Assignment history

Inventors

The sole named inventor is Theodore S. Rappaport. At the time of the invention (priority date August 14, 2008), Dr. Rappaport was a professor at The University of Texas at Austin, where he founded the Wireless Networking and Communications Group (WNCG) in 2002. There are no unusual patterns, as the invention stems from his work as a prominent academic and researcher in the field of wireless communications.

Original assignee

The original assignee listed on the face of the patent is "Individual," meaning the inventor, Theodore S. Rappaport, retained ownership upon issuance. Dr. Rappaport is a well-known entrepreneur who has founded several technology companies, but there is no public record of a product being shipped that embodies the specific claims of this patent by a company he directly controlled at the time.

Assignment timeline

A search of the USPTO Patent Assignment Search database reveals a single recorded assignment for this patent.

• 2024-12-31 (executed) / recorded 2024-12-31 — Reel 069707/0882
  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignor's Interest
  • Assignor: RAPPAPORT, THEODORE S.
  • Assignee: MASSIVELY BROADBAND LLC (15950 N. Dallas Parkway, Suite 400, Dallas, TX, 75248)
  • Correspondent: ROBERT J. KIPER, KATTEN MUCHIN ROSENMAN LLP, 525 W. Monroe Street, Chicago, IL 60661
  • Context: This is a transfer from the original inventor to a Texas-based LLC for the purpose of patent assertion.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 8593358
    2008 : Provisional application filed
    2012 : Non-provisional application filed
    2013 : Patent issued to Theodore S. Rappaport
    2024 : Assigned to Massively Broadband LLC
    2025 : First infringement suit filed
         : IPR petition filed against parent patent

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer: Present. The patent was transferred from the inventor to Massively Broadband LLC (Reel 069707/0882). This entity has a name suggestive of a non-operating entity, and its address is a Regus virtual office in Dallas, TX, a common practice for shell LLCs. There is no evidence of Massively Broadband LLC developing or selling products.

2. Known asserter in the chain: Present. Unified Patents identifies Massively Broadband LLC as a patent assertion entity. The context provided for this analysis notes litigation filed from this patent family in the Eastern District of Texas (2:25-cv-00608) and a corresponding IPR petition (IPR2025-01587), confirming its status as an asserter.

3. Repeat correspondent across the chain: Unclear. The correspondent for the single assignment is Robert J. Kiper of Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP. While a single entry does not constitute a recurring pattern for this specific patent chain, this firm is frequently involved in patent litigation.

4. Cascading transfers: Not present. There is only one recorded transfer.

5. Pre-litigation transfer: Present. The assignment to Massively Broadband LLC was executed and recorded on December 31, 2024 (Reel 069707/0882). The first known infringement suit was filed in early 2025 (2:25-cv-00608), placing the transfer immediately before the assertion campaign began.

6. Bankruptcy fire-sale: Not present.

7. Privateering: Not present. This is not a case of an operating company transferring patents to a third party for assertion. It is a direct monetization effort by the inventor via a newly formed LLC.

8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE): Not present. The assignee is a plaintiff, not a defensive entity.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence

The verdict is based on multiple strong signals. The patent was transferred from the original inventor to Massively Broadband LLC, an entity with no known products and a virtual office address (Reel 069707/0882), which immediately began an assertion campaign in the Eastern District of Texas. This pre-litigation transfer to a shell entity for the sole purpose of enforcement is a classic, high-confidence indicator of non-practicing entity (NPE) activity.

Verification Link: USPTO Assignment Search for US 8,593,358