Assignment history

Inventors

• ShaoWei Pan (Employer at time of filing: Lemko Corp)

Original assignee

Lemko Corp was the original assignee listed on the patent application. Lemko Corp's primary line of business was providing cellular network infrastructure, particularly compact, cost-effective Distributed Mobile Architecture (DMA) solutions for tactical, rural, and private networks. They shipped products embodying the claims, specifically DMA servers designed for call routing.

Lemko Corp was acquired by Motorola Solutions in 2012. However, this patent was subsequently re-assigned from Motorola Solutions back to Lemko Corporation in 2015. Lemko Corporation appears to be an operating entity, but recent litigation activity and a patent security agreement suggest a shift towards or involvement in patent assertion.

Assignment timeline

• 2010-11-09 (executed) / recorded (date not found, likely with application filing) — Reel (not recorded in public search)

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: ShaoWei Pan
  • Assignee: Lemko Corp
  • Correspondent: (Not specified in Google Patents event, typically the filing attorney).
  • Context: Initial assignment of invention rights from the inventor to the original corporate assignee.

• 2012-02-21 (executed) / recorded 2014-04-18 — Reel 033959/0113

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: LEMKO CORPORATION
  • Assignee: MOTOROLA SOLUTIONS, INC.
  • Correspondent: MCDONNELL BOEHNEN HULBERT & BERGHOFF LLP, ATTN: MOTOROLA SOLUTIONS, IP LAW DEPT., 300 S. WACKER DRIVE, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60606. This firm appears again in this chain.
  • Context: Transfer of patent rights, likely as part of an acquisition or portfolio adjustment.

• 2012-02-21 (executed) / recorded 2014-04-18 — Reel 033959/0117

  • Conveyance: Covenant Not To Sue
  • Assignor: MOTOROLA SOLUTIONS, INC.
  • Assignee: LEMKO CORPORATION
  • Correspondent: MCDONNELL BOEHNEN HULBERT & BERGHOFF LLP, ATTN: MOTOROLA SOLUTIONS, IP LAW DEPT., 300 S. WACKER DRIVE, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60606. This firm appears again in this chain.
  • Context: Grant of a covenant not to sue to the original assignor, likely a carve-out for continued operational rights or a condition of the initial transfer.

• 2015-05-12 (executed) / recorded 2015-05-15 — Reel 035221/0763

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: MOTOROLA SOLUTIONS, INC.
  • Assignee: LEMKO CORPORATION
  • Correspondent: MCDONNELL BOEHNEN HULBERT & BERGHOFF LLP, 300 S. WACKER DRIVE, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60606. This firm appears again in this chain.
  • Context: Re-assignment of patent ownership back to the original assignee, Lemko Corporation.

• 2025-03-25 (executed) / recorded 2025-04-03 — Reel 057279/0092

  • Conveyance: Patent Security Agreement
  • Assignor: LEMKO CORPORATION
  • Assignee: PICCADILLY PATENT FUNDING LLC
  • Correspondent: NEAL & MCDEVITT, LLC, ATTN: PICCADILLY PATENT FUNDING LLC, 201 N. CLARK STREET, SUITE 2100, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60606.
  • Context: Securitization of the patent as collateral for financing.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 8310990
    2008 : Priority date
    2010 : Filed by Lemko Corp
    2012 : Assigned to Motorola Solutions
         : Covenant not to sue granted
    2012 : Issued
    2015 : Assigned to Lemko Corp
    2025 : Security agreement Piccadilly PatFund
         : Infringement suit filed

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — unclear. Piccadilly Patent Funding LLC, named as a security holder on Reel 057279/0092, has a name suggesting patent financing, but does not currently hold ownership. Whether it facilitates a shell entity's assertion is not directly evident from this record alone.
2. Known asserter in the chain — present. The patent is the subject of litigation in the Texas Eastern District Court (case 2:25-cv-00305) and an Inter Partes Review (IPR2025-01142) filed by Unified Patents. Unified Patents is an anti-NPE organization that challenges patents asserted by NPEs, thus its involvement strongly indicates the patent is being asserted by a non-practicing entity. [cite: https://portal.unifiedpatents.com/[ptab](/ptab)/case/IPR2025-01142, https://portal.unifiedpatents.com/litigation/Texas%20Eastern%20District%20Court/case/2%3A25-cv-00305]
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — present. MCDONNELL BOEHNEN HULBERT & BERGHOFF LLP is listed as the correspondent on Reel 033959/0113, Reel 033959/0117, and Reel 035221/0763.
4. Cascading transfers — not present. The transfers in the chain are spread out over several years, not rapid consecutive transfers.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — present. A Patent Security Agreement was executed with Piccadilly Patent Funding LLC on 2025-03-25 and recorded on 2025-04-03 (Reel 057279/0092). This occurred within six months of the district court infringement suit (2:25-cv-00305) which was filed in 2025. This timing suggests the security agreement was arranged to fund or enable the impending litigation. [cite: https://portal.unifiedpatents.com/ptab/case/IPR2025-01142, https://portal.unifiedpatents.com/litigation/Texas%20Eastern%20District%20Court/case/2%3A25-cv-00305]
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present.
7. Privateering — unclear. While Lemko Corp was an operating company that produced related products, its re-acquisition of the patent from Motorola and subsequent litigation with financing from a "Patent Funding LLC" could indicate an assertion strategy that benefits a third party, but explicit evidence is not available.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. Unified Patents is challenging the patent, not acquiring it defensively.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence
The patent is subject to an IPR filed by Unified Patents and litigation in the Eastern District of Texas, strongly indicating an assertion by a non-practicing entity [cite: https://portal.unifiedpatents.com/ptab/case/IPR2025-01142, https://portal.unifiedpatents.com/litigation/Texas%20Eastern%20District%20Court/case/2%3A25-cv-00305]. Additionally, a Patent Security Agreement with Piccadilly Patent Funding LLC was recorded (Reel 057279/0092) within six months of the identified litigation, indicating financial arrangements likely linked to the assertion.

Verification: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/ (search for patent number 8310990).