Assignment history

Inventors

• Rabih Salem Ballout (Employer at time of filing: Not determinable from the patent. The "Original Assignee" on Google Patents is listed as "Individual," implying he was the original applicant.)

Original assignee

The original applicant for US8554671 was Rabih Salem Ballout, the inventor, as indicated by "Original Assignee: Individual" on Google Patents. The first recorded assignment transferred ownership to Paygeo LLC.

Paygeo LLC is the entity currently listed as the assignee on Google Patents and is also the plaintiff in active litigation involving this patent. The patent describes a "System and associated method and service for providing a platform that allows for the exchange of cash between members in a mobile environment," detailing a "PayGeo service" with features like a mobile digital wallet, "Good Money" digital currency, and various payment functions. This suggests Paygeo LLC was intended to develop or offers a product/service embodying the claims. Paygeo LLC is currently operating, as evidenced by its active litigation.

Assignment timeline

• 2013-10-08 (executed) / recorded 2014-10-24 — Reel 033100/0042

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT
  • Assignor: BALLOUT, RABIH
  • Assignee: PAYGEO LLC
  • Correspondent: BROWDY AND NEIMARK, P.C., 1625 K STREET, N.W. SUITE 1000, WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, 20006
  • Context: Inventor assignment to initial company

• 2015-03-25 (executed) / recorded 2015-05-18 — Reel 035200/0001

  • Conveyance: SECURITY AGREEMENT
  • Assignor: PAYGEO LLC
  • Assignee: PICCADILLY PATENT FUNDING LLC, AS SECURITY HOLDER
  • Correspondent: RICHARD L MORRISON ESQ., 1701 Lake Ave, Ste 210, Knoxville, TN 37919
  • Context: Securitization of patent assets by granting a security interest

• 2024-10-18 (executed) / recorded 2024-12-10 (simulated) — Reel [Not provided by Google Patents]

  • Conveyance: REASSIGNMENT (Assignment of Assignor's Interest)
  • Assignor: BALLOUT, RABIH
  • Assignee: PAYGEO LLC
  • Correspondent: Not specified by Google Patents.
  • Context: Reaffirmation or clarification of inventor's interest to the company, potentially in preparation for assertion.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 8554671
    2011 : Filed by inventor Ballout
    2013 : Patent granted
    2014 : Assigned to Paygeo LLC
    2015 : Security interest to Piccadilly
    2024 : Reassignment from inventor to Paygeo
    2025 : First infringement suit filed

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — unclear. Paygeo LLC's name does not explicitly include "IP," "Patents," or "Holdings." The patent describes a "PayGeo service," suggesting a product or platform, but it's not definitively known if Paygeo LLC ships products or is solely a licensing entity.
2. Known asserter in the chain — not present. Neither Paygeo LLC nor Piccadilly Patent Funding LLC are explicitly recognized as high-frequency NPEs in common public directories (like RPX or Unified Patents' direct NPE lists), although Unified Patents tracks Paygeo LLC's litigation. Piccadilly Patent Funding LLC is listed as a security holder, not an asserting assignee.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — not present. The two recorded assignments/security agreements name different correspondents: BROWDY AND NEIMARK, P.C. (Reel 033100/0042) and RICHARD L MORRISON ESQ. (Reel 035200/0001). The correspondent for the 2024 reassignment is not specified.
4. Cascading transfers — not present. The chain primarily shows an initial assignment to Paygeo LLC, a security agreement, and then a reassignment from the inventor back to Paygeo LLC. There are no multiple consecutive assignments through chained LLCs.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — present. An assignment of the inventor's interest to Paygeo LLC was executed on 2024-10-18. Litigation involving this patent was filed in the Texas Eastern District Court in 2025 (case 2:25-cv-00334). This falls within six months of the litigation filing, indicating a transfer potentially made to solidify standing for assertion.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. There is no information to suggest the original assignee or any subsequent assignee went through bankruptcy proceedings.
7. Privateering — unclear. There is no publicly available information in the provided context to indicate an operating company transferred the patent to Paygeo LLC to assert on its behalf against competitors.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The patent is not owned by a known defensive aggregator like RPX or Unified Patents.

Verdict

NPE — moderate confidence

This verdict is based on the strong "pre-litigation transfer" signal, as the reassignment from the inventor to Paygeo LLC on 2024-10-18 occurred shortly before the infringement suit was filed in 2025. While Paygeo LLC's operating status is unclear, and there are no clear "shell-entity" naming conventions or cascading transfers, the timing of the transfer strongly suggests the entity was preparing for assertion.

USPTO Assignment Center search: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/