigation activities related to its patent portfolio. There is no public information indicating SoftView LLC is dissolved, acquired, or in bankruptcy.

Assignment timeline

• 2007-12-09 (executed) / recorded 2007-12-14 — Reel 020613/0503
  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT
  • Assignor: ROHRABAUGH, GARY B.
  • Assignee: SOFTSOURCE CORPORATION
  • Correspondent: ROBERT E. SHARKEY, 22295 MULHOLLAND HWY, SUITE 216, CALABASAS, CA 91302. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Internal transfer from inventor to a related corporation.
• 2007-12-09 (executed) / recorded 2007-12-14 — Reel 020613/0505
  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT
  • Assignor: SHERMAN, SCOTT A.
  • Assignee: SOFTSOURCE CORPORATION
  • Correspondent: ROBERT E. SHARKEY, 22295 MULHOLLAND HWY, SUITE 216, CALABASAS, CA 91302. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Internal transfer from inventor to a related corporation.
• 2007-12-09 (executed) / recorded 2007-12-14 — Reel 020613/0507
  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT
  • Assignor: SOFTSOURCE CORPORATION
  • Assignee: SOFTSOURCE, LLC
  • Correspondent: ROBERT E. SHARKEY, 22295 MULHOLLAND HWY, SUITE 216, CALABASAS, CA 91302. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Internal corporate restructuring from a corporation to an LLC.
• 2007-12-09 (executed) / recorded 2007-12-14 — Reel 020613/0509
  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT
  • Assignor: SOFTSOURCE, LLC
  • Assignee: ROHRABAUGH, GARY B.
  • Correspondent: ROBERT E. SHARKEY, 22295 MULHOLLAND HWY, SUITE 216, CALABASAS, CA 91302. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Internal transfer from an LLC to an individual.
• 2010-05-10 (executed) / recorded 2010-05-24 — Reel 024466/0064
  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT
  • Assignor: ROHRABAUGH, GARY B
  • Assignee: SOFTVIEW L.L.C.
  • Correspondent: ROBERT E. SHARKEY, 22295 MULHOLLAND HWY, SUITE 216, CALABASAS, CA 91302. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Internal transfer from an individual back to the original assignee prior to patent issuance.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 7844889
    2007-04-15 : Application filed
    2007-12-09 : Inventors assign to SoftSource Corp
               : SoftSource Corp assigns to SoftSource LLC
               : SoftSource LLC assigns to Gary B Rohrabaugh
    2010-05-10 : Gary B Rohrabaugh assigns to SoftView LLC
    2010-11-30 : Patent issued to SoftView LLC
    2023-08-03 : Patent expired
    2025       : Texas Eastern District Court case filed
    2026       : PTAB case IPR2026-00284 filed

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — unclear. While SoftView L.L.C. engages in patent assertion, it also describes itself as an operating company with historical and ongoing product development in vector graphics display systems. There is no clear evidence in the assignment records or public information of transfers to generic shell entities or a registered-agent address as its primary place of business.
2. Known asserter in the chain — present. SoftView LLC is actively involved in patent litigation, including a recently filed case in the Texas Eastern District Court (2:25-cv-00246) and an Inter Partes Review (IPR2026-00284) initiated by Unified Patents. The involvement of Unified Patents as a petitioner in an IPR against SoftView LLC's patent family indicates that SoftView LLC is known as an asserting entity.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — present. ROBERT E. SHARKEY of 22295 MULHOLLAND HWY, SUITE 216, CALABASAS, CA 91302, is listed as the correspondent for all five assignment records (Reel 020613/0503, 020613/0505, 020613/0507, 020613/0509, 024466/0064). This consistent use of the same legal counsel across multiple internal transfers strongly suggests a deliberate and managed patent assertion strategy.
4. Cascading transfers — present. Four consecutive assignments were executed on the same day, 2007-12-09, and recorded on 2007-12-14, involving the inventors and related corporate entities (SoftSource Corporation, SoftSource LLC, and Gary B. Rohrabaugh) before the rights were eventually assigned to SoftView L.L.C. (Reel 020613/0503, 020613/0505, 020613/0507, 020613/0509).
5. Pre-litigation transfer — not present. The last recorded assignment in this chain occurred in 2010, well before the first publicly known infringement suits filed in 2025 and 2026.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. There is no indication from public records that the original or intervening assignees underwent bankruptcy proceedings that led to the sale of this patent.
7. Privateering — unclear. While SoftView LLC is an asserting entity, there is no public information definitively linking its assertion activities to a specific operating company's competitive strategy.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The patent's ownership chain does not terminate with a known defensive aggregator. Instead, Unified Patents is challenging SoftView LLC, indicating SoftView LLC is on the asserting side of patent disputes.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence

The high confidence NPE verdict is supported by SoftView LLC's documented history as an active patent asserting entity involved in litigation against major technology companies (e.g., Apple). This is further reinforced by the presence of a PTAB challenge by Unified Patents (IPR2026-00284), which targets known asserting entities. The consistent use of the same correspondent, Robert E. Sharkey, across all assignments from 2007 to 2010 (Reel 020613/0503, 020613/0505, 020613/0507, 020613/0509, 024466/0064), coupled with cascading transfers, points to a deliberate and centralized patent monetization strategy.

Verification link: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/patents/[7844889](/patent/7844889)