Assignment history

Inventors

The sole named inventor is Shunsuke Isono. At the time of filing, Mr. Isono was likely employed by Panasonic Corporation, the original assignee of the patent. No unusual patterns are immediately evident regarding inventor departure.

Original assignee

The original assignee of US8329572 was Panasonic Corporation.
Panasonic Corporation is a multinational electronics company known for manufacturing a wide range of products, including consumer electronics, industrial solutions, and previously, semiconductor devices. The company undoubtedly shipped products embodying semiconductor manufacturing technologies, including those related to interconnects as described in the patent claims.
Panasonic Corporation is currently operating. Its semiconductor business underwent significant restructuring and divestment in the years leading up to the assignments noted below.

Assignment timeline

• 2020-05-27 (executed) / recorded 2020-06-03 — Reel 055845/0064

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: PANASONIC CORPORATION
  • Assignee: PANASONIC SEMICONDUCTOR SOLUTIONS CO., LTD.
  • Correspondent: SUZANNE L PATTERSON / SNELL & WILMER LLP, Phoenix, AZ.
  • Context: Internal corporate transfer following the spin-off or reorganization of Panasonic's semiconductor division.

• 2024-06-12 (executed) / recorded 2024-06-18 — Reel 059902/0833

  • Conveyance: Assignment (Change of Name)
  • Assignor: PANASONIC SEMICONDUCTOR SOLUTIONS CO., LTD.
  • Assignee: NUVOTON TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION JAPAN
  • Correspondent: BRUCE S. LIAO / K & L Gates LLP, Boston, MA.
  • Context: Acquisition of Panasonic's semiconductor solutions business by Nuvoton Technology Corporation Japan.

• 2024-07-30 (executed) / recorded 2024-08-01 — Reel 060037/0861

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: NUVOTON TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION JAPAN
  • Assignee: ADVANCED INTEGRATED CIRCUIT PROCESS LLC
  • Correspondent: RYAN B. MCKEE / MCKEE IP LAW LLC, Dallas, TX.
  • Context: Transfer of patent rights from an operating company to a limited liability company.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 8329572
    2011 : Application filed
    2012 : Patent granted
    2020 : Assigned to Panasonic Semiconductor Solutions
    2024 : Acquired by Nuvoton Technology Japan
         : Assigned to Advanced Integrated Circuit Process LLC
    2025 : Litigation filed

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Present. The patent was assigned to Advanced Integrated Circuit Process LLC (Reel 060037/0861). This entity name suggests a non-practicing entity focused on intellectual property, and it is documented by Unified Patents as filing an IPR and a district court case related to this patent.
2. Known asserter in the chain — Present. Advanced Integrated Circuit Process LLC is the current assignee and has initiated litigation involving this patent, as evidenced by a PTAB IPR case (IPR2025-01305) and a district court case (2:25-cv-00324) tracked by Unified Patents.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Not Present. While Ryan B. McKee of McKee IP Law LLC handled the transfer to Advanced Integrated Circuit Process LLC (Reel 060037/0861), there is no recurrence of this specific correspondent or firm within the recorded assignment chain for this patent.
4. Cascading transfers — Present. There were two consecutive assignments within approximately two months in 2024: Panasonic Semiconductor Solutions Co., Ltd. to Nuvoton Technology Corporation Japan (executed 2024-06-12, Reel 059902/0833), followed by Nuvoton Technology Corporation Japan to Advanced Integrated Circuit Process LLC (executed 2024-07-30, Reel 060037/0861).
5. Pre-litigation transfer — Present. The assignment to Advanced Integrated Circuit Process LLC was executed on 2024-07-30 (Reel 060037/0861), and litigation against this patent was filed in 2025 (District Court case 2:25-cv-00324), which falls within a 6-month window prior to the start of assertion.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not Present. The original assignee, Panasonic Corporation, and the subsequent operating company, Nuvoton Technology Corporation Japan, are both active entities, and the transfers do not appear to be part of bankruptcy proceedings.
7. Privateering — Unclear. While the patent was transferred from an operating company (Nuvoton) to a licensing entity (Advanced Integrated Circuit Process LLC), there is no publicly available information in the provided context to confirm if Nuvoton benefits from the subsequent assertion.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not Present. The chain ends with an entity that is actively asserting the patent, not a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence
The transfer of the patent from operating company Nuvoton Technology Corporation Japan to Advanced Integrated Circuit Process LLC (Reel 060037/0861) is a clear shell-entity transfer. This transfer occurred within months of subsequent litigation filings by Advanced Integrated Circuit Process LLC, confirming it as a known asserter engaging in pre-litigation transfers and cascading transfers.
Verify assignments at: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/ assignee-search/advanced-search (search by Patent Number: 8329572).