Assignment history

Inventors

The sole inventor is Jun Seok Park. The original assignee was LG Innotek Co., Ltd., a major electronics components manufacturer. It is presumed that Jun Seok Park was an employee of LG Innotek at the time of invention.

Original assignee

The original assignee was LG Innotek Co., Ltd., a South Korea-based global manufacturer of electronic components and modules for mobile, display, network, automotive, and LED applications. As a major supplier of LED components for backlights, LG Innotek and its parent company LG have shipped numerous products that would embody the claims of this patent. LG Innotek is an active operating company.

Assignment timeline

2007-12-20 (executed) / recorded 2008-03-25 — Reel 020700/0294

• Conveyance: Assignment of Assignor's Interest
• Assignor: PARK, JUN SEOK
• Assignee: LG INNOTEK CO., LTD.
• Correspondent: S. Lloyd Smith, Workman Nydegger, Salt Lake City, UT
• Context: Standard pre-issuance assignment from inventor to their employer.

2021-05-20 (executed) / recorded 2021-05-25 — Reel 056366/0335

• Conveyance: Assignment of Assignor's Interest
• Assignor: LG INNOTEK CO., LTD.
• Assignee: SUZHOU LEKIN SEMICONDUCTOR CO., LTD.
• Correspondent: Michael T. Smith, TUESDAY IP, San Diego, CA
• Context: Transfer from the original manufacturer to a Chinese semiconductor company as part of a larger portfolio sale.

2024-06-25 (executed) / recorded 2024-07-10 — Reel 067949/0047

• Conveyance: Assignment of Assignor's Interest
• Assignor: SUZHOU LEKIN SEMICONDUCTOR CO., LTD.
• Assignee: LIGHT GUIDE INNOVATIONS LLC
• Correspondent: Michael T. Smith, TUESDAY IP, San Diego, CA. This is the same correspondent who recorded the prior transfer to Suzhou Lekin.
• Context: Transfer from an operating company to a newly formed Texas LLC, suggesting a move to monetize the patent through assertion.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 7936415
    2007 : Invented by Jun Seok Park
         : Assigned to LG Innotek
    2011 : Patent Issued
    2021 : Assigned to Suzhou Lekin Semiconductor
    2024 : Assigned to Light Guide Innovations LLC

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer: present. Per the assignment recorded on Reel 067949/0047, the patent was transferred on 2024-06-25 to Light Guide Innovations LLC. This entity has a name suggesting it is a special-purpose vehicle for licensing or assertion ("Innovations LLC") and public records indicate it is a recently-formed Texas limited liability company, a common structure for non-practicing entities.

2. Known asserter in the chain: present. A search of litigation databases reveals that Light Guide Innovations LLC began filing infringement lawsuits shortly after acquiring this patent. For example, case 2:24-cv-00646 was filed in the Eastern District of Texas in late 2024. Unified Patents also lists Light Guide Innovations LLC as an "Active NPE."

3. Repeat correspondent across the chain: present. Michael T. Smith of TUESDAY IP is the correspondent of record for both the 2021 transfer to Suzhou Lekin Semiconductor (Reel 056366/0335) and the 2024 transfer from Suzhou Lekin to the asserting entity Light Guide Innovations LLC (Reel 067949/0047). The recurrence of the same attorney managing the patent's movement from an operating company to an assertion vehicle is a strong indicator of a planned monetization campaign.

4. Cascading transfers: not present. The transfers are separated by approximately three years, not a rapid succession of moves.

5. Pre-litigation transfer: present. The assignment to Light Guide Innovations LLC was executed on June 25, 2024, and recorded on July 10, 2024 (Reel 067949/0047). The first infringement suits were filed within months of this transfer, indicating the acquisition was made with the intent to immediately assert the patent.

6. Bankruptcy fire-sale: not present. LG Innotek and Suzhou Lekin Semiconductor are both active operating companies.

7. Privateering: unclear. While the patent originated with a major operating company (LG Innotek), there is no public evidence to suggest that LG Innotek is directing or benefiting from the assertion campaign by Light Guide Innovations LLC. The transfer occurred via an intermediary (Suzhou Lekin), making a direct privateering relationship less likely but not impossible.

8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE): not present. The chain does not involve any known defensive aggregators.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence

The patent has been transferred from its original manufacturing assignee to a Texas LLC, Light Guide Innovations LLC, which has no evident products and has already engaged in litigation. This transfer to a shell-like entity (Reel 067949/0047), the apearance of this entity on known NPE lists, the timing of the transfer immediately preceding litigation, and the use of the same correspondent attorney to manage the transfer into the assertion vehicle all provide strong, classic signals of a non-practicing entity monetization campaign.

The full assignment history can be verified at the USPTO Patent Assignment Search portal by searching for patent number 7936415.