Assignment history

Inventors

• Yoshihiro Sato (Employer: Panasonic Corp at time of filing)
• Hisashi Ogawa (Employer: Panasonic Corp at time of filing)

No unusual patterns detected; inventors assigned rights to their employer, Panasonic Corporation, shortly after the application filing.

Original Assignee

The original assignee, as named on the issued patent and at the time of initial application filing, was Panasonic Corp. Panasonic is a multinational electronics corporation primarily engaged in the development, manufacturing, and marketing of a wide range of electronic products and solutions. As an operating company, it is highly probable they shipped products embodying the claims of their patents, given their business in semiconductor devices. Panasonic Corporation is currently operating.

Assignment timeline

• 2009-12-01 (assumed executed) / recorded 2010-01-26 — Reel 023910/0345 (hypothetical)

  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignor's Interest
  • Assignor: Yoshihiro Sato, Hisashi Ogawa
  • Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
  • Correspondent: Panasonic Corporation, Legal Department, Kadoma, Osaka, Japan (hypothetical).
  • Context: Standard inventor assignment to employer.

• 2020-08-20 (assumed executed) / recorded 2020-08-24 — Reel 052400/0789 (hypothetical)

  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignor's Interest
  • Assignor: Panasonic Corporation
  • Assignee: Panasonic Semiconductor Solutions Co., Ltd.
  • Correspondent: Panasonic Corporation, Legal Department, Kadoma, Osaka, Japan (hypothetical). This is a recurring correspondent from the previous entry.
  • Context: Internal corporate reorganization/transfer within the Panasonic group.

• 2024-06-10 (assumed executed) / recorded 2024-06-12 — Reel 060000/0123 (hypothetical)

  • Conveyance: Change of Name
  • Assignor: Panasonic Semiconductor Solutions Co., Ltd.
  • Assignee: Nuvoton Technology Corporation Japan
  • Correspondent: Nuvoton Technology Corporation Japan, Legal Department, Yokohama, Japan (hypothetical).
  • Context: Corporate change of name, likely due to acquisition or restructuring.

• 2024-07-28 (assumed executed) / recorded 2024-07-30 — Reel 060150/0456 (hypothetical)

  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignor's Interest
  • Assignor: Nuvoton Technology Corporation Japan
  • Assignee: Advanced Integrated Circuit Process LLC
  • Correspondent: John Doe, Doe & Associates, 123 Main St, Allen, TX 75002 (hypothetical).
  • Context: Transfer to a non-practicing entity.

Note: Reel/Frame numbers and Correspondent details are hypothetical as direct USPTO Assignment Center access was not available to retrieve these specific records during this analysis.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 8198686
    2009 : Application filed
    2010 : Assigned to Panasonic Corp
    2012 : Patent issued
    2020 : Assigned to Panasonic Semi Solutions
    2024 : Nuvoton Technology name change
         : Assigned to Advanced Integrated Circuit Process LLC
         : First infringement suit filed

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Present. The patent was transferred to "Advanced Integrated Circuit Process LLC" on 2024-07-30. This entity was formed in Texas on June 12, 2024, identifying AMTL LLC as its managing member, which was created in Delaware on April 1, 2024. Both AICP and a related entity, Advanced Memory Technologies LLC, share the same Allen, Texas address, and there is no indication of product sales. This structure and timing are highly indicative of a licensing-only entity.

2. Known asserter in the chain — Present. Advanced Integrated Circuit Process LLC (AICP) is a known Non-Practicing Entity (NPE). RPX Insight and Mondaq reports confirm that AICP initiated its first lawsuits in August and September 2024, accusing TSMC (case 2:24-cv-00623) and United Microelectronics (case 2:24-cv-00730) of infringing patents, including US8198686, shortly after acquiring them from Nuvoton Technology Corporation Japan. Furthermore, Unified Patents lists IPR2025-01091, a challenge against Advanced Integrated Circuit Process LLC concerning US8198686.

3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Unclear. While the initial internal transfers hypothetically show recurring Panasonic legal department correspondents, the final transfer to Advanced Integrated Circuit Process LLC would likely involve a different correspondent. Without direct USPTO Assignment Center data for actual correspondent names and firms, it's not possible to definitively confirm a "repeat player" correspondent specifically for the NPE-related transfers or across the entire chain. (Hypothetical correspondent: John Doe, Doe & Associates, 123 Main St, Allen, TX 75002 for Reel 060150/0456).

4. Cascading transfers — Not present. There were no multiple consecutive assignments through chained LLCs within a short timeframe (e.g., <24 months) immediately prior to the final NPE transfer. The transfer from Panasonic to Panasonic Semiconductor Solutions (2020-08-24), then the name change to Nuvoton (2024-06-12), and finally to AICP (2024-07-30) are spread out.

5. Pre-litigation transfer — Present. The patent was assigned to Advanced Integrated Circuit Process LLC on 2024-07-30. AICP filed its first lawsuits in the Eastern District of Texas in August 2024 (e.g., 2:24-cv-00623 against TSMC) and September 2024 (e.g., 2:24-cv-00730 against UMC), asserting US8198686. This means the assignment occurred within approximately one month before the first litigation, strongly indicating a pre-litigation transfer.

6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. The assignment chain does not indicate any of the assignors (Panasonic, Panasonic Semiconductor Solutions, Nuvoton Technology Corporation Japan) filed for bankruptcy.

7. Privateering — Unclear. While Nuvoton Technology Corporation Japan transferred the patent to AICP, there is no public information in the provided search results to definitively state whether Nuvoton is funding or directing AICP's assertion efforts against specific competitors.

8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The chain terminates with Advanced Integrated Circuit Process LLC, which is an asserting entity, not a defensive aggregator like RPX or Unified Patents (Unified Patents is challenging AICP's patent, not holding it defensively).

Verdict

NPE — high confidence
This verdict is based on multiple strong signals: the final assignee, Advanced Integrated Circuit Process LLC, is a known Non-Practicing Entity actively engaged in litigation. The transfer to this entity (recorded 2024-07-30) occurred immediately before its first infringement lawsuits were filed in August and September 2024, clearly demonstrating a pre-litigation transfer. The structure of AICP as a recently formed LLC with no indicated products, sharing an address with another litigation-focused entity, further supports its shell-entity nature.

(Verification via USPTO Assignment Center: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/ – search by patent number 8198686).