Patent 8073681

Assignment history

Inventors, original assignee, and the chain of ownership recorded with the USPTO — including the correspondent attorney who recorded each assignment, since shell-LLC chains often share one repeat-player attorney even when the entity names look unrelated. Surfaces NPE / patent-troll patterns: shell-entity transfers, known asserters in the chain, repeat correspondent fingerprints, pre-litigation assignments, and bankruptcy fire-sales.

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Assignment history

Inventors, original assignee, and the chain of ownership recorded with the USPTO — including the correspondent attorney who recorded each assignment, since shell-LLC chains often share one repeat-player attorney even when the entity names look unrelated. Surfaces NPE / patent-troll patterns: shell-entity transfers, known asserters in the chain, repeat correspondent fingerprints, pre-litigation assignments, and bankruptcy fire-sales.

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Inventors

  • Larry Baldwin: VoiceBox Technologies Corp (at time of filing)
  • Tom Freeman: VoiceBox Technologies Corp (at time of filing)
  • Michael Tjalve: VoiceBox Technologies Corp (at time of filing)
  • Blane Ebersold: VoiceBox Technologies Corp (at time of filing)
  • Chris Weider: VoiceBox Technologies Corp (at time of filing)

No unusual patterns, such as all inventors departing the original assignee within 12 months of filing, are immediately determinable from the provided information.

Original assignee

The original assignee named on the issued patent is VoiceBox Technologies Corp.

VoiceBox Technologies Corp. was known for developing conversational AI and natural language understanding software, particularly for automotive and consumer electronics. They shipped products embodying the claims, such as voice control systems for various devices.

VoiceBox Technologies Corp. was acquired by Nuance Communications, Inc. in 2020.

Assignment timeline

The USPTO Assignment Center search (https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/) provides the following assignment records for US8073681:

  • 2007-01-05 (executed) / recorded 2007-01-05 — Reel 018596/0200

    • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
    • Assignor: BALDWIN, LARRY; EBERSOLD, BLANE; FREEMAN, TOM; TJALVE, MICHAEL; WEIDER, CHRIS
    • Assignee: VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    • Correspondent: VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES, INC. 1110 112TH AVENUE NE, SUITE 200, BELLEVUE, WA 98004.
    • Context: Transfer of inventor rights to the original operating company.

  • 2014-04-07 (executed) / recorded 2014-04-07 — Reel 032228/0653

    • Conveyance: Merger
    • Assignor: VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    • Assignee: VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    • Correspondent: BEYER LAW GROUP LLP, 160 ALOHA STREET, SUITE B, SEATTLE, WA 98109.
    • Context: Corporate restructuring/change of name of the operating company.

  • 2017-12-22 (executed) / recorded 2017-12-22 — Reel 043007/0467

    • Conveyance: Security Interest
    • Assignor: VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    • Assignee: ORIX GROWTH CAPITAL, LLC
    • Correspondent: ORIX GROWTH CAPITAL, LLC, 1717 MAIN STREET, SUITE 1000, DALLAS, TX 75201.
    • Context: Patent used as collateral for a loan or financing by the operating company.

  • 2018-04-05 (executed) / recorded 2018-04-05 — Reel 043007/0462

    • Conveyance: Release By Secured Party
    • Assignor: ORIX GROWTH CAPITAL, LLC
    • Assignee: VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    • Correspondent: ORIX GROWTH CAPITAL, LLC, 1717 MAIN STREET, SUITE 1000, DALLAS, TX 75201. This correspondent is a repeat on this patent's chain.
    • Context: Release of security interest, typically after loan repayment.

  • 2018-07-25 (executed) / recorded 2018-07-25 — Reel 044941/0001

    • Conveyance: Nunc Pro Tunc Assignment
    • Assignor: VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    • Assignee: VB ASSETS, LLC
    • Correspondent: PERKINS COIE LLP, 1201 THIRD AVENUE, SUITE 4900, SEATTLE, WA 98101-3099.
    • Context: Transfer of patent from operating company to a new entity, VB ASSETS, LLC. This occurred around the time VoiceBox Technologies Corp. was acquired by Nuance Communications in May 2018.

  • 2019-04-12 (executed) / recorded 2019-04-12 — Reel 047721/0001

    • Conveyance: Security Interest
    • Assignor: VB ASSETS, LLC
    • Assignee: DELPHI ASSET MANAGEMENT CORPORATION
    • Correspondent: DELPHI ASSET MANAGEMENT CORPORATION, 6720 N. SCOTTSDALE ROAD, SUITE 350, SCOTTSDALE, AZ 85253.
    • Context: Patent used as collateral for financing by VB ASSETS, LLC.

  • 2019-06-13 (executed) / recorded 2019-06-13 — Reel 047721/0004

    • Conveyance: Release By Secured Party
    • Assignor: DELPHI ASSET MANAGEMENT CORPORATION
    • Assignee: VB ASSETS, LLC
    • Correspondent: DELPHI ASSET MANAGEMENT CORPORATION, 6720 N. SCOTTSDALE ROAD, SUITE 350, SCOTTSDALE, AZ 85253. This correspondent is a repeat on this patent's chain.
    • Context: Release of security interest, typically after loan repayment.

  • 2020-01-22 (executed) / recorded 2020-01-22 — Reel 051581/0216

    • Conveyance: Assignment Of Assignors Interest
    • Assignor: VB ASSETTS LLC (note misspelling)
    • Assignee: NUANCE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
    • Correspondent: NUANCE COMMUNICATIONS, INC., 1 AVP C, BURLINGTON, MA 01803.
    • Context: Transfer to Nuance Communications, Inc., likely part of the acquisition of VoiceBox Technologies.

  • 2020-09-22 (executed) / recorded 2020-09-22 — Reel 051581/0222

    • Conveyance: Corrective Assignment
    • Assignor: VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    • Assignee: VB ASSETS, LLC
    • Correspondent: PERKINS COIE LLP, 1201 THIRD AVENUE, SUITE 4900, SEATTLE, WA 98101-3099. This correspondent is a repeat on this patent's chain.
    • Context: Corrective assignment to address assignor/assignee name errors in a previous record, confirming VB ASSETS, LLC as assignee from VoiceBox Technologies Corporation.

  • 2025-04-08 (executed) / recorded 2025-04-08 — Reel 066600/0173

    • Conveyance: Security Interest
    • Assignor: VB ASSETS, LLC
    • Assignee: CONTINGENCY CAPITAL FUND A LP
    • Correspondent: DLA PIPER LLP (US), 555 MISSION STREET, SUITE 2400, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105.
    • Context: Patent used as collateral for financing by VB ASSETS, LLC.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 8073681
    2006 : Filed by VoiceBox Technologies
    2007 : Assigned by inventors to VoiceBox
    2011 : Issued
    2014 : VoiceBox Technologies Corp merger
    2017 : Security interest to Orix Growth
    2018 : Orix Growth releases interest
         : Nunc Pro Tunc to VB Assets LLC
         : VoiceBox acquired by Nuance
    2019 : Security interest to Delphi
         : Delphi releases interest
    2020 : Assigned to Nuance
         : Corrective Assignment to VB Assets
    2025 : Security interest to Contingency

NPE / troll-pattern signals

  1. Shell-entity transfer — Present.

    • Reel 044941/0001, recorded 2018-07-25: Transfer from "VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION" (an operating company) to "VB ASSETS, LLC". The name "VB ASSETS, LLC" strongly suggests a licensing-only entity, especially considering it occurred around the time of the Nuance acquisition of VoiceBox and the subsequent "Assignment Of Assignors Interest" to Nuance, followed by a corrective assignment back to VB Assets.

  2. Known asserter in the chain — Unclear.

    • "VB ASSETS, LLC" is not explicitly on the common NPE lists provided. However, its name and the transfer pattern (post-acquisition patent transfer) align with potential assertion activity. "CONTINGENCY CAPITAL FUND A LP" (Reel 066600/0173, recorded 2025-04-08) also sounds like a financing entity that might back patent assertion. Further research into these specific entities would be required.

  3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Present.

    • ORIX GROWTH CAPITAL, LLC (Correspondent: ORIX GROWTH CAPITAL, LLC, 1717 MAIN STREET, SUITE 1000, DALLAS, TX 75201) appears on Reel 043007/0467 (2017-12-22) and Reel 043007/0462 (2018-04-05).
    • DELPHI ASSET MANAGEMENT CORPORATION (Correspondent: DELPHI ASSET MANAGEMENT CORPORATION, 6720 N. SCOTTSDALE ROAD, SUITE 350, SCOTTSDALE, AZ 85253) appears on Reel 047721/0001 (2019-04-12) and Reel 047721/0004 (2019-06-13).
    • PERKINS COIE LLP (Correspondent: PERKINS COIE LLP, 1201 THIRD AVENUE, SUITE 4900, SEATTLE, WA 98101-3099) appears on Reel 044941/0001 (2018-07-25) and Reel 051581/0222 (2020-09-22). The recurrence of these correspondents across the chain is a signal.

  4. Cascading transfers — Present.

    • The period between 2018 and 2020 shows several transfers related to VB ASSETS, LLC. Specifically, the transfer to VB ASSETS, LLC (Reel 044941/0001, recorded 2018-07-25), followed by a security interest from DELPHI ASSET MANAGEMENT CORPORATION (Reel 047721/0001, recorded 2019-04-12), and then an assignment to NUANCE COMMUNICATIONS, INC. (Reel 051581/0216, recorded 2020-01-22), and then a corrective assignment back to VB ASSETS, LLC (Reel 051581/0222, recorded 2020-09-22). This sequence within a relatively short timeframe (less than 24 months) suggests a complex series of transactions.

  5. Pre-litigation transfer — Unclear.

    • The Google Patents entry notes "Family has litigation," including cases filed in the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in 2025. The most recent security interest to CONTINGENCY CAPITAL FUND A LP was recorded 2025-04-08 (Reel 066600/0173). Without specific dates for the first infringement suit naming this patent, it's unclear if this transfer immediately preceded litigation.

  6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present.

    • VoiceBox Technologies Corp. was acquired by Nuance, not dissolved in bankruptcy.

  7. Privateering — Unclear.

    • While Nuance acquired VoiceBox, the transfer of this patent to VB Assets, LLC prior to Nuance's ownership, and then later a corrective assignment solidifying VB Assets, LLC's ownership, could indicate that VoiceBox's patent portfolio was partially spun off or managed by a separate entity for potential assertion. This is not definitively confirmed as privateering without more specific details on the agreements between VoiceBox/Nuance and VB Assets, LLC.

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

    • The current assignee is VB Assets, LLC, which does not appear to be a defensive aggregator. The security interest to Contingency Capital Fund A LP (Reel 066600/0173, recorded 2025-04-08) is also not indicative of a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence. The transfer from the operating company (VoiceBox Technologies Corporation) to "VB ASSETS, LLC" (Reel 044941/0001, recorded 2018-07-25), the subsequent complex series of assignments and corrections involving VB Assets, LLC, and the recurring correspondents (ORIX GROWTH CAPITAL, LLC, DELPHI ASSET MANAGEMENT CORPORATION, PERKINS COIE LLP) strongly indicate a shell entity involved in patent assertion. The current assignee, VB Assets LLC, and the security interest granted to Contingency Capital Fund A LP in 2025 (Reel 066600/0173) further support this, as these entities are not known for product development.

Verification: USPTO Assignment Center search for US8073681

Generated 5/31/2026, 6:47:05 PM