Assignment history

Inventors

• James Arthur Proctor, Jr.
• James Arthur Proctor, III
• Employer at time of filing: Not explicitly stated. The application was filed by individuals, suggesting the inventors were the original applicants/owners.

Original assignee

At the time of filing on February 3, 2009, and issuance on February 14, 2012, the patent was held by the inventors, James Arthur Proctor, Jr. and James Arthur Proctor, III, as individuals, or an unnamed "Individual" as indicated by Google Patents. The first recorded assignment from the inventors to a company occurred shortly after issuance. Therefore, the original assignee on the issued patent can be considered the individual inventors.

Assignment timeline

• 2010-08-05 (executed) / recorded 2012-01-26 — Reel 028120/0675

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT
  • Assignor: DIETRICH, EMMANUEL
  • Assignee: MENGEL, KATRIN; WINGERTER, THOMAS
  • Correspondent: DOWREY, KENNETH N. (21580 S. Tamiami Trail, Suite 210, Estero FL 33928)
  • Context: Transfer of rights from Emmanuel Dietrich to Katrin Mengel and Thomas Wingerter.

• 2012-03-27 (executed) / recorded 2012-04-03 — Reel 028448/0609

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT
  • Assignor: PROCTOR, JAMES A JR; PROCTOR, JAMES A III
  • Assignee: PROXICOM WIRELESS, LLC
  • Correspondent: JOHN S. CHILDRESS (416 E. San Antonio Ave., Suite 803, El Paso, TX 79901)
  • Context: Transfer of rights from the inventors to Proxicom Wireless, LLC.

• 2024-03-29 (executed) / recorded 2024-04-10 — Reel 060132/0858

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
  • Assignor: PROXICOM WIRELESS, LLC
  • Assignee: SECURE COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
  • Correspondent: JONATHAN A. SLAVIN (SLAVIN LEGAL, PLLC, 3050 SW 148th Ave, Miramar, FL 33027). This correspondent also appears on the 2025-07-15 record for this patent.
  • Context: Transfer of rights from Proxicom Wireless, LLC to Secure Communication Technologies, LLC.

• 2025-07-08 (executed) / recorded 2025-07-15 — Reel 061264/0071

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
  • Assignor: PROXICOM WIRELESS, LLC
  • Assignee: SECURE COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
  • Correspondent: SLAVIN, JONATHAN A. (SLAVIN LEGAL, PLLC, 3050 SW 148th Ave, Miramar, FL 33027). This correspondent also appears on the 2024-04-10 record for this patent.
  • Context: Further transfer of interests from Proxicom Wireless, LLC to Secure Communication Technologies, LLC.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 8116749
    2009 : Filed by Inventors
    2010 : Assigned to Mengel & Wingerter
    2012 : Patent Issued
         : Inventors to Proxicom Wireless
    2024 : Proxicom to Secure Comm Tech
    2025 : Proxicom to Secure Comm Tech

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Present.

   • Proxicom Wireless, LLC: Identified as a "small father and son operation" that litigated patents related to "beacon technology". While the entity itself was involved in litigation, it doesn't appear to have shipped products. Its registered agent is James A. Proctor Jr., one of the inventors.
   • Secure Communication Technologies, LLC: Formed in Texas in January 2024, received 16 patents from Proxicom Wireless, LLC in April 2024, and immediately began filing lawsuits against major technology companies like Samsung, Apple, and Google. RPX noted this transfer and subsequent litigation. This behavior and rapid assertion suggest a licensing-only shell entity.
   • Supporting records: Reel 028448/0609 (Proxicom Wireless, LLC), Reel 060132/0858 (Secure Communication Technologies, LLC), Reel 061264/0071 (Secure Communication Technologies, LLC).

2. Known asserter in the chain — Present.

   • Secure Communication Technologies, LLC is identified by RPX as a new plaintiff that launched its first campaign in July 2024, asserting patents transferred in April 2024. RPX is an anti-NPE aggregator, and their identification of SCT as a new plaintiff in a campaign indicates it is a known asserter.
   • Supporting records: RPX Insight reporting on Secure Communication Technologies, LLC.

3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Present.

   • Jonathan A. Slavin of Slavin Legal, PLLC is listed as the correspondent for both assignments to Secure Communication Technologies, LLC (recorded 2024-04-10, Reel 060132/0858 and recorded 2025-07-15, Reel 061264/0071). This recurrence across consecutive transfers to the same entity is a signal.

4. Cascading transfers — Present.

   • There are two assignments from Proxicom Wireless, LLC to Secure Communication Technologies, LLC within a short timeframe (executed 2024-03-29 / recorded 2024-04-10 and executed 2025-07-08 / recorded 2025-07-15). This involves the same assignor, assignee, and correspondent (Jonathan A. Slavin), occurring over roughly a 16-month period, consistent with a cascading transfer pattern.
   • Supporting records: Reel 060132/0858 (2024-04-10) and Reel 061264/0071 (2025-07-15).

5. Pre-litigation transfer — Present.

   • The patent was transferred from Proxicom Wireless, LLC to Secure Communication Technologies, LLC with an execution date of March 29, 2024, and a recording date of April 10, 2024 (Reel 060132/0858). Secure Communication Technologies, LLC launched its first litigation campaign, including a lawsuit against Samsung, on July 3, 2024. This is within 6 months of the assignment, strongly indicating the transfer was made to enable assertion.

6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. No evidence of bankruptcy proceedings for any assignors in the chain.

7. Privateering — Unclear. While Proxicom Wireless, LLC was previously an asserting entity, and Secure Communication Technologies, LLC is now asserting these patents, there is no explicit evidence of an operating company transferring the patent to SCT to assert on its behalf against competitors, as might be revealed in SEC filings or specialized reports. The transfer is between two entities that appear to be primarily involved in patent assertion.

8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The chain ends with Secure Communication Technologies, LLC, which is actively asserting the patent.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence

This verdict is justified by several strong signals: the transfer to Secure Communication Technologies, LLC (SCT), a newly formed entity that appears to be a shell company for patent assertion, immediately followed by litigation within three months of the assignment (Reel 060132/0858, filed July 3, 2024 for a transfer in April 2024). The identification of SCT as a known asserter by RPX further solidifies this. The recurrence of correspondent Jonathan A. Slavin for multiple assignments to SCT also supports the pattern.

USPTO Assignment Center search for US8116749