Assignment history

Inventors

The named inventors for U.S. Patent 8,307,116 are Stephen W. Keckler and Boris Grot. Both inventors were associated with the University of Texas System, the original assignee, at the time of the patent's filing. There is no indication of unusual patterns regarding their departure from the original assignee within 12 months of filing.

Original assignee

The original assignee named on the issued patent is the University of Texas System. As a public university system, their primary line of business is education and research. While their research often leads to intellectual property, they are not a commercial entity that typically "ships a product embodying the claims" in the traditional sense. Instead, they license technologies developed by their faculty and researchers. The University of Texas System remains an active, operating institution.

Assignment timeline

• 2009-06-16 (executed) / recorded 2011-06-21 — Reel 026600/0254

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: GROT, BORIS and KECKLER, STEPHEN W.
  • Assignee: BOARD OF REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SYSTEM
  • Correspondent: RUSSELL W. GIBBONS, 1000 Congress Ave, Suite 300, Austin, TX 78701.
  • Context: Formal assignment of invention rights from inventors to their employer.

• 2018-12-19 (executed) / recorded 2019-01-09 — Reel 046890/0178

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: THE BOARD OF REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SYSTEM
  • Assignee: EMPIRE TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT LLC
  • Correspondent: RUSS, JOSHUA D., EMPIRE TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT LLC, 23785 Via del Rio, Suite A, Yorba Linda, CA 92887. This correspondent recurs on this patent's assignment chain.
  • Context: Transfer of ownership from the original academic institution to a private entity.

• 2018-12-20 (executed) / recorded 2019-01-29 — Reel 046920/0281

  • Conveyance: Security Agreement
  • Assignor: EMPIRE TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT LLC
  • Assignee: CRESTLINE DIRECT FINANCE, L.P.
  • Correspondent: KUTNER, ALLISON B., ARNOLD & PORTER KAYE SCHOLER LLP, 601 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC 20001.
  • Context: Securitization of the patent by Empire Technology Development LLC, likely for financing purposes.

• 2019-07-26 (executed) / recorded 2019-07-31 — Reel 047717/0476

  • Conveyance: Release
  • Assignor: CRESTLINE DIRECT FINANCE, L.P.
  • Assignee: EMPIRE TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT LLC
  • Correspondent: RUSS, JOSHUA D., EMPIRE TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT LLC, 23785 Via del Rio, Suite A, Yorba Linda, CA 92887. This correspondent recurs on this patent's assignment chain.
  • Context: Release of the security interest, returning full unencumbered rights to Empire Technology Development LLC.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 8307116
    2009 : Inventors assign to UT System
    2011 : Patent issued
    2018 : Assigned to Empire Tech Dev LLC
    2019 : Security agreement to Crestline
         : Security agreement released to Empire
    2026 : Infringement suit filed by Empire

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — present. The transfer from the University of Texas System (an operating research institution) to EMPIRE TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT LLC (Reel 046890/0178, recorded 2019-01-09) is a strong signal. Empire Technology Development LLC is widely recognized as a patent assertion entity and does not manufacture products embodying the claims. The correspondent's address for Empire (Yorba Linda, CA) is a common registered agent address for such entities.
2. Known asserter in the chain — present. EMPIRE TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT LLC is the current assignee (Reel 047717/0476, recorded 2019-07-31) and is a known high-frequency plaintiff in patent litigation, as confirmed by the litigation summary.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — present. Joshua D. Russ of Empire Technology Development LLC (23785 Via del Rio, Suite A, Yorba Linda, CA 92887) appears as the correspondent for both the initial assignment to Empire (Reel 046890/0178, recorded 2019-01-09) and the subsequent release back to Empire (Reel 047717/0476, recorded 2019-07-31). This recurrence signals a consistent legal representative for the NPE.
4. Cascading transfers — not present. While there are two transfers involving Empire and Crestline in a short period (January-July 2019), they relate to a single securitization event (granting and releasing a security interest) rather than multiple successive outright assignments through different shell entities.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — not present. The most recent assignment (release back to Empire, Reel 047717/0476) was recorded in July 2019, well over six months before the infringement suit against Intel Corporation filed in April 2026. The initial assignment to Empire was also in 2019, much earlier than the suit.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. The initial transfer was from the University of Texas System, which is an active academic institution and not reported to have filed for bankruptcy.
7. Privateering — unclear. While Empire Technology Development LLC is an NPE, there is no public information or SEC filing explicitly stating that the University of Texas System transferred the patent to Empire specifically to assert it against competitors on their behalf. The transfer from an academic institution to an NPE is a common pattern for commercializing IP, but not necessarily privateering in the traditional sense of an operating company offloading assertion.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The chain terminates with Empire Technology Development LLC, which is a known assertion entity, not a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence

This verdict is driven by multiple strong signals: the transfer from an academic institution to a recognized patent assertion entity, EMPIRE TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT LLC (Reel 046890/0178, recorded 2019-01-09), Empire's well-documented history as a high-frequency plaintiff, and the consistent use of a recurring correspondent, Joshua D. Russ, for Empire's assignments (Reel 046890/0178 and Reel 047717/0476). The recent infringement suit against Intel Corporation further solidifies this assessment.

USPTO Assignment Center Search for US8307116