Assignment history

Inventors

• Satoru Sekiguchi: Employer not explicitly stated but part of Kenwood KK/Kenwood Corporation at the time of filing, as indicated by the original assignment to Kenwood KK.
• Yoshio Sonoda: Employer not explicitly stated but part of Kenwood KK/Kenwood Corporation at the time of filing.
• Isao Nakamura: Employer not explicitly stated but part of Kenwood KK/Kenwood Corporation at the time of filing.
• Masamichi Furukawa: Employer not explicitly stated but part of Kenwood KK/Kenwood Corporation at the time of filing.
• Yoshihisa Mashita: Employer not explicitly stated but part of Kenwood KK/Kenwood Corporation at the time of filing.
• Tomoaki Yoshida: Employer not explicitly stated but part of Kenwood KK/Kenwood Corporation at the time of filing.
• Masahito Watanabe: Employer not explicitly stated but part of Kenwood KK/Kenwood Corporation at the time of filing.

No unusual patterns observed regarding inventors departing the original assignee. The first assignment record shows the assignors (inventors) confirming assignment to KABUSHIKI KAISHA KENWOOD, suggesting standard employment agreements.

Original assignee

The original assignee on the issued patent US8230101B2 is Kenwood KK. Kenwood KK (later Kenwood Corporation, then JVC Kenwood Corporation) is a Japanese multinational electronics company that produces car and home audio equipment, amateur radio equipment, and professional two-way radio communications equipment. They shipped various consumer electronics products embodying audio and media playback technologies. The company is currently operating as JVC Kenwood Corporation after a merger with Victor Company of Japan (JVC).

Assignment timeline

• 2009-08-03 (executed) / recorded 2009-09-23 — Reel 023271/0180

  • Conveyance: Corrective Assignment
  • Assignor: Satoru SEKIGUCHI; Yoshio SONODA; Isao NAKAMURA; Masamichi FURUKAWA; Yoshihisa MASHITA; Masahito WATANABE; Tomoaki YOSHIDA (the inventors)
  • Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA KENWOOD
  • Correspondent: NOT LISTED.
  • Context: Internal reorganization / confirmation of assignment from inventors to original corporate entity. This entry indicates a correction to a previous recording and confirms the assignment of the inventors' interest to Kenwood.

• 2011-10-01 (executed) / recorded 2012-04-06 — Reel 028007/0599

  • Conveyance: Merger
  • Assignor: KENWOOD CORPORATION
  • Assignee: JVC KENWOOD CORPORATION
  • Correspondent: NOT LISTED.
  • Context: Corporate merger between Kenwood Corporation and JVC.

• 2022-02-28 (executed) / recorded 2022-03-24 — Reel 059497/0108

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: JVCKENWOOD CORPORATION
  • Assignee: ADVANCED CODING TECHNOLOGIES LLC
  • Correspondent: Ryan M. Kent, SMASHING PATENTS, P.C., 701 S. Carson St., STE 200, Carson City, NV, 89701. This correspondent is known for filing assignments for asserting entities.
  • Context: Transfer of patent ownership from an operating company to a third-party LLC, likely for assertion.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 8230101
    2007 : Application filed by Kenwood KK
    2009 : Inventors assigned to Kabushiki Kaisha Kenwood
    2011 : JVC Kenwood Corp acquired Kenwood Corp
    2012 : Patent granted to JVC Kenwood Corp
    2022 : Assigned to Advanced Coding Technologies LLC

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Present.
   • 2022-02-28 (executed) / recorded 2022-03-24 — Reel 059497/0108. The assignee is ADVANCED CODING TECHNOLOGIES LLC, which is a common naming convention for non-practicing entities. Public records for Advanced Coding Technologies LLC (e.g., via Unified Patents) indicate it is a known NPE.
2. Known asserter in the chain — Present.
   • 2022-02-28 (executed) / recorded 2022-03-24 — Reel 059497/0108. Advanced Coding Technologies LLC is listed by Unified Patents as a "Critical Litigation" entity, indicating it is a known high-frequency plaintiff or NPE.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Present.
   • 2022-02-28 (executed) / recorded 2022-03-24 — Reel 059497/0108. The correspondent Ryan M. Kent of SMASHING PATENTS, P.C. is a known correspondent for entities frequently associated with patent assertion.
4. Cascading transfers — Not present. There is only one transfer from an operating company to a potential NPE.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — Unclear. The assignment to Advanced Coding Technologies LLC was recorded on 2022-03-24. While specific litigation filing dates for this patent are noted to start in 2024 and 2025, it's possible assertion activities began shortly after the 2022 transfer, aligning with a pre-litigation transfer pattern. Google Patents lists litigation events starting in 2024 and 2025 (IPR2025-01277, IPR2025-01103, 3:25-cv-02667, 7:25-cv-00446, 2:24-cv-00353, 2:24-cv-00687), which is more than 6 months after the 2022 transfer, but does not preclude earlier, unlisted demand letters or pre-suit activity.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. JVC Kenwood Corporation is an active operating company.
7. Privateering — Unclear. While Advanced Coding Technologies LLC is an NPE, without SEC filings or other explicit statements, it cannot be confirmed if this is privateering on behalf of JVC Kenwood.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The current assignee, Advanced Coding Technologies LLC, is an asserting entity.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence

The assignment chain clearly shows a transfer from an operating company (JVC Kenwood Corporation) to Advanced Coding Technologies LLC, a known patent asserter identified by Unified Patents. The transfer, recorded on Reel 059497/0108, involves a correspondent (Ryan M. Kent) known for working with asserting entities, further strengthening the NPE pattern. This, combined with active litigation involving the patent, provides strong evidence of NPE activity.

USPTO Assignment Center search for US8230101: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/patent/index.html?cn=8230101&s=1