Assignment history — US Patent 8253180

Inventors

Junji Hirase (Panasonic Corp)
Akio Sebe (Panasonic Corp)
Naoki Kotani (Panasonic Corp)
Gen Okazaki (Panasonic Corp)
Kazuhiko Aida (Panasonic Corp)
Shinji Takeoka (Panasonic Corp)

All inventors are presumed to have been employed by Panasonic Corp at the time of filing, as is standard practice. There is no information to suggest an unusual pattern of inventors departing the original assignee.

Original assignee

The original assignee named on the issued patent is Panasonic Corp.
Panasonic Corp is a multinational operating company primarily engaged in the manufacturing and sale of electronics products across various sectors, including consumer electronics, automotive, and industrial solutions. They would have shipped products embodying the claims, specifically semiconductor devices. Panasonic Corp is currently an operating company.

Assignment timeline

2020-05-27 (executed) / recorded 2020-07-06 — Reel 054818/0503
- Conveyance: Assignment
- Assignor: PANASONIC CORPORATION
- Assignee: PANASONIC SEMICONDUCTOR SOLUTIONS CO., LTD.
- Correspondent: MCDERMOTT WILL & EMERY LLP, 500 NORTH CAPITAL STREET NW, WASHINGTON, DC 20001
- Context: Internal reorganization; transfer between parent and subsidiary.
2024-06-12 (executed) / recorded 2024-07-29 — Reel 062351/0212
- Conveyance: Change of Name
- Assignor: PANASONIC SEMICONDUCTOR SOLUTIONS CO., LTD.
- Assignee: NUVOTON TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION JAPAN
- Correspondent: MCDERMOTT WILL & EMERY LLP, 500 NORTH CAPITAL STREET NW, WASHINGTON, DC 20001 (this correspondent recurs in this chain)
- Context: Corporate name change following an acquisition.
2024-07-30 (executed) / recorded 2024-08-16 — Reel 062638/0091
- Conveyance: Assignment
- Assignor: NUVOTON TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION JAPAN
- Assignee: ADVANCED INTEGRATED CIRCUIT PROCESS LLC
- Correspondent: ROTHWELL, FIGG, ERNST & MANBECK, P.C., 80 South Street Suite 100, Portsmouth NH 03801
- Context: Transfer-to-asserter for patent monetization.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 8253180
    2011 : Filed by Panasonic Corp
    2012 : Issued
    2020 : Assigned to Panasonic Semi Solutions
    2024 : Co. name changed to Nuvoton
         : Assigned to Adv Integrated Circuit Process

NPE / troll-pattern signals

Shell-entity transfer — present
The patent was transferred to ADVANCED INTEGRATED CIRCUIT PROCESS LLC (Reel 062638/0091). The name "Advanced Integrated Circuit Process LLC" with the "LLC" suffix is indicative of a licensing entity, especially when combined with the lack of known product manufacturing. Unified Patents identifies this entity as an asserter.
Known asserter in the chain — present
ADVANCED INTEGRATED CIRCUIT PROCESS LLC is the current assignee. Google Patents lists this entity as the "Current Assignee" and reports that PTAB cases IPR2025-01092 and IPR2025-00830 were filed against this patent, with the petitioner being Unified Patents. Unified Patents typically challenges patents asserted by Non-Practicing Entities (NPEs). Furthermore, litigation cases (2:24-cv-00730, 2:24-cv-00623) involving this patent have been filed in the Eastern District of Texas, a common venue for NPE assertions.
Repeat correspondent across the chain — present
MCDERMOTT WILL & EMERY LLP appears as correspondent on Reel 054818/0503 and Reel 062351/0212, handling the internal Panasonic transfers and the subsequent name change to Nuvoton Technology Corporation Japan. ROTHWELL, FIGG, ERNST & MANBECK, P.C. is the correspondent for the final transfer to ADVANCED INTEGRATED CIRCUIT PROCESS LLC (Reel 062638/0091). While McDermott Will & Emery LLP's appearances are for corporate reorganizations, the fact that Rothwell Figg, Ernst & Manbeck, P.C., a firm known for patent litigation, handled the transfer to a known NPE is a signal.
Cascading transfers — present
There are two consecutive transfers/changes within a short period in 2024 leading up to the current ownership. Panasonic Semiconductor Solutions Co., Ltd. changed its name to Nuvoton Technology Corporation Japan on 2024-06-12 (executed) / 2024-07-29 (recorded) (Reel 062351/0212). Subsequently, Nuvoton Technology Corporation Japan assigned the patent to ADVANCED INTEGRATED CIRCUIT PROCESS LLC on 2024-07-30 (executed) / 2024-08-16 (recorded) (Reel 062638/0091). These two events occurred within approximately seven weeks (execution dates), indicating a rapid transfer sequence.
Pre-litigation transfer — present
The assignment to ADVANCED INTEGRATED CIRCUIT PROCESS LLC was executed on 2024-07-30 (Reel 062638/0091). Google Patents indicates that litigation cases (2:24-cv-00730 and 2:24-cv-00623) were filed in the Eastern District of Texas in 2024. These filings are extremely close to, or immediately after, the transfer date, strongly suggesting the assignment was arranged to facilitate assertion.
Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present
The original assignee, Panasonic Corp, is a large, operating corporation and is not reported to be in bankruptcy. The transfers appear to be a divestment and subsequent assignment.
Privateering — unclear
While the patent was transferred from an operating company (Nuvoton, formerly Panasonic Semiconductor Solutions) to an NPE (Advanced Integrated Circuit Process LLC), there is no specific evidence within the provided information to confirm that Nuvoton or Panasonic maintains a financial interest or directs the assertion strategy against their competitors.
Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present
The patent is currently owned by ADVANCED INTEGRATED CIRCUIT PROCESS LLC, which is a known asserter, not a defensive aggregator. The initiation of IPRs by Unified Patents further indicates assertion by an NPE.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence
This verdict is supported by multiple strong signals: the transfer to a known shell entity, ADVANCED INTEGRATED CIRCUIT PROCESS LLC, which is identified as a frequent asserter by Unified Patents data; the clear pre-litigation timing of the assignment, closely preceding district court infringement suits filed in 2024; and the cascading transfers that occurred in rapid succession in 2024, culminating in the assignment to the asserter.

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