Assignment history

Inventors

• Tom Freeman (VoiceBox Technologies Corp)
• Mike Kennewick (VoiceBox Technologies Corp)

There are no unusual patterns indicating inventors departing the original assignee within 12 months of filing.

Original assignee

The original assignee on the issued patent is VoiceBox Technologies Corp. VoiceBox Technologies Corp developed natural language voice recognition software. Based on available information, VoiceBox Technologies Corp appears to have been acquired by Nuance Communications, Inc. in 2020 and subsequently spun out as part of VB Assets LLC.

Assignment timeline

• 2012-02-13 (executed) / recorded 2012-02-13 — Reel 028303/0488
  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: FREEMAN, TOM; KENNEWICK, MIKE
  • Assignee: VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
  • Correspondent: VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES, INC. (ATTN: PATENT DEPARTMENT, 10833 NE 4TH STREET, SUITE 400, BELLEVUE, WASHINGTON 98004)
  • Context: Assignment from inventors to initial operating company.
• 2014-04-07 (executed) / recorded 2014-04-07 — Reel 032230/0398
  • Conveyance: Merger
  • Assignor: VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
  • Assignee: VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
  • Correspondent: VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION (ATTN: PATENT DEPT, 10833 NE 4TH STREET, SUITE 400, BELLEVUE, WASHINGTON 98004)
  • Context: Internal corporate reorganization/name change.
• 2017-12-22 (executed) / recorded 2017-12-22 — Reel 043232/0761
  • Conveyance: Security Interest
  • Assignor: VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
  • Assignee: ORIX GROWTH CAPITAL, LLC
  • Correspondent: ORIX GROWTH CAPITAL, LLC (ATTN: S. GERALDINE BOGUE, ESQ., AKERMAN LLP, 777 S. FLAGLER DRIVE, SUITE 1100 WEST, WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA 33401)
  • Context: Securitization of assets, likely as collateral for a loan.
• 2018-04-05 (executed) / recorded 2018-04-05 — Reel 043743/0979
  • Conveyance: Release By Secured Party
  • Assignor: ORIX GROWTH CAPITAL, LLC
  • Assignee: VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
  • Correspondent: ORIX GROWTH CAPITAL, LLC (ATTN: S. GERALDINE BOGUE, ESQ., AKERMAN LLP, 777 S. FLAGLER DRIVE, SUITE 1100 WEST, WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA 33401). This correspondent also appeared on reel 043232/0761.
  • Context: Release of security interest, indicating loan repayment or restructuring.
• 2018-07-25 (executed) / recorded 2018-07-25 — Reel 044234/0073
  • Conveyance: Nunc Pro Tunc Assignment
  • Assignor: VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
  • Assignee: VB ASSETS, LLC
  • Correspondent: BAKER & MCKENZIE LLP (ATTN: WILLIAM L. ANDERSON, JR., 1900 N. PEARL ST., SUITE 3000, DALLAS, TEXAS 75201)
  • Context: Transfer to a new entity, "Nunc Pro Tunc" often used to correct an earlier transfer or backdate.
• 2019-04-12 (executed) / recorded 2019-04-12 — Reel 045717/0861
  • Conveyance: Security Interest
  • Assignor: VB ASSETS, LLC
  • Assignee: DELPHI ASSET MANAGEMENT CORPORATION
  • Correspondent: DELPHI ASSET MANAGEMENT CORPORATION (ATTN: ERIC SATO, ESQ., 5510 E. WASHINGTON BLVD., COMMERCE, CALIFORNIA 90040)
  • Context: Securitization of assets by VB Assets, LLC.
• 2019-06-13 (executed) / recorded 2019-06-13 — Reel 046039/0753
  • Conveyance: Release By Secured Party
  • Assignor: DELPHI ASSET MANAGEMENT CORPORATION
  • Assignee: VB ASSETS, LLC
  • Correspondent: DELPHI ASSET MANAGEMENT CORPORATION (ATTN: ERIC SATO, ESQ., 5510 E. WASHINGTON BLVD., COMMERCE, CALIFORNIA 90040). This correspondent also appeared on reel 045717/0861.
  • Context: Release of security interest.
• 2020-01-22 (executed) / recorded 2020-01-22 — Reel 047648/0645
  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: VB ASSETTS LLC (typo in original document, should be VB ASSETS LLC)
  • Assignee: NUANCE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
  • Correspondent: NUANCE COMMUNICATIONS, INC. (PATENT DEPT., ONE CAFE DE PARIS, BURLINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 01803)
  • Context: Transfer from VB Assets LLC to Nuance Communications, Inc., likely as part of an acquisition.
• 2020-09-22 (executed) / recorded 2020-09-22 — Reel 048997/0122
  • Conveyance: Corrective Assignment
  • Assignor: VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
  • Assignee: VB ASSETS, LLC
  • Correspondent: BAKER & MCKENZIE LLP (ATTN: WILLIAM L. ANDERSON, JR., 1900 N. PEARL ST., SUITE 3000, DALLAS, TEXAS 75201). This correspondent also appeared on reel 044234/0073.
  • Context: Corrective assignment to address assignor/assignee name errors in a previous record, confirming transfer back to VB Assets, LLC.
• 2025-04-08 (executed) / recorded 2025-04-08 — Reel 056461/0817
  • Conveyance: Security Interest
  • Assignor: VB ASSETS, LLC
  • Assignee: CONTINGENCY CAPITAL FUND A LP
  • Correspondent: CONTINGENCY CAPITAL FUND A LP (1775 N. PARK DRIVE, SUITE 200, WESTON, FLORIDA 33326)
  • Context: Securitization of assets by VB Assets, LLC.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 8527274
    2012 : Filed by VoiceBox Technologies, Inc
    2013 : Issued
    2014 : Assigned to VoiceBox Tech Corp via merger
    2017 : Security interest to ORIX Growth Capital
    2018 : Security interest released
         : Assigned to VB Assets LLC
    2019 : Security interest to Delphi Asset Mgmt
         : Security interest released
    2020 : Assigned to Nuance Communications
         : Corrective assignment to VB Assets LLC
    2025 : Security interest to Contingency Capital

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — present.

   • 2018-07-25 (executed) / recorded 2018-07-25 — Reel 044234/0073: Voicebox Technologies Corporation assigned to VB ASSETS, LLC. VB Assets, LLC has a name suffix "Assets" and is a common type of shell entity used in patent assertion. While the initial entity VoiceBox Technologies Corporation was an operating company, the transfer to VB Assets, LLC suggests a shift in focus.

2. Known asserter in the chain — unclear. While VB Assets, LLC is the current assignee and a potential shell entity, it does not directly match the provided list of high-frequency plaintiffs. Further investigation beyond the scope of this request would be needed to confirm if VB Assets, LLC is a known asserter.

3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — present.

   • S. GERALDINE BOGUE, ESQ., AKERMAN LLP, appeared on Reel 043232/0761 and Reel 043743/0979.
   • WILLIAM L. ANDERSON, JR., BAKER & MCKENZIE LLP, appeared on Reel 044234/0073 and Reel 048997/0122.
   • ERIC SATO, ESQ., appeared on Reel 045717/0861 and Reel 046039/0753.

4. Cascading transfers — not present. While there are multiple assignments, they are interspersed with security interest filings and releases, and don't represent rapid, consecutive transfers through chained LLCs that are characteristic of cascading transfers.

5. Pre-litigation transfer — unclear. The summary mentions "Family has litigation" with US cases filed in Texas Eastern District Court and Delaware District Court in 2025 and 2026, but the exact filing dates of these suits are not provided. The latest assignment to VB Assets, LLC was a corrective assignment in 2020-09-22, and a security interest was granted in 2025-04-08. Without the precise litigation filing dates, it is unclear if any assignments occurred within 6 months prior to the first infringement suit naming this patent.

6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. There is no indication in the assignment records or the patent summary that VoiceBox Technologies Corp or any subsequent assignee underwent a bankruptcy fire-sale.

7. Privateering — unclear. While Nuance Communications, Inc. (an operating company) was briefly an assignee in 2020-01-22, the patent was subsequently transferred back to VB ASSETS, LLC via a corrective assignment in 2020-09-22. This could potentially indicate a privateering arrangement where VB ASSETS, LLC asserts on behalf of Nuance, but this cannot be confirmed without further external information.

8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The chain does not terminate at any known defensive aggregators.

Verdict

NPE — moderate confidence

The transfer to VB Assets, LLC (a likely shell entity based on its name and role in the chain) combined with the recurrence of specific correspondents across multiple assignments in the chain (Reel 043232/0761, Reel 043743/0979, Reel 044234/0073, Reel 048997/0122, Reel 045717/0861, Reel 046039/0753) strongly suggest an NPE pattern. The history also includes multiple security interest grants and releases, which are common in patent monetization strategies.

USPTO Assignment Center Search for US8527274