Assignment history

Inventors

• Theodore B. Achacoso (Employer not determinable from patent text)
• D. Wayne Silby (Employer not determinable from patent text)

Unusual patterns: Employer at the time of filing is not determinable from the patent text for either inventor. Therefore, it's unclear if there was any inventor departure from an original assignee.

Original assignee

The original assignee listed on the issued patent US8015495 is GROUPSERVE IT TRUST LLC.

Based on the patent description, GROUPSERVE IT TRUST LLC appears to be involved in developing "groupware software and communications services" related to the "Centrifugal Communication and Collaboration Method" (CCCM). It is not determinable from the provided patent text or search results whether they shipped a product embodying the claims, what their primary line of business was beyond what is described in the patent, or their current operational status (operating, acquired, dissolved, in bankruptcy).

Assignment timeline

The USPTO Assignment Center (https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/) is the authoritative source for patent assignment records. A direct search on this platform is required to reconstruct the full assignment record accurately. Since I cannot directly interact with this live database, I will rely on the "Legal status" and "Priority date" sections of the provided Google Patents text which summarizes key assignment events.

Here is the assignment timeline based on the Google Patents legal events section:

• 2005-06-20 (executed date not specified) / recorded 2005-06-20

  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignor's Interest
  • Assignor: GROUPSERVE, INC.
  • Assignee: GROUPSERVE IT TRUST LLC
  • Correspondent: Not specified in Google Patents.
  • Context: Internal reorganization or initial transfer to a trust entity.

• 2013-02-22 (executed date not specified) / recorded 2013-02-22

  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignor's Interest
  • Assignor: GROUPSERVE IP TRUST, LLC (Note: This differs slightly from "GROUPSERVE IT TRUST LLC" in the previous entry, but likely represents the same entity or a direct successor).
  • Assignee: LVL PATENT GROUP, LLC
  • Correspondent: Not specified in Google Patents.
  • Context: Transfer of patent rights.

• 2013-03-01 (executed date not specified) / recorded 2013-03-01

  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignor's Interest
  • Assignor: LVL PATENT GROUP, LLC
  • Assignee: SAMPO IP LLC
  • Correspondent: Not specified in Google Patents.
  • Context: Transfer to a patent licensing entity.

• 2015-02-02 (executed date not specified) / recorded 2015-02-02

  • Conveyance: Security Interest
  • Assignor: MARATHON PATENT GROUP, INC., SAMPO IP, LLC
  • Assignee: DBD CREDIT FUNDING, LLC
  • Correspondent: Not specified in Google Patents.
  • Context: Securitization or collateral for a loan.

• 2017-01-11 (executed date not specified) / recorded 2017-01-11

  • Conveyance: Security Interest
  • Assignor: 3D NANOCOLOR CORP., BISMARCK IP INC., MAGNUS IP GMBH, MARATHON IP GMBH, MARATHON VENTURES S.À.R.L, MEDTECH DEVELOPMENT DEUTSCHLAND GMBH, MOTHEYE TECHNOLOGIES, LLC, MUNITECH IP S.À.R.L., NYANZA PROPERTIES, ORTHOPHOENIX, LLC, SYNCHRONICITY IP GMBH, SYNCHRONICITY IP LLC, TLI COMMUNICATIONS GMBH, TRAVERSE TECHNOLOGIES CORP., VERMILION PARTICIPATIONS
  • Assignee: DBD CREDIT FUNDING LLC, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
  • Correspondent: Not specified in Google Patents.
  • Context: Further securitization, likely involving a broader portfolio of patents from various Marathon Patent Group entities.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 8015495
    2003 : Application filed by GROUPSERVE IT TRUST LLC
    2005 : Assigned to GROUPSERVE IT TRUST LLC
    2011 : Application granted
         : Patent published (US8015495B2)
    2013 : Assigned to LVL PATENT GROUP LLC
         : Assigned to SAMPO IP LLC
    2015 : Security interest to DBD CREDIT FUNDING LLC
    2017 : Security interest to DBD CREDIT FUNDING LLC as agent
    2023 : Patent expires

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Present.

   • 2013-03-01 assignment from LVL PATENT GROUP, LLC to SAMPO IP LLC. SAMPO IP LLC's name ("IP" suffix) strongly suggests a licensing-only entity. Public information confirms Sampo IP LLC is a subsidiary of Marathon Patent Group, an intellectual property services and patent licensing company. The assignee "LVL PATENT GROUP, LLC" also has a name suggesting an IP holding entity, and a web search for "LVL Patent Group LLC" primarily brings up patent-related services or news of patent assertions, rather than product sales.

2. Known asserter in the chain — Present.

   • 2013-03-01 assignment to SAMPO IP LLC. SAMPO IP LLC is explicitly identified as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Marathon Patent Group, Inc., which is a known patent licensing and intellectual property services company. Marathon Patent Group is a publicly recognized NPE.

3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Unclear.

   • The Google Patents legal events section does not provide correspondent information. Without access to the USPTO Assignment Center, this signal cannot be assessed.

4. Cascading transfers — Present.

   • 2013-02-22 assignment to LVL PATENT GROUP, LLC, followed immediately by 2013-03-01 assignment to SAMPO IP LLC. This represents two consecutive assignments within a very short timeframe (less than a month), transferring the patent through two different LLCs before reaching a known NPE. This rapid transfer through multiple intermediary entities is a strong indicator of a concerted assertion strategy.

5. Pre-litigation transfer — Present.

   • The assignment to SAMPO IP LLC occurred on 2013-03-01. Infringement lawsuits asserting US8015495 by Sampo IP, LLC began in March and May 2013, with a case filed on March 21, 2013, and another on May 6, 2013. The transfer to Sampo IP LLC occurred just before or concurrently with the initiation of these infringement suits (within 6 months), indicating the chain was arranged to enable assertion.

6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present.

   • There is no indication in the provided information that GROUPSERVE IT TRUST LLC (the original assignee) or GROUPSERVE, INC. went through bankruptcy proceedings that led to the sale of this patent.

7. Privateering — Unclear.

   • While Marathon Patent Group is a known NPE, and the patent was originally held by a company involved in "groupware software and communications services," there is no explicit information in the provided data (e.g., SEC filings or specific reports) to confirm that the transfer to Sampo IP LLC was done on behalf of an operating company to assert against competitors.

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

   • The chain ends with SAMPO IP LLC, a known NPE, and includes security interests held by DBD CREDIT FUNDING, LLC, which appears to be a financial entity, not a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence

This verdict is justified by the presence of multiple strong NPE signals: the transfer to a known asserter (SAMPO IP LLC, a subsidiary of Marathon Patent Group) on 2013-03-01, the cascading transfers through LVL PATENT GROUP, LLC and then SAMPO IP LLC within a short period, and the clear pre-litigation timing of the transfer to Sampo IP LLC immediately before the commencement of infringement lawsuits in March and May 2013.

(Verification: Search US8015495 on the USPTO Assignment Center at https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/)