Assignment history

Inventors

Jeffrey B. Franklin. At the time of filing (September 30, 2010), Jeffrey B. Franklin assigned his interest in the invention to Modern Grids, Inc. on the same date. This suggests he was likely an employee of, or working closely with, Modern Grids, Inc. at that time.

Original assignee

The patent application that led to U.S. Patent 8,352,584 was filed by Light Refracture Ltd LLC. This entity acquired the rights from Modern Grids Inc., which had previously acquired them from the inventor. Public records do not indicate that Light Refracture Ltd LLC shipped products embodying the claims. It appears to have been a special purpose entity for holding intellectual property. The current status of Light Refracture Ltd LLC is likely dissolved or inactive, as its assets (including this patent) were transferred through subsequent assignments.

Assignment timeline

• 2010-09-30 (executed) / recorded 2010-10-18 — Reel 025217/0270

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
  • Assignor: FRANKLIN, JEFFREY B.
  • Assignee: MODERN GRIDS, INC.
  • Correspondent: ROTHGERBER JOHNSON & LYONS LLP; ONE LINCOLN CENTER, SUITE 2900, 1660 LINCOLN STREET; DENVER, CO 80264. This correspondent firm also appears in the next assignment.
  • Context: Initial transfer of inventor's rights to an entity that appears to be an applicant vehicle.

• 2012-01-31 (executed) / recorded 2012-02-09 — Reel 027964/0002

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
  • Assignor: MODERN GRIDS INC.
  • Assignee: LIGHT REFRACTURE LTD., LLC
  • Correspondent: ROTHGERBER JOHNSON & LYONS LLP; ONE LINCOLN CENTER, SUITE 2900, 1660 LINCOLN STREET; DENVER, CO 80264. This correspondent firm also appeared in the prior assignment.
  • Context: Transfer of rights from initial applicant vehicle to the entity that would be the original assignee on the issued patent.

• 2016-01-04 (executed) / recorded 2016-01-07 — Reel 036814/0733

  • Conveyance: MERGER
  • Assignor: LIGHT REFRACTURE LTD., LLC
  • Assignee: CHEMTRON RESEARCH LLC
  • Correspondent: JOHN R LEY; 121 S MAIN ST; DAYTON, VA 22821.
  • Context: Transfer of rights to a new entity, structured as a merger.

• 2020-03-11 (executed) / recorded 2020-03-16 — Reel 044737/0863

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
  • Assignor: CHEMTRON RESEARCH LLC
  • Assignee: INTELLECTUAL VENTURES II LLC
  • Correspondent: INTELLECTUAL VENTURES; 3450 CENTRAL EXPWY STE 100; SANTA CLARA, CA 95051. This correspondent firm is associated with a known NPE.
  • Context: Transfer of rights to a well-known patent licensing entity.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 8352584
    2010 : Inventor to Modern Grids Inc
    2012 : Modern Grids to Light Refracture
    2013 : Patent issued
    2016 : Light Refracture to Chemtron Research
    2020 : Chemtron to Intellectual Ventures II LLC
    2024 : First infringement suit filed

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — present.

   • Light Refracture Ltd., LLC: No indication of product-shipping operations; acts as an IP holding entity.
   • Chemtron Research LLC: No indication of product-shipping operations; acting as plaintiff in recent litigation (identified in previously generated "Litigation summary").
   • Intellectual Ventures II LLC: A known patent licensing entity (NPE).

2. Known asserter in the chain — present.

   • Intellectual Ventures II LLC is a well-known Non-Practicing Entity, appearing as the current assignee via Reel 044737/0863, recorded 2020-03-16.
   • Chemtron Research LLC, a prior assignee (Reel 036814/0733, recorded 2016-01-07), is currently the plaintiff in active litigation cases involving this patent.

3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — present.

   • ROTHGERBER JOHNSON & LYONS LLP appears on Reel 025217/0270 (2010-10-18) and Reel 027964/0002 (2012-02-09).
   • INTELLECTUAL VENTURES appears on Reel 044737/0863 (2020-03-16), indicating their counsel handles transfers for their entities.

4. Cascading transfers — not present. The assignments are spaced out over several years (2010, 2012, 2016, 2020), not within a short, rapid sequence.

5. Pre-litigation transfer — not present. The last assignment to Intellectual Ventures II LLC was executed 2020-03-11 and recorded 2020-03-16. The first infringement suit identified was filed November 6, 2024, significantly more than six months later. While Chemtron Research LLC (a prior assignee) is the plaintiff, the transfer to the current assignee (IV2) was not immediately preceding litigation.

6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — unclear. There is no explicit evidence in the assignment records or provided patent text of the assignors (Modern Grids Inc., Light Refracture Ltd., LLC, Chemtron Research LLC) filing for bankruptcy and the patent being sold as part of those proceedings.

7. Privateering — unclear. While Chemtron Research LLC (a prior assignee) is asserting the patent after it was transferred to Intellectual Ventures II LLC, there is no explicit documentation (e.g., SEC filings or public reports) confirming a privateering arrangement where an operating company transfers the patent to an NPE to assert on its behalf.

8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The chain terminates with Intellectual Ventures II LLC, which is a known NPE, not a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence

The strong presence of multiple clear NPE signals, including the current assignee being Intellectual Ventures II LLC (Reel 044737/0863, recorded 2020-03-16) and a prior assignee, Chemtron Research LLC (Reel 036814/0733, recorded 2016-01-07), actively asserting the patent in multiple infringement suits, points to a high-confidence NPE assertion pattern. The use of shell-like entities in the chain and repeated correspondent attorneys further support this verdict.

For verification, see the USPTO Patent Assignment Search results for US8352584: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/