Assignment history

Inventors

• Kevin McNamee (Alcatel Lucent SAS)
• Mike Pelley (Alcatel Lucent SAS)
• Darren Deridder (Alcatel Lucent SAS)
• Paul Edwards (Alcatel Lucent SAS)

Original assignee

Alcatel Lucent SAS. Alcatel-Lucent was a global telecommunications equipment corporation, which would have shipped products embodying the claims. It was acquired by Nokia in 2016.

Assignment timeline

• 2011-03-28 (executed) / recorded 2011-04-22 — Reel 026168/0613

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
  • Assignor: MCNAMEE, KEVIN; PELLEY, MIKE; DERIDDER, DARREN; EDWARDS, PAUL
  • Assignee: KINDSIGHT, INC., CALIFORNIA
  • Correspondent: BRENT A. ANDERSON
  • Context: Transfer from inventors to a new entity.

• 2011-10-17 (executed) / recorded 2011-11-08 — Reel 027195/0977

  • Conveyance: SECURITY AGREEMENT
  • Assignor: KINDSIGHT, INC.
  • Assignee: ALCATEL-LUCENT USA, INC., TEXAS
  • Correspondent: ALCATEL-LUCENT USA INC.
  • Context: Securitization agreement.

• 2011-10-17 (executed) / recorded 2011-11-30 — Reel 027300/0488

  • Conveyance: SECURITY AGREEMENT
  • Assignor: KINDSIGHT, INC.
  • Assignee: ALCATEL-LUCENT USA INC., TEXAS
  • Correspondent: ALCATEL-LUCENT USA INC.
  • Context: Securitization agreement (duplicate recording or amendment).

• 2013-04-01 (executed) / recorded 2013-06-06 — Reel 030559/0110

  • Conveyance: MERGER
  • Assignor: KINDSIGHT, INC.
  • Assignee: ALCATEL-LUCENT USA INC., NEW JERSEY
  • Correspondent: ALCATEL-LUCENT USA INC.
  • Context: Internal corporate reorganization/merger.

• 2013-06-05 (executed) / recorded 2013-06-06 — Reel 030572/0657

  • Conveyance: RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST
  • Assignor: ALCATEL-LUCENT USA INC.
  • Assignee: KINDSIGHT, INC., CALIFORNIA
  • Correspondent: ALCATEL-LUCENT USA INC.
  • Context: Release of prior security interest.

• 2013-07-19 (executed) / recorded 2013-07-22 — Reel 030851/0364

  • Conveyance: SECURITY AGREEMENT
  • Assignor: ALCATEL LUCENT USA, INC.
  • Assignee: CREDIT SUISSE AG, NEW YORK
  • Correspondent: ALCATEL-LUCENT USA INC.
  • Context: Securitization agreement.

• 2013-11-21 (executed) / recorded 2013-11-21 — Reel 031650/0207

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
  • Assignor: ALCATEL-LUCENT USA INC.
  • Assignee: ALCATEL LUCENT, FRANCE
  • Correspondent: ALCATEL-LUCENT USA INC.
  • Context: Internal corporate transfer.

• 2014-08-19 (executed) / recorded 2014-08-28 — Reel 033647/0251

  • Conveyance: RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST
  • Assignor: CREDIT SUISSE AG
  • Assignee: ALCATEL-LUCENT USA, NEW JERSEY
  • Correspondent: ALCATEL-LUCENT USA INC.
  • Context: Release of prior security interest.

• 2017-09-12 (executed) / recorded 2017-09-13 — Reel 043877/0001

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
  • Assignor: NOKIA TECHNOLOGIES OY; NOKIA SOLUTIONS AND NETWORKS BV; ALCATEL LUCENT SAS
  • Assignee: PROVENANCE ASSET GROUP LLC, CONNECTICUT
  • Correspondent: FISH & RICHARDSON P.C. This firm has appeared as correspondent on other patent assignments, often for NPEs.
  • Context: Transfer to NPE.

• 2017-09-13 (executed) / recorded 2017-09-13 — Reel 043879/0001

  • Conveyance: SECURITY INTEREST
  • Assignor: PROVENANCE ASSET GROUP HOLDINGS, LLC; PROVENANCE ASSET GROUP LLC
  • Assignee: NOKIA USA INC., CALIFORNIA
  • Correspondent: FISH & RICHARDSON P.C. This firm has appeared as correspondent on other patent assignments, often for NPEs.
  • Context: Securitization agreement.

• 2017-09-13 (executed) / recorded 2017-09-13 — Reel 043967/0001

  • Conveyance: SECURITY INTEREST
  • Assignor: PROVENANCE ASSET GROUP HOLDINGS, LLC; PROVENANCE ASSET GROUP, LLC
  • Assignee: CORTLAND CAPITAL MARKET SERVICES, LLC, ILLINOIS
  • Correspondent: BRYAN C. ANDERSON (K & L GATES LLP)
  • Context: Securitization agreement.

• 2018-12-20 (executed) / recorded 2019-02-14 — Reel 048370/0682

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT AND ASSUMPTION AGREEMENT
  • Assignor: NOKIA USA INC.
  • Assignee: NOKIA US HOLDINGS INC., NEW JERSEY
  • Correspondent: ALCATEL-LUCENT USA INC.
  • Context: Internal corporate reorganization.

• 2021-11-01 (executed) / recorded 2021-11-30 — Reel 058983/0104

  • Conveyance: RELEASE BY SECURED PARTY
  • Assignor: CORTLAND CAPITAL MARKETS SERVICES LLC
  • Assignee: PROVENANCE ASSET GROUP LLC, CONNECTICUT; PROVENANCE ASSET GROUP HOLDINGS LLC, CONNECTICUT
  • Correspondent: STROOCK & STROOCK & LAVAN LLP
  • Context: Release of prior security interest.

• 2021-11-29 (executed) / recorded 2021-11-30 — Reel 058363/0723

  • Conveyance: RELEASE BY SECURED PARTY
  • Assignor: NOKIA US HOLDINGS INC.
  • Assignee: PROVENANCE ASSET GROUP LLC, CONNECTICUT; PROVENANCE ASSET GROUP HOLDINGS LLC, CONNECTICUT
  • Correspondent: STROOCK & STROOCK & LAVAN LLP
  • Context: Release of prior security interest.

• 2021-11-29 (executed) / recorded 2021-12-28 — Reel 059352/0001

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
  • Assignor: PROVENANCE ASSET GROUP LLC
  • Assignee: RPX CORPORATION, CALIFORNIA
  • Correspondent: RPX CORPORATION. This entity is a known defensive aggregator.
  • Context: Defensive aggregation.

• 2022-01-07 (executed) / recorded 2023-04-22 — Reel 063429/0001

  • Conveyance: PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT
  • Assignor: RPX CORPORATION
  • Assignee: BARINGS FINANCE LLC, AS COLLATERAL AGENT, NORTH CAROLINA
  • Correspondent: MORRISON & FOERSTER LLP
  • Context: Securitization agreement.

• 2024-05-31 (executed) / recorded 2024-05-31 — Reel 067596/0606

  • Conveyance: RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN SPECIFIED PATENTS
  • Assignor: BARINGS FINANCE LLC
  • Assignee: RPX CORPORATION, CALIFORNIA
  • Correspondent: MORRISON & FOERSTER LLP
  • Context: Release of prior security interest.

• 2024-06-30 (executed) / recorded 2024-07-05 — Reel 067918/0690

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
  • Assignor: RPX CORPORATION
  • Assignee: NETSKOPE, INC., CALIFORNIA
  • Correspondent: RPX CORPORATION. This entity is a known defensive aggregator.
  • Context: Transfer from defensive aggregator to operating company.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 8635697
    2011 : Inventors assign to Kindsight Inc
    2011 : Kindsight secures loan from Alcatel-Lucent
    2013 : Kindsight merges into Alcatel-Lucent USA
         : Alcatel-Lucent USA secures loan from Credit Suisse
         : Alcatel-Lucent USA assigns to Alcatel-Lucent
    2014 : Credit Suisse releases security int
    2017 : Nokia assigns to Provenance Asset
         : Provenance secures loan from Nokia
         : Provenance secures loan from Cortland
    2019 : Nokia USA assigns to Nokia US Hldgs
    2021 : Cortland releases security int
         : Nokia US Hldgs releases security int
         : Provenance assigns to RPX Corp
    2023 : RPX secures loan from Barings
    2024 : Barings releases security int
         : RPX assigns to Netskope Inc

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — present. In 2017, the patent was transferred from Nokia (an operating company) to Provenance Asset Group LLC (reel 043877/0001). Provenance Asset Group LLC's name and its role in subsequent security agreements suggest it functions as a licensing or asset holding entity rather than an operating company producing goods.
2. Known asserter in the chain — present. RPX Corporation, a known defensive aggregator, acquired the patent from Provenance Asset Group LLC in 2021 (reel 059352/0001). While RPX is typically an anti-NPE entity, its presence indicates a deliberate patent acquisition strategy.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — present. The law firm Fish & Richardson P.C. appears as correspondent for both the transfer to Provenance Asset Group LLC (reel 043877/0001) and a subsequent security interest (reel 043879/0001).
4. Cascading transfers — not present. The transfers, while numerous, are spread over several years, not within a condensed 24-month period between chained LLCs with shared characteristics.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — unclear. Without knowledge of any litigation filings, it's not possible to determine if any assignments were pre-litigation.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. The original assignee, Alcatel Lucent SAS, was acquired by Nokia, not dissolved via bankruptcy proceedings.
7. Privateering — unclear. While the transfer to Provenance Asset Group LLC followed by a security interest from Nokia USA Inc. (reel 043879/0001) could potentially align with a privateering arrangement, there is no explicit evidence in the assignment records to confirm this.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — present. RPX Corporation acquired the patent in 2021 (reel 059352/0001). However, RPX later assigned the patent to Netskope, Inc. in 2024 (reel 067918/0690).

Verdict

NPE — moderate confidence. The transfer from Nokia to Provenance Asset Group LLC (reel 043877/0001) shows a shift from an operating company to an entity with characteristics suggestive of a patent assertion entity, further supported by the repeat correspondent firm. The subsequent acquisition by RPX (reel 059352/0001), while a defensive aggregator, confirms a strategic handling of the patent outside of direct product commercialization by the original inventors' employer. However, the ultimate transfer to Netskope, Inc. (reel 067918/0690), an operating company, suggests a potential move away from active assertion.

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