Assignment history

Inventors

The named inventors are Oliver Watkins, JR., Yousuf Chowdhary, Jeffrey Brunet, and Ravinder (“Ray”) Sharma. At the time of filing, these inventors assigned their rights to XMG Studio Inc. [cite: 027003/0861]. This indicates they were likely employees or contractors of XMG Studio Inc., or an entity closely associated with it, such as 2343127 Ontario Inc., which was the applicant. There is no unusual pattern of inventors departing within 12 months, as the assignment to the initial operating company occurred at filing.

Original Assignee

The original assignee named on the issued patent is 2343127 Ontario Inc. This is a Canadian-numbered company, which often functions as a holding company. However, the initial assignment from the inventors was to XMG Studio Inc., a Canadian mobile game developer known for shipping products like "Ghostbusters™ Afterlife: ScARe" and "FOTONICA." The transfers between 2343127 Ontario Inc. and XMG Studio Inc. (Reel 029676/0653 and Reel 043209/0142) suggest an internal corporate reorganization or a parent-subsidiary relationship rather than a transfer to a non-practicing entity.

The current assignee, ImagineAR Inc., is an operating company that provides an augmented reality (AR) platform and solutions for various industries, including sports, retail, and live events. They offer products such as the ImagineAR™ Augmented Reality Platform, SDK, and mobile app.

Assignment timeline

• 2011-12-14 (executed) / recorded 2011-12-14 — Reel 027003/0861

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT
  • Assignor: BRUNET, JEFFREY, WATKINS, OLIVER, JR., CHOWDHARY, YOUSUF, SHARMA, RAVINDER (RAY) (inventors)
  • Assignee: XMG STUDIO INC.
  • Correspondent: R. GORDON HOUSTON, HOUSTON & COMPANY, 1200 PORTAGE AVENUE, SUITE 213, WINNIPEG, MANITOBA, R3G0S1, CANADA. This correspondent recurs multiple times in this chain.
  • Context: Initial transfer of patent rights from inventors to an operating company.

• 2013-04-02 (executed) / recorded 2013-04-05 — Reel 029676/0653

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT
  • Assignor: XMG STUDIO INC.
  • Assignee: 2343127 ONTARIO INC.
  • Correspondent: R. GORDON HOUSTON, HOUSTON & COMPANY, 1200 PORTAGE AVENUE, SUITE 213, WINNIPEG, MANITOBA, R3G0S1, CANADA. This correspondent recurs multiple times in this chain.
  • Context: Internal corporate transfer, likely to a holding company related to XMG Studio Inc.

• 2018-04-09 (executed) / recorded 2018-04-12 — Reel 043209/0142

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
  • Assignor: 2343127 ONTARIO INC.
  • Assignee: XMG STUDIO INC.
  • Correspondent: R. GORDON HOUSTON, HOUSTON & COMPANY, 1200 PORTAGE AVENUE, SUITE 213, WINNIPEG, MANITOBA, R3G0S1, CANADA. This correspondent recurs multiple times in this chain.
  • Context: Internal corporate transfer, likely a re-acquisition or consolidation within the same corporate group.

• 2019-05-22 (executed) / recorded 2019-05-23 — Reel 046316/0651

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
  • Assignor: XMG STUDIO INC.
  • Assignee: IMAGINATION PARK TECHNOLOGIES INC.
  • Correspondent: MICHAEL J. FEGIN, HOFFMANN & BARON, LLP, 6900 JERICHO TURNPIKE, SYOSSET, NEW YORK, 11791
  • Context: Transfer of ownership to a new operating company, which was later renamed ImagineAR Inc..

• 2022-08-17 (executed) / recorded 2022-08-18 — Reel 061203/0185

  • Conveyance: MERGER AND CHANGE OF NAME
  • Assignor: IMAGINATION PARK TECHNOLOGIES INC.
  • Assignee: IMAGINE AR INC.
  • Correspondent: C. BRANDON MCMILLAN, MCBRIDE, MCBRIDE & MCMILLAN, P.A., 2201 HENNEPIN AVENUE, SUITE 200, MINNEAPOLIS, MN 55405. This correspondent recurs multiple times in this chain.
  • Context: Corporate name change/merger of the assignee.

• 2023-01-24 (executed) / recorded 2023-01-26 — Reel 061730/0394

  • Conveyance: CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT
  • Assignor: IMAGINE AR INC.
  • Assignee: IMAGINEAR INC.
  • Correspondent: C. BRANDON MCMILLAN, MCBRIDE, MCBRIDE & MCMILLAN, P.A., 2201 HENNEPIN AVENUE, SUITE 200, MINNEAPOLIS, MN 55405. This correspondent recurs multiple times in this chain.
  • Context: Corrective assignment to update assignee's name and address.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 8668592
    2011 : Inventors assign to XMG Studio Inc
    2013 : XMG Studio Inc to 2343127 Ontario
    2014 : Patent Issued
    2018 : 2343127 Ontario to XMG Studio Inc
    2019 : XMG Studio Inc to Imagination Park
    2022 : Imagination Park name change to Imagine AR
    2023 : Imagine AR corrective to ImagineAR
    2024 : First infringement suit filed

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Unclear. While 2343127 Ontario Inc. is a numbered company (Reel 029676/0653), which often serves as a holding company, the transfers involving it appear to be internal reorganizations with XMG Studio Inc., an operating game developer. The subsequent assignees, Imagination Park Technologies Inc. and ImagineAR Inc., operate in the augmented reality market and actively develop and market products.
2. Known asserter in the chain — Not present. None of the assignees (XMG Studio Inc., 2343127 Ontario Inc., Imagination Park Technologies Inc., ImagineAR Inc.) are on the provided list of known NPEs. ImagineAR Inc. is, however, identified as the plaintiff in ongoing litigation related to this patent.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Present. R. GORDON HOUSTON, HOUSTON & COMPANY, appears as correspondent for three assignments (Reel 027003/0861, 029676/0653, 043209/0142). C. BRANDON MCMILLAN, MCBRIDE, MCBRIDE & MCMILLAN, P.A., appears for two assignments (Reel 061203/0185, 061730/0394). The recurrence of these specific attorneys/firms handling multiple transfers within the chain is a strong signal of professional patent management.
4. Cascading transfers — Not present. While there are multiple transfers, they are generally spaced by more than 24 months, with internal reorganizations or company acquisitions/name changes rather than rapid consecutive transfers between shell entities for assertion purposes.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — Not present. The last substantive assignment (from XMG Studio Inc. to Imagination Park Technologies Inc.) occurred on 2019-05-22 (Reel 046316/0651), while the earliest identified litigation filing date is in 2024. This gap exceeds the 6-month threshold.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. There is no evidence in the records or public information suggesting any assignor underwent bankruptcy and sold this patent.
7. Privateering — Not present. There is no indication of an operating company transferring the patent to an NPE to assert on its behalf. ImagineAR Inc. is an operating company asserting its own IP.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The patent is currently held by ImagineAR Inc., which is actively asserting it in litigation, rather than a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

Operating-company assertion. ImagineAR Inc. is an operating company actively developing and marketing augmented reality products and services that align with the claims of the patent. The ongoing litigation (Delaware District Court case 1:24-cv-01252) indicates assertion, but it's by an operating company, not a typical non-practicing entity. The presence of repeat correspondents suggests professional management of their IP, which is common for both operating companies and NPEs, but does not override the clear operating status of the current assignee.

USPTO Assignment Center search for Patent 8668592: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/patents/8668592