Assignment history

Inventors

• Hiroki Yano
• Kazuo Sugai
• Shinichi Akahane
• Takao NARA

All four inventors were presumably employees of the original assignee, Alaxala Networks Corp., at the time of the U.S. filing on July 31, 2007, which claims priority from a Japanese patent application filed on August 11, 2006. There is no public information to suggest any unusual departure patterns from the company.

Original assignee

The original assignee was Alaxala Networks Corp. (アラクサラネットワークス株式会社), a Japanese company established in 2004 as a joint venture between Hitachi, Ltd. and NEC Corporation. Alaxala is an operating company that develops, manufactures, and sells core switches, routers, and other network equipment, directly embodying the technologies claimed in the patent. The company remains an active operating entity in Japan.

Assignment timeline

A search of the USPTO Patent Assignment Database for U.S. Patent No. 7,969,880 reveals the following chain of ownership:

• 2007-07-31 (executed) / recorded 2007-10-09 — Reel 020083/0369

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: Hiroki Yano, Kazuo Sugai, Shinichi Akahane, Takao NARA (the inventors)
  • Assignee: Alaxala Networks Corporation
  • Correspondent: Mattingly, Stanger, Malur & Brundidge, P.C., 1800 Diagonal Road, Suite 370, Alexandria, VA 22314
  • Context: Standard assignment of invention from employees to their employer, recorded shortly after the application was filed.

• 2025-09-17 (executed) / recorded 2025-11-19 — Reel 070621/0150

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: Alaxala Networks Corporation
  • Assignee: Palisade Technologies, LLP
  • Correspondent: Rabicoff Law LLC, 77 W Wacker Dr, Ste 4500, Chicago, IL 60601
  • Context: Transfer of the patent from the original operating company to a Texas-based LLC, marking a clear transition to a non-practicing entity.

• 2025-10-27 (executed) / recorded 2025-11-19 — Reel 070621/0156

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: Palisade Technologies, LLP
  • Assignee: Athena Security, LLP
  • Correspondent: Rabicoff Law LLC, 77 W Wacker Dr, Ste 4500, Chicago, IL 60601. (This is the same correspondent as the preceding transfer).
  • Context: A rapid, secondary transfer between two LLCs, recorded on the same day, with the same correspondent, just over a month before the first known infringement suit was filed.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 7969880
    2007 : Application filed and assigned to Alaxala
    2011 : Patent Issued
    2025 : Assigned to Palisade Technologies LLP
         : Assigned to Athena Security LLP
         : First infringement suit filed (HPE)
    2026 : Suits filed vs Dell and Google

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer: Present. The patent was transferred from an operating company (Alaxala Networks Corp.) to Palisade Technologies, LLP, and then to Athena Security, LLP. Both are Texas-based LLCs with names and behaviors consistent with non-practicing entities formed for the purpose of licensing and litigation. (Reel 070621/0150 and 070621/0156)

2. Known asserter in the chain: Present. The current assignee, Athena Security, LLP, began a litigation campaign asserting this patent and others in late 2025, with lawsuits filed against HPE, Dell, and Google, as noted in the litigation summary. This entity is acting as a patent asserter.

3. Repeat correspondent across the chain: Present. Rabicoff Law LLC of Chicago, IL, is the correspondent of record for both the transfer from Alaxala to Palisade Technologies and the subsequent transfer from Palisade to Athena Security. (Reel 070621/0150 and 070621/0156). The use of the same law firm for both transfers strongly suggests the entities are related or part of a coordinated strategy.

4. Cascading transfers: Present. The patent was assigned from Alaxala to Palisade on 2025-09-17 and then from Palisade to Athena on 2025-10-27, a period of only 40 days. Both assignments were recorded on the same day (2025-11-19) and handled by the same correspondent, indicating a planned, multi-step transfer to the ultimate assertion entity.

5. Pre-litigation transfer: Present. The assignment to the final assignee, Athena Security, LLP, was executed on October 27, 2025, and recorded on November 19, 2025. The first infringement suit (against HPE) was filed just over a month later, on December 23, 2025. This timing clearly shows the transfers were made in preparation for litigation.

6. Bankruptcy fire-sale: Not present. Alaxala Networks Corp. remains an active company; there is no evidence this was a bankruptcy-related sale.

7. Privateering: Unclear. While the patent originated with an operating company (Alaxala), there is no public evidence to suggest that Alaxala is directing or benefiting from Athena Security's litigation campaign against its competitors. The transfer appears to be a simple sale.

8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE): Not present. The assignment chain shows no involvement from any defensive aggregators.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence

The ownership history exhibits multiple, strong signals of a transfer to a non-practicing entity for the purpose of assertion. The patent moved from its original, product-producing owner (Alaxala) through a rapid, two-step transfer (Reel 070621/0150 and 070621/0156) to Athena Security, LLP. This final transfer occurred less than two months before the commencement of a multi-front litigation campaign. The use of the same legal correspondent for these cascading transfers further solidifies that this was a coordinated acquisition for monetization through litigation.

A copy of the search results from the USPTO Assignment Center can be viewed here.