Patent 8391020

Assignment history

Inventors, original assignee, and the chain of ownership recorded with the USPTO — including the correspondent attorney who recorded each assignment, since shell-LLC chains often share one repeat-player attorney even when the entity names look unrelated. Surfaces NPE / patent-troll patterns: shell-entity transfers, known asserters in the chain, repeat correspondent fingerprints, pre-litigation assignments, and bankruptcy fire-sales.

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Ownership chain (2)

Asserters network →

Structured records extracted from the assignment-history narrative below. Each entity links to its full ownership-network profile.

  1. 2010-12-01 · reel 025805/0289 · Assignment

    SAIMEN, MUNEHIDESEIKO EPSON CORPORATION

    Original assignment from inventor to employer.

  2. 2024-04-17 · recorded 2024-05-01 · reel 059902/0854 · Assignment

    SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION138 EAST LCD ADVANCEMENTS LIMITED

    Correspondent: KEVIN KEENER · Keener and Associates

    Transfer to a likely asserting entity.

Assignment history

Inventors, original assignee, and the chain of ownership recorded with the USPTO — including the correspondent attorney who recorded each assignment, since shell-LLC chains often share one repeat-player attorney even when the entity names look unrelated. Surfaces NPE / patent-troll patterns: shell-entity transfers, known asserters in the chain, repeat correspondent fingerprints, pre-litigation assignments, and bankruptcy fire-sales.

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Inventors

  • Munehide Saimen (Seiko Epson Corp)

Original assignee

Seiko Epson Corp. Seiko Epson is a Japanese multinational electronics company, one of the world's largest manufacturers of computer printers, and information and imaging related equipment. They ship products embodying the claims, specifically liquid crystal devices and panels used in various electronic apparatuses. Seiko Epson Corp is currently operating.

Assignment timeline

  • 2010-12-01 (executed) / recorded 2010-12-01 — Reel 025805/0289

    • Conveyance: Assignment
    • Assignor: SAIMEN, MUNEHIDE
    • Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    • Correspondent: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION, 3131 Katagami, Hirooka, Shiojiri-shi, Nagano-ken, 399-0785, Japan.
    • Context: Original assignment from inventor to employer.

  • 2024-04-17 (executed) / recorded 2024-05-01 — Reel 059902/0854

    • Conveyance: Assignment
    • Assignor: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    • Assignee: 138 EAST LCD ADVANCEMENTS LIMITED
    • Correspondent: KEVIN KEENER, Keener and Associates, P.C., 161 Worcester Rd, Ste 201, Framingham, MA 01701. This correspondent may be a repeat player.
    • Context: Transfer to a likely asserting entity.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 8391020
    2010 : Assigned to Seiko Epson Corp
    2013 : Issued
    2024 : Assigned to 138 East LCD Advancements

NPE / troll-pattern signals

  1. Shell-entity transfer — present. The transfer on 2024-04-17 (Reel 059902/0854) is from Seiko Epson Corporation, an operating company, to "138 EAST LCD ADVANCEMENTS LIMITED." The assignee name suggests a licensing-only LLC.
  2. Known asserter in the chain — unclear. "138 EAST LCD ADVANCEMENTS LIMITED" does not immediately appear on common public NPE lists. Further investigation into this entity's litigation history would be required for a definitive answer.
  3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — present. KEVIN KEENER of Keener and Associates, P.C. (Reel 059902/0854) is a known correspondent for other entities often associated with patent assertion, particularly those involved in display technology.
  4. Cascading transfers — not present. Only two assignments are recorded.
  5. Pre-litigation transfer — unclear. The patent has active litigation cases filed in 2025 according to Google Patents. The assignment to 138 EAST LCD ADVANCEMENTS LIMITED was recorded on 2024-05-01, which is within 12 months of the earliest reported litigation (2025-02-05 and 2025-03-24). This could indicate a pre-litigation transfer.
  6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. Seiko Epson Corp is an operating company and no bankruptcy proceedings are indicated.
  7. Privateering — unclear. While the transfer is from an operating company, further details on the relationship between Seiko Epson and 138 EAST LCD ADVANCEMENTS LIMITED would be needed to confirm privateering.
  8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The chain does not terminate with a known defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence. The transfer from the operating company Seiko Epson Corp to 138 EAST LCD ADVANCEMENTS LIMITED (Reel 059902/0854) strongly suggests a shell entity, supported by the nature of the assignee's name. The involvement of Kevin Keener as the correspondent for this transfer (Reel 059902/0854), who has been associated with other patent assertion entities, further increases confidence. Additionally, the timing of the assignment in May 2024, preceding reported litigation in 2025, aligns with a pre-litigation transfer pattern.

For verification, see the USPTO Assignment Center search for US8391020.

Generated 5/23/2026, 6:46:17 PM