Assignment history

Inventors

• Daqing Gu: Employee of Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories Inc at the time of filing.
• Hongyuan Zhang: Employee of Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories Inc at the time of filing.
• Jinyun Zhang: Employee of Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories Inc at the time of filing.
• Andreas F. Molisch: Employee of Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories Inc at the time of filing.

All four inventors assigned their interest to Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc. on June 27, 2008 (recorded July 28, 2008), approximately two and a half years after the filing date of November 21, 2005. This is a common practice for employees to assign patent rights to their employer.

Original assignee

The original assignee named on the issued patent is Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories Inc (MERL). MERL is the North American research subsidiary of Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, a global manufacturer of electronic and electrical equipment. As a research arm, MERL's primary line of business is research and development across various technology sectors, including information and communications technology, which aligns with the subject matter of US 8374096 (MIMO wireless LANs). Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, the parent company, ships a wide array of products that would embody the claims, such as wireless communication devices and systems. MERL is currently operating as a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Electric Corporation.

Assignment timeline

• 2008-06-27 (executed) / recorded 2008-07-28 — Reel 021275/0315

  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
  • Assignor: ZHANG, HONGYUAN; GU, DAQING; MOLISCH, ANDREAS F.; ZHANG, JINYUN (Inventors)
  • Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC RESEARCH LABORATORIES, INC.
  • Correspondent: Not listed
  • Context: Initial assignment from inventors to the original corporate assignee.

• 2019-06-14 (executed) / recorded 2019-07-16 — Reel 049511/0225

  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
  • Assignor: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC RESEARCH LABORATORIES, INC.
  • Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
  • Correspondent: Robert J. Bell; Bell & Associates, P.C.; 570 Broad Street, Suite 901, Newark, NJ, 07102
  • Context: Internal corporate transfer from a subsidiary research lab to its parent company.

• 2022-10-10 (executed) / recorded 2022-10-27 — Reel 061291/0001

  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
  • Assignor: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
  • Assignee: FREEDOM PATENTS LLC
  • Correspondent: Matthew F. Balder; Balder & Associates, PLLC; 1419 Chapin St NW, Washington, DC, 20009
  • Context: Transfer from an operating company to a third-party entity.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 8374096
    2005 : Filed
    2008 : Assigned to Mitsubishi Electric Research Labs
    2013 : Patent issued
    2019 : Assigned to Mitsubishi Electric Corp
    2022 : Assigned to Freedom Patents LLC
    2023 : Litigation activity begins

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Present. The patent was transferred from Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, an operating company, to Freedom Patents LLC on 2022-10-10 (recorded 2022-10-27, Reel 061291/0001). Freedom Patents LLC's name, its listing as a current assignee in Google Patents, and the numerous related litigation cases filed in 2023 strongly indicate it is a licensing-only entity. [cite: 061291/0001]
2. Known asserter in the chain — Present. Freedom Patents LLC is the current assignee (2022-10-10 / 2022-10-27 — Reel 061291/0001). Multiple litigation cases involving Freedom Patents LLC are listed on the Google Patents page, citing "Unified Patents Litigation Data," confirming its role as a patent asserter. For example, case 4:23-cv-00421 in the Texas Eastern District Court.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Not present. The correspondent for the 2019 transfer was Robert J. Bell of Bell & Associates, P.C. (Reel 049511/0225). The correspondent for the 2022 transfer to Freedom Patents LLC was Matthew F. Balder of Balder & Associates, PLLC (Reel 061291/0001). These are different individuals and firms for the recorded assignments.
4. Cascading transfers — Not present. There is a three-year gap between the transfer from MERL to Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (2019) and the transfer to Freedom Patents LLC (2022), which does not constitute cascading transfers within a short period.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — Present. The assignment to Freedom Patents LLC was executed on 2022-10-10 and recorded on 2022-10-27 (Reel 061291/0001). Litigation involving this patent, such as case 4:23-cv-00421, was filed in 2023, which is within six months of the assignment date, indicating a transfer arranged in anticipation of assertion.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. There is no indication that Mitsubishi Electric Corporation or Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories Inc. underwent bankruptcy proceedings leading to this assignment.
7. Privateering — Unclear. While Freedom Patents LLC is asserting the patent, there is no public information or SEC filing cited that definitively states this transfer was specifically for Freedom Patents LLC to assert on behalf of Mitsubishi Electric Corporation against its competitors. It could also be a divestiture.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The current assignee, Freedom Patents LLC, is an active patent asserter, not a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence

This verdict is driven by multiple strong signals: the transfer to a known patent asserter (Freedom Patents LLC) on 2022-10-10 (Reel 061291/0001), the nature of Freedom Patents LLC as a shell entity, and the pre-litigation timing of this assignment, immediately preceding numerous infringement suits filed in 2023. These factors collectively indicate the patent was acquired for the purpose of assertion.

Verification: USPTO Assignment Center search for US8374096