Assignment history

Inventors

The following inventors are named on US patent 7888195:

• Chien-Ting Lin
• Li-Wei Cheng
• Jung-Tsung Tseng
• Che-Hua Hsu
• Chih-Hao Yu
• Tian-Fu Chiang
• Yi-Wen Chen
• Chien-Ming Lai
• Cheng-Hsien Chou

All inventors appear to have been employed by United Microelectronics Corp (UMC) at the time of filing, as they assigned their interest to UMC on August 24, 2008, just prior to the patent application filing date of August 26, 2008. No unusual patterns, such as mass departures, are immediately evident from the provided information.

Original assignee

The original assignee named on the issued patent is United Microelectronics Corp (UMC). UMC is a major Taiwanese semiconductor foundry that manufactures integrated circuits for other companies. As a pure-play foundry, UMC provides manufacturing services and typically does not design or sell end-user products embodying the claims of process patents like this one, although they do utilize such processes in their manufacturing services. UMC is currently an active, publicly traded operating company.

Assignment timeline

The following assignment records are found for US patent 7888195:

• 2008-08-24 (executed) / recorded 2008-08-26 — Reel 021438/0123
  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
  • Assignor: Chien-Ting Lin, Li-Wei Cheng, Jung-Tsung Tseng, Che-Hua Hsu, Chih-Hao Yu, Tian-Fu Chiang, Yi-Wen Chen, Chien-Ming Lai, Cheng-Hsien Chou (inventors)
  • Assignee: United Microelectronics Corp.
  • Correspondent: Not determinable from provided text.
  • Context: Initial assignment from inventors to their employer.
• 2021-06-18 (executed) / recorded 2021-07-26 — Reel 056991/0292
  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
  • Assignor: United Microelectronics Corporation
  • Assignee: Marlin Semiconductor Limited
  • Correspondent: Not determinable from provided text.
  • Context: Transfer of ownership from an operating company to a new entity.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 7888195
    2008 : Filed by United Microelectronics Corp
    2011 : Issued to UMC
    2021 : Assigned to Marlin Semiconductor

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Present. The transfer from United Microelectronics Corp (a large operating company) to Marlin Semiconductor Limited in 2021 suggests a shell entity. Marlin Semiconductor Limited's name and its acquisition of patents from an operating company are common indicators. Further investigation into Marlin Semiconductor Limited's business activities (e.g., whether it produces goods or services) would be required for higher confidence, but the pattern is indicative. (Reel 056991/0292, executed 2021-06-18 / recorded 2021-07-26).
2. Known asserter in the chain — Unclear. Without access to proprietary NPE databases (RPX, Unified Patents), it cannot be definitively stated if Marlin Semiconductor Limited is a known asserter. However, the nature of the transfer from a large operating company aligns with patterns seen with NPEs.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Not present. The correspondent information for the assignments is not provided in the source text, making it impossible to identify recurring correspondents.
4. Cascading transfers — Not present. There is only one transfer recorded after the initial inventor assignment.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — Unclear. Without litigation history information for this specific patent, it is not possible to determine if the 2021 transfer to Marlin Semiconductor Limited occurred within 6 months of a first infringement suit.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. United Microelectronics Corp is an active operating company, and there is no indication of bankruptcy proceedings related to the transfer.
7. Privateering — Unclear. While the transfer from an operating company to a new entity could potentially be privateering, there is no information in the provided text (such as SEC filings or other reports) to confirm such an arrangement.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The current assignee, Marlin Semiconductor Limited, does not align with known defensive aggregators like RPX, AST, or LOT Network.

Verdict

NPE — moderate confidence

The transfer of US7888195 from a large semiconductor operating company (United Microelectronics Corp) to Marlin Semiconductor Limited in 2021 is a strong signal of a shell-entity transfer, a common NPE pattern. While direct confirmation of Marlin Semiconductor Limited as a known asserter or evidence of pre-litigation transfer is not available, the nature of the assignee change points towards a potential NPE.

(For verification, see USPTO Patent Assignment Search: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/)