Assignment history

Inventors

The sole named inventor is Guocheng Pan. The patent lists "Individual" as the original assignee at the time of filing, indicating that Guocheng Pan was the original owner and not associated with a specific employer in this context. There is no information to suggest an unusual pattern of inventors departing an original assignee.

Original assignee

The original assignee named on the issued patent US8205622B2 was Guocheng Pan, an individual inventor. The patent text describes the invention of an electronic cigarette, but does not state that the individual inventor, Guocheng Pan, shipped a product embodying the claims. The primary line of business and current status of the individual inventor are not ascertainable from the patent document or provided information.

Assignment timeline

• 2019-08-27 (executed) / recorded 2019-08-29 — Reel 049581/0212
  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignor's Interest
  • Assignor: Pan, Guocheng
  • Assignee: VPR Brands, LP
  • Correspondent: SRIBLAW, P.A., 23133 HADDONFIELD, BOCA RATON, FL 33433. This correspondent has been noted as appearing multiple times for NPE entities tracked on this site.
  • Context: Transfer-to-asserter (from individual inventor to VPR Brands LP, a company known for patent assertion).

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 8205622
    2009 : Filed by Individual Inventor
    2012 : Issued to Individual Inventor
    2019 : Assigned to VPR Brands LP

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Present. The patent was originally assigned to an individual inventor (Guocheng Pan) and subsequently transferred to VPR Brands, LP. VPR Brands, LP is identified in the "Litigation summary" as having engaged in an "aggressive enforcement campaign" and having signed numerous "licensing agreements," which are characteristic activities of a licensing-focused entity, especially for a patent covering foundational technology. [cite: 049581/0212, Litigation summary]

2. Known asserter in the chain — Present. VPR Brands, LP is explicitly identified in the "Litigation summary" as engaging in a "significant and ongoing litigation campaign to enforce its intellectual property rights" and is described as the current assignee leading this enforcement. [cite: Litigation summary]

3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Present. SRIBLAW, P.A., is listed as the correspondent for the assignment recorded on 2019-08-29 (Reel 049581/0212). The internal context confirms that this firm or attorney appears multiple times for NPE entities, and the "Litigation summary" notes that SRIPLAW, P.A. handles enforcement for VPR Brands LP. [cite: 049581/0212]

4. Cascading transfers — Not present. There is only one recorded assignment in the chain for this patent from the individual inventor to VPR Brands LP. [cite: 049581/0212]

5. Pre-litigation transfer — Present. The assignment of the patent to VPR Brands, LP was recorded on August 29, 2019 (Reel 049581/0212). The "Litigation summary" indicates that VPR Brands, LP began filing infringement lawsuits in May 2021 (e.g., against HQDTech USA LLC and NEPA 2 Wholesale, LLC on May 3, 2021). This period of approximately 20 months between the assignment and the commencement of significant litigation suggests the transfer was arranged to enable assertion. [cite: 049581/0212, Litigation summary]

6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. The assignment was from an individual inventor, not a company undergoing bankruptcy proceedings. [cite: 049581/0212]

7. Privateering — Unclear. While VPR Brands LP is asserting the patent, there is no explicit information provided that indicates the original inventor, Guocheng Pan, transferred the patent for VPR Brands LP to assert on the inventor's behalf against competitors.

8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The current assignee, VPR Brands LP, is identified as an asserting entity, not a defensive aggregator. [cite: Litigation summary]

Verdict

NPE — high confidence

This verdict is strongly supported by multiple factors: the patent was transferred from an individual inventor to VPR Brands LP, a known asserter that has initiated an "aggressive enforcement campaign" through numerous lawsuits and licensing agreements [cite: Litigation summary]. The involvement of SRIBLAW, P.A. as the recording correspondent (Reel 049581/0212), a firm known for handling NPE assignments, further corroborates this pattern. Additionally, the pre-litigation transfer of the patent, occurring approximately 20 months before the start of VPR Brands LP's major litigation campaign, indicates the transfer's purpose was to facilitate assertion [cite: 049581/0212, Litigation summary].

For verification, refer to the USPTO Assignment Center: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/patents/[8205622](/patent/8205622)