Assignment history

Inventors

The sole named inventor for U.S. Patent 8,671,139 is Roy Shkedi. At the time of filing, Roy Shkedi was the CEO and founder of Almondnet Inc., the original assignee.

Original assignee

The original assignee named on the issued patent is Almondnet Inc. Almondnet Group, established in 1998, is described as an industry leader and pioneer in privacy-friendly, targeted advertising. It has developed an extensive suite of targeted advertising solutions and products. Currently, Almondnet Inc. is focused on R&D and the licensing of its extensive portfolio of intellectual property, covering various areas of targeting and attribution. The company and its subsidiaries (including Intent IQ, LLC) actively assert these patents in litigation. Intent IQ, LLC, a subsidiary, offers identity resolution, cookieless audience activation, and bid enhancement solutions, and its products are available through platforms like Google Cloud Marketplace. Therefore, Almondnet Inc. is currently operating.

Assignment timeline

A search of the USPTO Patent Assignment Center for U.S. Patent 8,671,139 shows no recorded assignments beyond the initial assignment from the inventor to Almondnet Inc. This initial assignment occurred on the patent's filing date.

• 2012-06-07 (executed) / recorded 2012-06-07 (based on Google Patents data)
  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignor's Interest
  • Assignor: Shkedi, Roy
  • Assignee: Almondnet Inc.
  • Correspondent: Not specified in available records for this initial assignment.
  • Context: Original assignment from inventor to the filing entity, establishing initial ownership.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 8671139
    2006 : Priority date
    2012 : Filed, assigned to Almondnet Inc
    2014 : Patent issued
    2021 : First litigation filed by Almondnet

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Not present. The patent has not moved from an operating assignee to a separate, licensing-only LLC in the recorded chain. Almondnet Inc. itself is the original assignee and is described as an entity focused on IP licensing, although it also engages in R&D and has product-developing subsidiaries.

2. Known asserter in the chain — Present. Almondnet Inc. and its subsidiary Intent IQ, LLC, are known asserters. Almondnet Inc. has actively asserted this patent in numerous litigations, including a "blockbuster trial win" against Amazon.com, Inc..

3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Not applicable. There are no post-issuance assignments recorded in the USPTO Assignment Center for this patent.

4. Cascading transfers — Not present. There are no recorded transfers in the USPTO Assignment Center.

5. Pre-litigation transfer — Not present. There are no recorded assignments of this patent within 6 months before the first infringement suit filed by Almondnet Inc. in August 2021.

6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. Almondnet Inc. is actively operating and asserting its patents.

7. Privateering — Unclear. While Almondnet Inc. focuses on IP licensing and assertion, there is no direct evidence to confirm it is asserting on behalf of an operating company against competitors in a privateering arrangement. Almondnet Inc. appears to be the primary asserter of its own portfolio.

8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The patent is currently held by Almondnet Inc., an entity that asserts its patents.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence

Almondnet Inc., the original assignee, explicitly states its focus on "R&D and the licensing of its extensive portfolio of enabling technology and Intellectual Property" and is identified as an "IP licensing entity". This, coupled with its extensive and successful litigation history, including a "blockbuster trial win" for this patent against Amazon, strongly indicates that patent assertion is a primary business model for Almondnet Inc..

Verification Link: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/patent/index.html (Search for patent number 8671139)