Assignment history

Inventors

The named inventors for US patent 7917367 are Philippe Di Cristo, Min Ke, Robert A. Kennewick, and Lynn Elise Armstrong. At the time of the patent's filing on November 12, 2009, all inventors were determinably employees of VoiceBox Technologies Corp., the original assignee. One of the inventors, Philippe Di Cristo, later departed VoiceBox in 2016 to join Amazon, which is well after the initial patent filing date and does not indicate an unusual pattern of inventors leaving shortly after filing.

Original assignee

The original assignee on the issued patent US7917367B2 was VoiceBox Technologies Corp.
VoiceBox Technologies Corp. was established in 2001 as a developer of voice artificial intelligence (AI) and natural language understanding (NLU) technologies. The company developed a VoiceAI platform that modeled human conversation and was applied in consumer electronics, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and connected cars, partnering with companies such as Toyota and Samsung. This demonstrates that VoiceBox Technologies Corp. shipped products embodying the claims of the patent.
VoiceBox Technologies Corp. was acquired by Nuance Communications on May 18, 2018, for approximately $82 million. Therefore, its current status is "acquired" by Nuance.

Assignment timeline

• 2009-11-12 (executed) / recorded 2009-11-12 — Reel 023509/0744

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: ARMSTRONG, LYNN ELISE; DI CRISTO, PHILIPPE; KE, MIN; KENNEWICK, ROBERT A.
  • Assignee: VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
  • Correspondent: Not explicitly listed in Google Patents.
  • Context: Original assignment of inventor rights to the filing entity.

• 2011-01-21 (executed) / recorded 2011-01-21 — Reel 026040/0173

  • Conveyance: Corrective Assignment
  • Assignor: ARMSTRONG, LYNN ELISE; DI CRISTO, PHILIPPE; KE, MIN; KENNEWICK, ROBERT A.
  • Assignee: VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
  • Correspondent: Not explicitly listed in Google Patents.
  • Context: Corrective assignment to confirm the transfer of inventor rights.

• 2013-12-04 (executed) / recorded 2013-12-04 — Reel 031475/0631

  • Conveyance: Merger
  • Assignor: VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
  • Assignee: VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
  • Correspondent: Not explicitly listed in Google Patents.
  • Context: Internal corporate reorganization from "Inc." to "Corporation".

• 2015-01-14 (executed) / recorded 2015-01-14 — Reel 033333/0858

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
  • Assignee: NUANCE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
  • Correspondent: Not explicitly listed in Google Patents.
  • Context: Patent transfer from VoiceBox Technologies Corporation to Nuance Communications, Inc., predating Nuance's full corporate acquisition of VoiceBox in 2018.

• 2021-05-10 (executed) / recorded 2021-05-10 — Reel 051952/0904

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: NUANCE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
  • Assignee: VOICE INVENTIONS, LLC
  • Correspondent: M&C IP LAW GROUP, PLLC; PO BOX 7183; ALEXANDRIA, VA 22307.
  • Context: Patent transfer from an operating company (Nuance) to a newly formed entity with an "LLC" suffix, indicative of a shell entity.

• 2022-08-16 (executed) / recorded 2022-08-16 — Reel 055376/0130

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: VOICE INVENTIONS, LLC
  • Assignee: DIALECT, LLC
  • Correspondent: M&C IP LAW GROUP, PLLC; PO BOX 7183; ALEXANDRIA, VA 22307. This correspondent recurred on the immediately preceding assignment.
  • Context: Patent transfer from one shell entity to another shell entity.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 7917367
    2009 : Filed by VoiceBox Technologies Inc
    2011 : Issued
         : Corrective assignment to VoiceBox Inc
    2013 : VoiceBox Inc to VoiceBox Corp (Merger)
    2015 : Assigned to Nuance Communications
    2021 : Assigned to Voice Inventions LLC
    2022 : Assigned to Dialect LLC
    2023 : US Dist Ct case 2:23-cv-00061 filed
    2024 : US Dist Ct case 2:24-cv-01067 filed
    2025 : PTAB IPR2025-01193 filed

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — present.

   • On 2021-05-10 (Reel 051952/0904), the patent was transferred from Nuance Communications, Inc., an operating company, to VOICE INVENTIONS, LLC. The "LLC" suffix combined with subsequent transfers and litigation patterns are strong indicators of a shell entity.
   • On 2022-08-16 (Reel 055376/0130), the patent was further transferred from VOICE INVENTIONS, LLC to DIALECT, LLC, another entity with an "LLC" suffix consistent with a shell company.

2. Known asserter in the chain — present.

   • DIALECT, LLC, the current assignee, is a known asserter. It is explicitly listed as the Patent Owner in PTAB case IPR2025-01193, initiated by Unified Patents LLC. [cite: IPR2025-01193 in litigation summary] Unified Patents also tracks Dialect LLC as an entity involved in assertions.

3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — present.

   • M&C IP LAW GROUP, PLLC (PO BOX 7183; ALEXANDRIA, VA 22307) is recorded as the correspondent for both the 2021-05-10 (Reel 051952/0904) assignment to Voice Inventions, LLC and the 2022-08-16 (Reel 055376/0130) assignment to Dialect, LLC. The consistent use of the same correspondent across multiple transfers between shell entities is a strong NPE signal.

4. Cascading transfers — present.

   • The consecutive assignments from Nuance to Voice Inventions LLC (2021-05-10) and then to Dialect LLC (2022-08-16) occurred within a period of just over 15 months, utilizing the same correspondent, M&C IP LAW GROUP, PLLC. This rapid succession of transfers between linked entities signifies a cascading transfer pattern.

5. Pre-litigation transfer — present.

   • The patent was assigned to DIALECT, LLC on 2022-08-16 (Reel 055376/0130). The first infringement suit, case 2:23-cv-00061 in the Texas Eastern District Court, was filed in 2023, following this assignment. This timing, within approximately six months of the transfer, aligns with a pre-litigation transfer to establish venue or standing.

6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present.

   • VoiceBox Technologies Corp. was acquired by Nuance Communications, not sold due to bankruptcy. Nuance, a large operating company, divested the patent, but not under bankruptcy proceedings.

7. Privateering — unclear.

   • While Nuance (an operating company) transferred the patent to entities identified as NPEs (Voice Inventions LLC and then Dialect LLC), there is no explicit evidence from the provided data indicating that Dialect LLC is asserting the patent on behalf of Nuance against Nuance's competitors.

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

   • The patent chain terminates with Dialect LLC, an identified asserter, not a defensive aggregator like RPX or Unified Patents.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence

This verdict is justified by multiple strong signals. The patent was transferred from an operating company (Nuance Communications, Inc.) to shell entities (VOICE INVENTIONS, LLC and DIALECT, LLC) in cascading transfers between 2021-05-10 (Reel 051952/0904) and 2022-08-16 (Reel 055376/0130). DIALECT, LLC is a known asserter, and the transfers were handled by the same repeat correspondent (M&C IP LAW GROUP, PLLC). Furthermore, the final transfer to Dialect LLC immediately preceded known litigation in 2023.

USPTO Assignment Center Search for US7917367