Assignment history

Inventors

• Jerome Rolia (employer: Hewlett Packard Development Co LP)
• Keith I. Farkas (employer: Hewlett Packard Development Co LP)
• Martin F. Arlitt (employer: Hewlett Packard Development Co LP)
• Sven Graupner (employer: Hewlett Packard Development Co LP)

No unusual patterns, such as all inventors departing the original assignee within 12 months of filing, are determinable from the provided information.

Original assignee

The original assignee named on the issued patent is Hewlett Packard Development Co LP.
Hewlett Packard Development Co LP, as part of Hewlett-Packard Company, shipped numerous products embodying monitoring and data management claims. Their primary line of business was broad information technology, including hardware (servers, PCs), software (enterprise management, operating systems), and services.
Currently, Hewlett Packard Development Co LP is an operating subsidiary within the broader Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) and HP Inc. (HPI) corporate structures, both of which are active operating companies.

Assignment timeline

• 2015-10-27 (executed) / recorded 2015-11-09 — Reel 016556/0060

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT
  • Assignor: HEWLETT-PACKARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, L.P.
  • Assignee: HEWLETT PACKARD ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT LP
  • Correspondent: HEWLETT-PACKARD COMPANY, 3404 E. HARMONY ROAD, FORT COLLINS, CO 80528
  • Context: Internal reorganization following the split of Hewlett-Packard Company into Hewlett Packard Enterprise and HP Inc.

• 2021-02-18 (executed) / recorded 2021-02-22 — Reel 050186/0023

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT
  • Assignor: HEWLETT PACKARD ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT LP
  • Assignee: VALTRUS INNOVATIONS LIMITED
  • Correspondent: VALTRUS INNOVATIONS LTD., 2800 E. MADISON ST., SUITE 200, SEATTLE, WA 98112
  • Context: Transfer to a patent assertion entity (NPE).

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 8379538
    2005 : Filed by HP Development Co LP
    2013 : Issued to HP Development Co LP
    2015 : Assigned to HPE Dev LP
    2021 : Assigned to Valtrus Innovations Ltd
    2025 : First infringement suit filed

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer

   • Present. The patent was transferred from Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP, an operating company, to Valtrus Innovations Limited. Valtrus Innovations Limited's name, "Innovations Limited," is a common characteristic of shell entities. Furthermore, Valtrus Innovations Limited explicitly states on its website that it is "focused on licensing these patents" and is identified by Unified Patents as an NPE. The correspondent address on the assignment to Valtrus (Reel 050186/0023) is the company's own address, rather than a law firm, which is often seen with shell entities.

2. Known asserter in the chain

   • Present. Valtrus Innovations Limited is identified by Unified Patents as an NPE and is reported to be "backed by Irish patent monetization platform Key Patent Innovations". RPX also tracks Valtrus's litigation activities.

3. Repeat correspondent across the chain

   • Not present. The correspondent for the 2015 assignment was Hewlett-Packard Company (Reel 016556/0060), while the correspondent for the 2021 assignment was Valtrus Innovations Ltd. itself (Reel 050186/0023). There is no repetition of the same attorney or firm across these recorded assignments for this specific patent.

4. Cascading transfers

   • Not present. There are only two assignments in the chain. The first was an internal corporate reorganization in 2015, and the second was the transfer to Valtrus in 2021. These do not represent multiple consecutive transfers through chained LLCs within a short period.

5. Pre-litigation transfer

   • Not present. The patent was assigned to Valtrus Innovations Limited on 2021-02-18 (executed) / 2021-02-22 (recorded) (Reel 050186/0023). The earliest reported litigation case associated with this patent was filed in 2025 (e.g., Washington Western District Court, 2:25-cv-01859). This gap of several years is well outside the typical six-month window for pre-litigation transfers.

6. Bankruptcy fire-sale

   • Not present. There is no indication from the assignment records or general knowledge that Hewlett-Packard Development Company L.P. or Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP underwent bankruptcy proceedings leading to the sale of this patent.

7. Privateering

   • Unclear. While Valtrus Innovations Limited acquired an extensive patent portfolio originating from Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company, and then commenced litigation, the available data does not provide specific evidence that HPE is actively directing or financially benefiting from Valtrus's assertion campaigns against HPE's competitors.

8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE)

   • Not present. The patent is currently owned by Valtrus Innovations Limited, which is identified as an NPE actively asserting patents. It has not been acquired by a defensive aggregator like RPX, AST, LOT Network, Unified Patents, or Open Invention Network.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence

This verdict is supported by two strong signals: the transfer to a known patent assertion entity, Valtrus Innovations Limited, as recorded on 2021-02-22 (Reel 050186/0023), and the nature of Valtrus Innovations Limited as a shell entity primarily focused on licensing and assertion, as confirmed by Unified Patents. The company's own address as the correspondent on the assignment record further supports its shell nature.

USPTO Assignment Center search for US8379538