Assignment history

Inventors

• Shawn Thomas (Caldvor Acquisitions Ltd LLC)
• Gregory Gray (Caldvor Acquisitions Ltd LLC)
• Michael Woodfin (Caldvor Acquisitions Ltd LLC)
• Warner Mizell (Caldvor Acquisitions Ltd LLC)
• Brian Thomas (Caldvor Acquisitions Ltd LLC)

It is not determinable from the provided text whether the inventors departed the original assignee within 12 months of filing.

Original assignee

Caldvor Acquisitions Ltd LLC.
It is unclear whether Caldvor Acquisitions Ltd LLC shipped a product embodying the claims or their primary line of business.
Current status: Unclear. While the patent was initially assigned to Caldvor Acquisitions Ltd LLC, subsequent reassignments show it being assigned back to Caldvor Acquisitions Ltd LLC in 2008 and 2017. The current assignee listed on Google Patents is "SELECTED INTERESTS Inc" and "Callahan Cellular LLC". Without further information, it's difficult to definitively state the operating status of Caldvor Acquisitions Ltd LLC or if they ever commercialized a product.

Assignment timeline

• 2003-06-23 (executed) / recorded 2003-06-23 — Reel 018731/0006

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
  • Assignor: GREGORY GRAY, WARNER MIZELL, SHAWN THOMAS, MICHAEL WOODFIN, BRIAN THOMAS
  • Assignee: BLUECURRENT, INC.
  • Correspondent: R. CORBIN HOLLAND, JR. P.A., R. CORBIN HOLLAND, JR., 2619 COLONIAL BLVD., SUITE 103, FT. MYERS, FL 33907
  • Context: Transfer of inventors' interest to a new entity.

• 2007-01-09 (executed) / recorded 2007-01-09 — Reel 019446/0004

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
  • Assignor: BLUECURRENT, INC.
  • Assignee: SELECTED INTERESTS, INC.
  • Correspondent: MICHAEL L. KINCER, MICHAEL L. KINCER, ESQ., 1740 BROADWAY, 15TH FLOOR, NEW YORK, NY 10019
  • Context: Transfer of ownership from Bluecurrent, Inc. to Selected Interests, Inc.

• 2008-03-03 (executed) / recorded 2008-03-03 — Reel 020612/0698

  • Conveyance: CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE NATURE OF CONVEYANCE FROM ASSIGNMENT TO SECURITY INTEREST PREVIOUSLY RECORDED ON REEL 018731 FRAME 0006. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE PARTIES AND THE GRANT OF SECURITY INTEREST CONTAINED IN THE ORIGINAL DOCUMENT.
  • Assignor: BLUECURRENT, INC.
  • Assignee: SELECTED INTERESTS, INC.
  • Correspondent: MICHAEL L. KINCER, MICHAEL L. KINCER, ESQ., 1740 BROADWAY, 15TH FLOOR, NEW YORK, NY 10019. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Correction of a previous assignment, clarifying it as a security interest.

• 2008-03-13 (executed) / recorded 2008-03-13 — Reel 020625/0748

  • Conveyance: RELEASE
  • Assignor: SELECTED INTERESTS, INC.
  • Assignee: BLUECURRENT, INC.
  • Correspondent: MICHAEL L. KINCER, MICHAEL L. KINCER, ESQ., 1740 BROADWAY, 15TH FLOOR, NEW YORK, NY 10019. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Release of the security interest, returning ownership to Bluecurrent, Inc.

• 2008-04-03 (executed) / recorded 2008-04-03 — Reel 020653/0754

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
  • Assignor: GREGORY GRAY, WARNER MIZELL, MICHAEL WOODFIN, BRIAN THOMAS, SHAWN THOMAS
  • Assignee: BLUECURRENT, INC.
  • Correspondent: R. CORBIN HOLLAND, JR. P.A., R. CORBIN HOLLAND, JR., 2619 COLONIAL BLVD., SUITE 103, FT. MYERS, FL 33907. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Re-assignment of inventors' interest to Bluecurrent, Inc.

• 2008-12-19 (executed) / recorded 2008-12-19 — Reel 022066/0335

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
  • Assignor: BLUECURRENT INC.
  • Assignee: CALDVOR ACQUISITIONS LTD., LLC
  • Correspondent: DAVID W. CARSTENS, 7924 PRESTON RD., SUITE 300, PLANO, TX 75024
  • Context: Transfer of ownership from Bluecurrent Inc. back to Caldvor Acquisitions Ltd., LLC.

• 2015-12-22 (executed) / recorded 2016-01-22 — Reel 036737/0309

  • Conveyance: NUNC PRO TUNC ASSIGNMENT
  • Assignor: CALDVOR ACQUISITIONS LTD., LLC
  • Assignee: CALLAHAN CELLULAR L.L.C.
  • Correspondent: ROBERT A. SALTZBERG, ESQ., 121 S. SWANSON ST., PHILADELPHIA, PA 19106
  • Context: Transfer of ownership from Caldvor Acquisitions Ltd., LLC to Callahan Cellular L.L.C.

• 2017-10-03 (executed) / recorded 2017-10-03 — Reel 042125/0822

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
  • Assignor: BLUECURRENT, INC.
  • Assignee: CALDVOR ACQUISITIONS LTD., LLC
  • Correspondent: MICHAEL L. KINCER, MICHAEL L. KINCER, ESQ., 1740 BROADWAY, 15TH FLOOR, NEW YORK, NY 10019. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Transfer of ownership from Bluecurrent, Inc. back to Caldvor Acquisitions Ltd., LLC.

• 2017-10-03 (executed) / recorded 2017-10-03 — Reel 042125/0824

  • Conveyance: CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE NATURE OF CONVEYANCE TO MERGER PREVIOUSLY RECORDED ON REEL 037358 FRAME 0761. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE MERGER.
  • Assignor: CALDVOR ACQUISITIONS LTD., LLC
  • Assignee: CALLAHAN CELLULAR L.L.C.
  • Correspondent: MICHAEL L. KINCER, MICHAEL L. KINCER, ESQ., 1740 BROADWAY, 15TH FLOOR, NEW YORK, NY 10019. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Corrective assignment clarifying a previous transfer as a merger between Caldvor Acquisitions Ltd., LLC and Callahan Cellular L.L.C.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 8266124
    2002 : Filed by Caldvor Acquisitions
    2003 : Inventors to Bluecurrent Inc
    2007 : Bluecurrent to Selected Interests Inc
    2008 : Bluecurrent to Selected - Correction
         : Selected to Bluecurrent - Release
         : Inventors to Bluecurrent
         : Bluecurrent to Caldvor Acquisitions
    2012 : Issued
    2015 : Caldvor to Callahan Cellular LLC
    2017 : Bluecurrent to Caldvor Acquisitions
         : Caldvor to Callahan Cellular - Merger

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Unclear.

   • Caldvor Acquisitions Ltd LLC and Callahan Cellular L.L.C. have names that could suggest shell entities, but the provided information does not definitively confirm a lack of products in commerce, registered-agent addresses, or single-member LLC status. The transfers between these entities do not inherently confirm a shell-entity pattern without further external data.

2. Known asserter in the chain — Present.

   • Callahan Cellular L.L.C. has been identified as a frequent plaintiff in patent litigation, appearing on lists maintained by Unified Patents and RPX. The assignment in 2015-12-22 (recorded 2016-01-22, Reel 036737/0309) shows Caldvor Acquisitions Ltd., LLC assigning to Callahan Cellular L.L.C. The corrective assignment of 2017-10-03 (Reel 042125/0824) further clarifies a merger leading to Callahan Cellular L.L.C. as assignee.

3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Present.

   • MICHAEL L. KINCER, ESQ. (1740 BROADWAY, 15TH FLOOR, NEW YORK, NY 10019) is listed as correspondent for the assignments on 2007-01-09 (Reel 019446/0004), 2008-03-03 (Reel 020612/0698), 2008-03-13 (Reel 020625/0748), 2017-10-03 (Reel 042125/0822), and 2017-10-03 (Reel 042125/0824). This recurrence, particularly involving multiple transfers and corrections, suggests a consistent legal representative for certain entities in the chain.

4. Cascading transfers — Unclear.

   • There are multiple transfers within short periods, such as the series of transfers involving Bluecurrent, Inc. and Selected Interests, Inc. in 2007-2008, and the two transfers/corrections in October 2017 involving Bluecurrent, Inc., Caldvor Acquisitions Ltd., LLC, and Callahan Cellular L.L.C. However, without knowing the underlying business reasons for each, it's hard to definitively label them as "cascading" for the sole purpose of assertion. The involvement of the same correspondent, Michael L. Kincer, in some of these short-period transfers is notable.

5. Pre-litigation transfer — Unclear.

   • The patent was published on 2012-09-11. The first identified litigation cases related to this patent were filed in the Delaware District Court in 2026. The assignment to Callahan Cellular L.L.C. occurred in December 2015 (recorded January 2016), which is significantly more than 6 months before the 2026 litigation. Therefore, a direct pre-litigation transfer is not evident here based on the provided data.

6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present.

   • There is no indication of any entity in the chain filing for bankruptcy that led to the transfer of this patent.

7. Privateering — Unclear.

   • The provided information does not contain details about SEC filings or external coverage to indicate a privateering arrangement.

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

   • The chain does not terminate at any known defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence

The presence of Callahan Cellular L.L.C. in the assignment chain, a known high-frequency plaintiff in patent litigation, and the recurrence of the same correspondent attorney, Michael L. Kincer, across multiple transfers, including those involving Callahan Cellular L.L.C., are strong indicators of NPE activity. The complex and somewhat circular assignments (e.g., patent returning to Caldvor Acquisitions Ltd., LLC) also suggest strategic management of the asset.
USPTO Assignment Center search: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/