Assignment history

Inventors

• Robert A. Kennewick (VoiceBox Technologies Corp)
• David Locke (VoiceBox Technologies Corp)
• Michael R. Kennewick, SR. (VoiceBox Technologies Corp)
• Michael R. Kennewick, JR. (VoiceBox Technologies Corp)
• Richard Kennewick (VoiceBox Technologies Corp)
• Tom Freeman (VoiceBox Technologies Corp)

No unusual patterns observed regarding inventor departures immediately after filing.

Original assignee

VoiceBox Technologies Corp.
VoiceBox Technologies Corp. developed natural language understanding and speech recognition software. They shipped products embodying the claims, specifically their voice recognition and natural language processing technology integrated into various devices and platforms. VoiceBox Technologies Corp. was acquired by Nuance Communications, Inc. in 2014.

Assignment timeline

• 2008-10-17 (executed) / recorded 2008-10-17 — Reel 021953/0748
  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: VoiceBox Technologies Corp
  • Assignee: VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
  • Correspondent: RYAN N. POORE, STOEL RIVES LLP, 900 SW FIFTH AVENUE SUITE 2600, PORTLAND, OREGON, UNITED STATES, 97204-1268.
  • Context: Internal reorg (change of entity type from Corp to Inc).
• 2014-04-07 (executed) / recorded 2014-04-11 — Reel 031122/0488
  • Conveyance: Merger
  • Assignor: VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
  • Assignee: VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
  • Correspondent: JOHN E. DURLING, DUANE MORRIS LLP, 30 SOUTH 17TH STREET, PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, UNITED STATES, 19103-4196.
  • Context: Internal reorg (change of entity type from Inc to Corporation).
• 2015-01-14 (executed) / recorded 2015-01-20 — Reel 032261/0950
  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
  • Assignee: NUANCE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
  • Correspondent: KEVIN J. MCINTYRE, NUANCE COMMUNICATIONS, INC., ONE CAESARS WAY, BURLINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS, UNITED STATES, 01803.
  • Context: Acquisition of VoiceBox Technologies Corporation by Nuance Communications, Inc.
• 2021-05-10 (executed) / recorded 2021-06-03 — Reel 056461/0811
  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: NUANCE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
  • Assignee: VOICE INVENTIONS, LLC
  • Correspondent: BRIAN R. MARSH, MARSH FISCHMANN & BREYFOGLE LLP, 8051 E. MAPLEWOOD AVENUE, SUITE 210, GREENWOOD VILLAGE, COLORADO, UNITED STATES, 80111.
  • Context: Transfer to licensing entity.
• 2022-08-16 (executed) / recorded 2022-09-08 — Reel 060416/0122
  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: VOICE INVENTIONS, LLC
  • Assignee: DIALECT, LLC
  • Correspondent: BRIAN R. MARSH, MARSH FISCHMANN & BREYFOGLE LLP, 8051 E. MAPLEWOOD AVENUE, SUITE 210, GREENWOOD VILLAGE, COLORADO, UNITED STATES, 80111. (This correspondent recurs in this chain.)
  • Context: Transfer to licensing entity.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 8015006
    2008 : Filed by VoiceBox Tech Corp
         : Assigned to Voicebox Tech Inc
    2011 : Issued
    2014 : Assigned to Voicebox Tech Corp
    2015 : Acquired by Nuance Comm Inc
    2021 : Assigned to Voice Inventions LLC
    2022 : Assigned to Dialect LLC

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — present.
   • 2021-05-10 (executed) / recorded 2021-06-03 — Reel 056461/0811: Patent transferred from Nuance Communications, Inc. (an operating company) to Voice Inventions, LLC. The "LLC" suffix and the nature of the transaction (divestment from an operating company to an entity with "Inventions" in its name) suggest a licensing-focused entity.
   • 2022-08-16 (executed) / recorded 2022-09-08 — Reel 060416/0122: Further transfer from Voice Inventions, LLC to Dialect, LLC. Again, the "LLC" suffix and the subsequent transfers are indicative of shell entities potentially involved in patent assertion.
2. Known asserter in the chain — present.
   • Unified Patents lists Dialect, LLC as an NPE involved in litigation.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — present.
   • BRIAN R. MARSH, MARSH FISCHMANN & BREYFOGLE LLP, 8051 E. MAPLEWOOD AVENUE, SUITE 210, GREENWOOD VILLAGE, COLORADO, UNITED STATES, 80111 appears as the correspondent for both the assignment to VOICE INVENTIONS, LLC (Reel 056461/0811) and the subsequent assignment to DIALECT, LLC (Reel 060416/0122). This recurrence suggests a consistent legal representative for these transfers.
4. Cascading transfers — present.
   • The assignment to Voice Inventions, LLC occurred on 2021-05-10 (executed). The subsequent assignment to Dialect, LLC occurred on 2022-08-16 (executed). This represents two consecutive assignments to LLCs within a 15-month period, consistent with a cascading transfer pattern.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — unclear.
   • The patent issued on 2011-09-06. The earliest litigation found for this patent is a US case filed in Delaware District Court on 2023-03-30. The most recent assignment to Dialect, LLC was executed on 2022-08-16. This is approximately 7.5 months before the first known litigation, which is slightly outside the typical 6-month window for a strong pre-litigation transfer signal, but still suggestive. More specific filing dates for the lawsuits would be needed to confirm if any were within 6 months of the 2022-08-16 assignment.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present.
   • The original assignee, VoiceBox Technologies Corp., was acquired by Nuance Communications, Inc., not subjected to a bankruptcy fire-sale.
7. Privateering — unclear.
   • While Nuance Communications, Inc. transferred the patent to Voice Inventions, LLC, there is no immediately available public information (e.g., SEC filings or specific reporting) to confirm if this transfer was for privateering purposes, i.e., assertion on Nuance's behalf.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present.
   • The current assignee, Dialect, LLC, is identified as an NPE, not a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence

This verdict is based on multiple strong signals: the transfer from an operating company (Nuance Communications, Inc.) to shell entities (Voice Inventions, LLC and Dialect, LLC) as evidenced by Reel 056461/0811 (2021-05-10) and Reel 060416/0122 (2022-08-16), the identification of Dialect, LLC as a known NPE by Unified Patents, and the recurrence of the same correspondent attorney (Brian R. Marsh) across these transfers.

For verification, see the USPTO Assignment Center search page: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/