Patent 8471950

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.

Active provider: Google · gemini-2.5-flash

Ownership chain (5)

Asserters network →

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

2009-12-22 · recorded 2010-01-20 · reel 023820/0050 · Assignment
Kamimura, Junji; Nishizawa, Akihito; Shiokawa, Junji; Nonaka, Shinichi HITACHI CONSUMER ELECTRONICS CO., LTD., JAPAN
Initial assignment from inventors to original corporate assignee.
2014-08-26 · recorded 2014-09-08 · reel 033694/0745 · Assignment
HITACHI CONSUMER ELECTRONICS CO., LTD., JAPAN HITACHI MAXELL, LTD., JAPAN
Internal corporate transfer within the Hitachi group.
2017-10-01 · recorded 2018-01-25 · reel 045142/0208 · Assignment
HITACHI MAXELL, LTD., JAPAN MAXELL, LTD., JAPAN
Corporate name change/rebranding within the Maxell group.
2021-10-01 · recorded 2021-11-29 · reel 058255/0579 · Merger
MAXELL, LTD.MAXELL, LTD., JAPAN
Corporate reorganization via merger.
2021-10-01 · recorded 2021-12-03 · reel 058666/0407 · Change of Name
MAXELL, LTD.MAXELL, LTD., JAPAN
Corporate name change, reverting to Maxell, Ltd.

Assignment history

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Inventors

Junji Kamimura (Hitachi Consumer Electronics Co Ltd)
Akihito Nishizawa (Hitachi Consumer Electronics Co Ltd)
Junji Shiokawa (Hitachi Consumer Electronics Co Ltd)
Shinichi Nonaka (Hitachi Consumer Electronics Co Ltd)

All inventors were employed by Hitachi Consumer Electronics Co Ltd, the original assignee, at the time of filing. There is no indication of all inventors departing the original assignee within 12 months of filing.

Original assignee

The original assignee, as listed on the patent application, was Hitachi Consumer Electronics Co Ltd. This company was a part of the larger Hitachi conglomerate, which historically produced a wide range of consumer electronics, including video cameras and digital still cameras, directly embodying the claims of image quality adjustment. Hitachi, Ltd. is a large, diversified Japanese multinational conglomerate that continues to operate, though its structure and core businesses have evolved over time. Hitachi Consumer Electronics Co Ltd itself has undergone various reorganizations and its consumer electronics businesses have been shifted within the Hitachi group and to other entities.

Assignment timeline

2009-12-22 to 2010-01-06 (executed) / recorded 2010-01-20 — Reel 023820/0050
- Conveyance: Assignment
- Assignor: Kamimura, Junji; Nishizawa, Akihito; Shiokawa, Junji; Nonaka, Shinichi (inventors)
- Assignee: HITACHI CONSUMER ELECTRONICS CO., LTD., JAPAN
- Correspondent: Not provided by Google Patents legal events.
- Context: Initial assignment from inventors to original corporate assignee.
2014-08-26 (executed) / recorded 2014-09-08 — Reel 033694/0745
- Conveyance: Assignment
- Assignor: HITACHI CONSUMER ELECTRONICS CO., LTD., JAPAN
- Assignee: HITACHI MAXELL, LTD., JAPAN
- Correspondent: Not provided by Google Patents legal events.
- Context: Internal corporate transfer within the Hitachi group.
2017-10-01 (executed) / recorded 2018-01-25 — Reel 045142/0208
- Conveyance: Assignment
- Assignor: HITACHI MAXELL, LTD., JAPAN
- Assignee: MAXELL, LTD., JAPAN
- Correspondent: Not provided by Google Patents legal events.
- Context: Corporate name change/rebranding within the Maxell group.
2021-10-01 (executed) / recorded 2021-11-29 — Reel 058255/0579
- Conveyance: Merger
- Assignor: MAXELL, LTD.
- Assignee: MAXELL HOLDINGS, LTD., JAPAN
- Correspondent: Not provided by Google Patents legal events.
- Context: Corporate reorganization via merger.
2021-10-01 (executed) / recorded 2021-12-03 — Reel 058666/0407
- Conveyance: Change of Name
- Assignor: MAXELL HOLDINGS, LTD.
- Assignee: MAXELL, LTD., JAPAN
- Correspondent: Not provided by Google Patents legal events.
- Context: Corporate name change, reverting to Maxell, Ltd.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 8471950
    2009 : Application filed
    2010 : Assigned to Hitachi Consumer
    2013 : Patent granted
    2014 : Assigned to Hitachi Maxell
    2018 : Assigned to Maxell Ltd
    2021 : Maxell reorganizes to Maxell Holdings
         : Maxell Holdings changes name to Maxell Ltd
    2025 : IPR filed
         : Infringement suit filed E.D. Texas

NPE / troll-pattern signals

Shell-entity transfer — Not present. The transfers are between well-established Japanese electronics companies (Hitachi Consumer Electronics, Hitachi Maxell, Maxell Ltd.) that manufacture and sell products. There are no indications of names like "IP / Patents / Licensing / Holdings / Ventures" used for the primary assignee entities in the chain to suggest a shell entity.
Known asserter in the chain — Unclear. While Maxell Ltd. is not typically listed as a pure NPE, recent search results indicate it has become an "increasingly active patent licensor and litigant, asserting patents across multiple technology domains globally." Maxell has asserted patents against companies like Samsung and ZTE in mobile device-related litigation, covering technologies including image processing. The filing of an IPR (IPR2025-01315) by Unified Patents against this patent, and a related US District Court case in E.D. Texas (5:25-cv-00052), indicates active assertion.
Repeat correspondent across the chain — Not present. Correspondent information (attorney name, firm, address) is not available from the provided Google Patents legal events for any assignment. This would require a live search of the USPTO Assignment Center.
Cascading transfers — Not present. The assignments are spread out over several years (2010, 2014, 2018, 2021) and represent corporate changes and re-organizations of established companies, not rapid transfers between chained LLCs in a short period.
Pre-litigation transfer — Not present. The last assignment/change of name was recorded on 2021-12-03 (effective 2021-10-01). The earliest known litigation activity (IPR and E.D. Texas case) began in 2025. This gap of more than 6 months does not indicate a pre-litigation transfer.
Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. There is no information to suggest the original assignee or any subsequent assignee filed for bankruptcy and sold the patent in proceedings.
Privateering — Unclear. While Maxell is an operating company actively asserting its patents, the specific motivation behind the E.D. Texas litigation (e.g., whether it's on behalf of a third party) cannot be determined without details of the complaint. However, Maxell's history of litigation against competitors (Samsung, ZTE) suggests direct assertion.
Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The patent is currently held by Maxell, Ltd., and is subject to an IPR petition by Unified Patents, implying active assertion, not neutralization.

Verdict

Operating-company assertion
The patent is currently owned by Maxell, Ltd., a Japanese consumer electronics company with a history of manufacturing relevant products like projectors and previously camcorders. Maxell has been identified as an active patent litigant asserting patents across various technology domains, including image processing, against other operating companies such as Samsung and ZTE. The recent IPR filing by Unified Patents and the related litigation in the Eastern District of Texas (both in 2025) confirm the patent is actively being asserted. The assignment chain reflects internal corporate restructuring among established operating companies (Hitachi and Maxell groups) rather than transfers to shell entities.

USPTO Assignment Center search: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/ (search by Patent Number: 8471950)

Generated 5/22/2026, 6:48:52 PM