Assignment history

Inventors

• Ali Dasdan: Yahoo Inc.
• Hung-Chih Yang: Yahoo Inc.
• Ruey-Lung Hsiao: Yahoo Inc.

All inventors were employed by Yahoo Inc. at the time of filing.

Original assignee

The original assignee named on the issued patent is Yahoo Inc. Yahoo Inc. was a multinational technology company known for its web services, including its search engine, email, news, and advertising platforms. It shipped numerous products embodying various forms of data processing. Yahoo Inc. was acquired by Verizon Communications in 2017, and its remaining assets, including intellectual property, were spun off into Altaba Inc., which subsequently liquidated. The Google Patents page currently lists "Starboard Value Intermediate Fund LP, As Collateral Agent" and "Altaba Inc" as current assignees, with Yahoo Inc. as the original assignee until 2017.

Assignment timeline

• 2006-10-03 to 2006-10-04 (executed) / recorded 2006-10-06 — Reel 018360/0513

  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignor's Interest
  • Assignor: Dasdan, Ali; Yang, Hung-Chih; Hsiao, Ruey-Lung
  • Assignee: YAHOO! INC., CALIFORNIA
  • Correspondent: BLAKELY, SOKOLOFF, TAYLOR & ZAFMAN LLP, 12400 WILSHIRE BOULEVARD, 7TH FLOOR, LOS ANGELES, CA 90025. This correspondent firm also appears in the assignment record of other patents on this site.
  • Context: Original assignment from inventors to operating company.

• 2016-04-18 (executed) / recorded 2016-04-18 — Reel 038383/0466

  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignor's Interest
  • Assignor: YAHOO! INC.
  • Assignee: EXCALIBUR IP, LLC, CALIFORNIA
  • Correspondent: BLAKELY, SOKOLOFF, TAYLOR & ZAFMAN LLP, 12400 WILSHIRE BOULEVARD, 7TH FLOOR, LOS ANGELES, CA 90025. This correspondent firm also appears in the assignment record of other patents on this site.
  • Context: Transfer of patent assets from operating company to a newly formed entity.

• 2016-05-31 (executed) / recorded 2016-06-01 — Reel 038951/0295

  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignor's Interest
  • Assignor: EXCALIBUR IP, LLC
  • Assignee: YAHOO! INC., CALIFORNIA
  • Correspondent: BLAKELY, SOKOLOFF, TAYLOR & ZAFMAN LLP, 12400 WILSHIRE BOULEVARD, 7TH FLOOR, LOS ANGELES, CA 90025. This correspondent firm also appears in the assignment record of other patents on this site.
  • Context: Reassignment back to original operating company.

• 2016-05-31 (executed) / recorded 2016-06-03 — Reel 038950/0592

  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignor's Interest
  • Assignor: YAHOO! INC.
  • Assignee: EXCALIBUR IP, LLC, CALIFORNIA
  • Correspondent: BLAKELY, SOKOLOFF, TAYLOR & ZAFMAN LLP, 12400 WILSHIRE BOULEVARD, 7TH FLOOR, LOS ANGELES, CA 90025. This correspondent firm also appears in the assignment record of other patents on this site.
  • Context: Reassignment back to the newly formed entity.

• 2020-06-04 (executed) / recorded 2020-06-05 — Reel 052853/0153

  • Conveyance: Patent Security Agreement
  • Assignor: ACACIA RESEARCH GROUP LLC; AMERICAN VEHICULAR SCIENCES LLC; BONUTTI SKELETAL INNOVATIONS LLC; CELLULAR COMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT LLC; INNOVATIVE DISPLAY TECHNOLOGIES LLC; LIFEPORT SCIENCES LLC; LIMESTONE MEMORY SYSTEMS LLC; MERTON ACQUISITION HOLDCO LLC; MOBILE ENHANCEMENT SOLUTIONS LLC; MONARCH NETWORKING SOLUTIONS LLC; NEXUS DISPLAY TECHNOLOGIES LLC; PARTHENON UNIFIED MEMORY ARCHITECTURE LLC; R2 SOLUTIONS LLC; SAINT LAWRENCE COMMUNICATIONS LLC; STINGRAY IP SOLUTIONS LLC; SUPER INTERCONNECT TECHNOLOGIES LLC; TELECONFERENCE SYSTEMS LLC; UNIFICATION TECHNOLOGIES LLC
  • Assignee: STARBOARD VALUE INTERMEDIATE FUND LP, AS COLLATERAL AGENT, NEW YORK
  • Correspondent: STEVENS, GERALD, C/O STARBOARD VALUE LP, 777 THIRD AVENUE, 18TH FLOOR, NEW YORK, NY 10017
  • Context: Security agreement granting interest to Starboard Value as collateral agent from a large group of LLCs, many of which are known assertion entities under the Acacia Research Group umbrella.

• 2020-04-28 (executed) / recorded 2020-06-25 — Reel 053459/0059

  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignor's Interest
  • Assignor: EXCALIBUR IP, LLC
  • Assignee: R2 SOLUTIONS LLC, TEXAS
  • Correspondent: CARVER, WILLIAM, 1826 W. HWY 71, SUITE 240, AUSTIN, TX 78738.
  • Context: Transfer of patent from Excalibur IP to R2 Solutions.

• 2020-06-30 (executed) / recorded 2020-07-08 — Reel 053654/0254

  • Conveyance: Release of Security Interest in Patents
  • Assignor: STARBOARD VALUE INTERMEDIATE FUND LP
  • Assignee: BONUTTI SKELETAL INNOVATIONS LLC, TEXAS; MONARCH NETWORKING SOLUTIONS LLC, CALIFORNIA; LIFEPORT SCIENCES LLC, TEXAS; STINGRAY IP SOLUTIONS LLC, TEXAS; MOBILE ENHANCEMENT SOLUTIONS LLC, TEXAS; AMERICAN VEHICULAR SCIENCES LLC, TEXAS; INNOVATIVE DISPLAY TECHNOLOGIES LLC, TEXAS; SUPER INTERCONNECT TECHNOLOGIES LLC, TEXAS; SAINT LAWRENCE COMMUNICATIONS LLC, TEXAS; TELECONFERENCE SYSTEMS LLC, TEXAS; NEXUS DISPLAY TECHNOLOGIES LLC, TEXAS; ACACIA RESEARCH GROUP LLC, NEW YORK; PARTHENON UNIFIED MEMORY ARCHITECTURE LLC, TEXAS; R2 SOLUTIONS LLC, TEXAS; LIMESTONE MEMORY SYSTEMS LLC, CALIFORNIA; CELLULAR COMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT LLC, TEXAS; UNIFICATION TECHNOLOGIES LLC, TEXAS
  • Correspondent: STEVENS, GERALD, C/O STARBOARD VALUE LP, 777 THIRD AVENUE, 18TH FLOOR, NEW YORK, NY 10017. This correspondent also appeared in Reel 052853/0153.
  • Context: Release of security interest from Starboard Value to the various LLCs, including R2 Solutions.

• 2020-06-30 (executed) / recorded 2020-12-30 — Reel 054981/0377

  • Conveyance: Corrective Assignment
  • Assignor: STARBOARD VALUE INTERMEDIATE FUND LP
  • Assignee: R2 SOLUTIONS LLC, TEXAS
  • Correspondent: CARVER, WILLIAM, 1826 W. HWY 71, SUITE 240, AUSTIN, TX 78738. This correspondent also appeared in Reel 053459/0059.
  • Context: Corrective assignment to R2 Solutions, confirming release of security interest.

• 2020-06-04 (executed) / recorded 2021-03-29 — Reel 056832/0001

  • Conveyance: Corrective Assignment
  • Assignor: R2 SOLUTIONS LLC
  • Assignee: STARBOARD VALUE INTERMEDIATE FUND LP, AS COLLATERAL AGENT, NEW YORK
  • Correspondent: STEVENS, GERALD, C/O STARBOARD VALUE LP, 777 THIRD AVENUE, 18TH FLOOR, NEW YORK, NY 10017. This correspondent also appeared in Reel 052853/0153 and 053654/0254.
  • Context: Corrective assignment, confirming the assignment to Starboard Value as collateral agent.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 8190610
    2006 : Filed by Yahoo Inc
    2012 : Issued
    2016 : Assigned to Excalibur IP LLC
         : Reassigned to Yahoo Inc
         : Reassigned to Excalibur IP LLC
    2020 : Securitization to Starboard Value
         : Assigned to R2 Solutions LLC
         : Security interest released
         : Corrective assignment R2 Solutions
    2021 : Corrective assignment Starboard Value

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — present

   • 2016-04-18 (executed) / recorded 2016-04-18 — Reel 038383/0466: Yahoo! Inc. assigned the patent to EXCALIBUR IP, LLC. The name "Excalibur IP, LLC" suggests a licensing-focused entity, and it's common for operating companies to transfer patents to such subsidiaries, especially during corporate restructuring or divestiture of non-core assets. [cite: Reel 038383/0466]
   • 2020-04-28 (executed) / recorded 2020-06-25 — Reel 053459/0059: Excalibur IP, LLC assigned the patent to R2 SOLUTIONS LLC. "R2 Solutions LLC" is another name often associated with patent assertion entities. [cite: Reel 053459/0059]

2. Known asserter in the chain — present

   • 2020-06-04 (executed) / recorded 2020-06-05 — Reel 052853/0153: The patent became part of a security agreement where STARBOARD VALUE INTERMEDIATE FUND LP, AS COLLATERAL AGENT, gained interest from a group of assignors including ACACIA RESEARCH GROUP LLC and various other LLCs (e.g., BONUTTI SKELETAL INNOVATIONS LLC, CELLULAR COMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT LLC, R2 SOLUTIONS LLC). Acacia Research Group is a well-known patent assertion entity. [cite: Reel 052853/0153]
   • The current assignee, R2 SOLUTIONS LLC, is listed as a plaintiff in multiple district court cases related to this patent, as noted in the "Litigation summary" section, indicating its role as an asserter.

3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — present

   • BLAKELY, SOKOLOFF, TAYLOR & ZAFMAN LLP: Appears as correspondent for the initial assignment from inventors to Yahoo (Reel 018360/0513) and for the series of assignments between Yahoo and Excalibur IP, LLC (Reel 038383/0466, 038951/0295, 038950/0592). This firm handled the initial setup and early transfers. [cite: Reel 018360/0513, Reel 038383/0466, Reel 038951/0295, Reel 038950/0592]
   • STEVENS, GERALD, C/O STARBOARD VALUE LP: Appears as correspondent for the Patent Security Agreement (Reel 052853/0153) and the subsequent Release of Security Interest (Reel 053654/0254), and a corrective assignment (Reel 056832/0001). This recurrence points to a consistent legal representative for Starboard Value's activities related to this patent. [cite: Reel 052853/0153, Reel 053654/0254, Reel 056832/0001]
   • CARVER, WILLIAM: Appears as correspondent for the assignment to R2 Solutions (Reel 053459/0059) and a corrective assignment (Reel 054981/0377). This indicates a consistent legal representative for R2 Solutions' transactions. [cite: Reel 053459/0059, Reel 054981/0377]

4. Cascading transfers — present

   • There is a series of assignments and reassignments involving Yahoo Inc. and Excalibur IP, LLC in 2016 within a short period (2016-04-18, 2016-06-01, 2016-06-03). This could indicate internal restructuring of IP assets. [cite: Reel 038383/0466, Reel 038951/0295, Reel 038950/0592]
   • The transfer from Excalibur IP, LLC to R2 Solutions LLC in 2020 (Reel 053459/0059) followed by security agreements and releases in the same year involving multiple LLCs (Reel 052853/0153, 053654/0254, 054981/0377) also suggests a rapid movement and financial structuring of patent assets. [cite: Reel 053459/0059, Reel 052853/0153, Reel 053654/0254, Reel 054981/0377]

5. Pre-litigation transfer — present

   • The assignment to R2 Solutions LLC was recorded on 2020-06-25 (Reel 053459/0059). The first recorded litigation in the Texas Eastern District Court (Case Number: 4:21-cv-00122, 4:21-cv-00123, etc.) starts in 2021. This period (less than 12 months) between the final transfers to R2 Solutions and the initiation of litigation suggests transfers were arranged to facilitate assertion. [cite: Reel 053459/0059]

6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — unclear

   • While Yahoo Inc. underwent significant corporate changes, including an acquisition by Verizon and subsequent spin-off into Altaba Inc. which liquidated, the patent transfers to Excalibur IP and then R2 Solutions do not explicitly state they were part of a bankruptcy fire-sale. The transfers appear more aligned with corporate restructuring and asset management.

7. Privateering — unclear

   • The initial transfer from Yahoo to Excalibur IP, LLC, and later to R2 Solutions LLC, could be a form of privateering if Yahoo/Altaba retained some interest or directed the assertions against competitors. However, the provided assignment records do not contain enough information to confirm this.

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

   • The current assignee is Starboard Value Intermediate Fund LP, as Collateral Agent, and R2 Solutions LLC, neither of which is a known defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence

This verdict is driven by multiple strong signals. The transfer from the operating company (Yahoo Inc.) to "Excalibur IP, LLC" (Reel 038383/0466) and subsequently to "R2 SOLUTIONS LLC" (Reel 053459/0059) indicates shell-entity transfers. Furthermore, "R2 Solutions LLC" and "Acacia Research Group LLC" (named in the security agreement on Reel 052853/0153) are known patent assertion entities. The presence of repeat correspondents (BLAKELY, SOKOLOFF, TAYLOR & ZAFMAN LLP, GERALD STEVENS, and WILLIAM CARVER) across different stages of the chain further supports this, as does the cascading nature of transfers in 2016 and 2020-2021 and the timing of transfers shortly before litigation in 2021.

For verification of assignment records, please visit the USPTO Patent Assignment Search at https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/.