Assignment history

Inventors

The sole named inventor is Leigh M. Rothschild. His employer at the time of filing for US12/753,963 (2010-04-05) is not explicitly stated, but the "Original Assignee" is listed as "Individual" on Google Patents, suggesting he was an independent inventor or held the rights personally at that time. The first recorded assignment shows him transferring his interest to Rothschild Trust Holdings, LLC, with an execution date significantly prior to the filing date of the application leading to this patent.

Original assignee

The original assignee, as indicated on the Google Patents page and supported by the initial assignment, was Leigh M. Rothschild, an individual inventor. It is unclear if Leigh M. Rothschild, as an individual, shipped a product directly embodying the claims. His primary line of business was invention. His current status is not relevant to the patent's ownership as he assigned his rights.

Assignment timeline

The following assignment records are based on the legal events listed on Google Patents for US8085192B2. Correspondent information is not available from this source.

• 2006-04-06 (executed) / recorded 2012-04-04 — Reel 027990/0854

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: ROTHSCHILD, LEIGH M.
  • Assignee: ROTHSCHILD TRUST HOLDINGS, LLC, FLORIDA
  • Correspondent: Not available from source.
  • Context: Transfer from individual inventor to an entity, likely for patent management or future assertion.

• 2012-03-22 (executed) / recorded 2012-04-04 — Reel 027990/0946

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: REAGAN INVENTIONS, L.L.C.
  • Assignee: FLAXEN HOLDINGS L.L.C., DELAWARE
  • Correspondent: Not available from source.
  • Context: Transfer between entities. (Note: A transfer from Rothschild Trust Holdings, LLC to Reagan Inventions, L.L.C. is not explicitly listed in the legal events for this patent but is implied by Reagan Inventions, L.L.C. being an assignor).

• 2015-08-26 (executed) / recorded 2016-01-20 — Reel 037535/0104

  • Conveyance: Merger
  • Assignor: FLAXEN HOLDINGS L.L.C.
  • Assignee: XENOGENIC DEVELOPMENT LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY, D
  • Correspondent: Not available from source.
  • Context: Merger of entities, typically a corporate restructuring.

• 2023-09-25 (executed) / recorded 2023-09-25 — Reel 065015/0773

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: XENOGENIC DEVELOPMENT LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY
  • Assignee: INTELLECTUAL VENTURES ASSETS 190 LLC, DELAWARE
  • Correspondent: Not available from source.
  • Context: Transfer to a known patent aggregator/assertion entity.

• 2023-10-05 (executed) / recorded 2023-10-13 — Reel 065227/0107

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: INTELLECTUAL VENTURES ASSETS 190 LLC
  • Assignee: AI-CORE TECHNOLOGIES, LLC, TEXAS
  • Correspondent: Not available from source.
  • Context: Transfer from a known aggregator to another entity, likely a shell for specific assertion campaigns.

• 2023-10-06 (executed) / recorded 2024-03-26 — Reel 066911/0261

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: AI-CORE TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
  • Assignee: LONGHORN AUTOMOTIVE GROUP LLC, TEXAS
  • Correspondent: Not available from source.
  • Context: Transfer between entities, likely another shell for assertion, occurring just before new litigation.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 8085192
    2006 : Inventor to Rothschild Trust Holdings LLC
    2012 : Reagan Inventions to Flaxen Holdings LLC
    2015 : Flaxen Holdings merged to Xenogenic Dev LLC
    2023 : Xenogenic Dev LLC to Intellectual Ventures
         : IV to AI-CORE Technologies LLC
    2024 : AI-CORE Technologies to Longhorn Auto Group LLC

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — present
   The chain begins with a transfer from the individual inventor Leigh M. Rothschild to Rothschild Trust Holdings, LLC (executed 2006-04-06 / recorded 2012-04-04, Reel 027990/0854). Subsequent transfers involve entities with generic LLC names, such as AI-CORE TECHNOLOGIES, LLC (executed 2023-10-05 / recorded 2023-10-13, Reel 065227/0107) and LONGHORN AUTOMOTIVE GROUP LLC (executed 2023-10-06 / recorded 2024-03-26, Reel 066911/0261), which are common characteristics of shell entities used for patent assertion.

2. Known asserter in the chain — present
   INTELLECTUAL VENTURES ASSETS 190 LLC, a widely recognized patent assertion entity, appears as an assignee (executed 2023-09-25 / recorded 2023-09-25, Reel 065015/0773). The initial inventor, Leigh M. Rothschild, is also known for his involvement with numerous patent holding companies.

3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — unclear
   Correspondent information is not available from the Google Patents legal events section, which is the primary source used for this analysis. Therefore, it is not possible to determine if the same correspondent recurs.

4. Cascading transfers — present
   There is a clear pattern of rapid, consecutive transfers in late 2023 and early 2024:

   • XENOGENIC DEVELOPMENT LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY to INTELLECTUAL VENTURES ASSETS 190 LLC (executed 2023-09-25)
   • INTELLECTUAL VENTURES ASSETS 190 LLC to AI-CORE TECHNOLOGIES, LLC (executed 2023-10-05)
   • AI-CORE TECHNOLOGIES, LLC to LONGHORN AUTOMOTIVE GROUP LLC (executed 2023-10-06)
     These three assignments were executed within an 12-day period, followed by recording of the final assignment a few months later. This swift succession of transfers through different entities is a strong indicator of an NPE pattern.

5. Pre-litigation transfer — present
   The patent was assigned to AI-CORE TECHNOLOGIES, LLC on 2023-10-05 (execution date) and then to LONGHORN AUTOMOTIVE GROUP LLC on 2023-10-06 (execution date). Subsequently, US litigation cases, such as 2:24-cv-00933, were filed in the Texas Eastern District Court in 2024, naming Longhorn Automotive Group LLC as the plaintiff. This timing, where assignments occur within months of patent assertion, is a strong signal of pre-litigation transfer to establish a specific plaintiff entity.

6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present
   There is no information in the provided patent text or legal events to suggest any assignee in the chain filed for bankruptcy leading to the patent transfer.

7. Privateering — unclear
   While the chain indicates NPE activity, there is no direct evidence from the provided sources to confirm that the current assignee is asserting patents on behalf of a specific operating company against its competitors (privateering).

8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present
   The current assignee is Longhorn Automotive Group LLC, which is not a known defensive aggregator. Intellectual Ventures, an earlier assignee, is an assertion entity, not a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence

The ownership chain for US8085192 exhibits multiple strong signals indicative of a Non-Practicing Entity (NPE). These include the involvement of a known patent assertion entity, Intellectual Ventures Assets 190 LLC (executed 2023-09-25, Reel 065015/0773), a series of rapid cascading transfers through shell-like entities (executed between 2023-09-25 and 2023-10-06), and a clear pre-litigation transfer to Longhorn Automotive Group LLC immediately preceding the filing of infringement lawsuits in 2024.

USPTO Assignment Center search page for verification: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/patents/8085192