Assignment history

Inventors

The sole named inventor for U.S. Patent 8,677,398 is Roy Shkedi. At the time of the application's filing (June 23, 2011), Roy Shkedi was the founder and CEO of Intent IQ LLC, the original assignee of record for this patent, and also the founder of AlmondNet, Inc.

Original assignee

The entity named as the original assignee on the issued patent US8677398 is Intent IQ LLC.
Intent IQ LLC operates in the digital advertising technology sector, specifically providing solutions for cross-device identity resolution and targeted advertising. They offer technology that enables advertisers and publishers to identify and reach users across different devices without relying solely on cookies. Based on their business activities and the nature of the patent claims, Intent IQ LLC ships products and services embodying the claims. They are currently an operating company.

Assignment timeline

• 2011-06-22 (executed) / recorded 2011-08-16 — Reel 025816/0060

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT
  • Assignor: ALMONDNET, INC.
  • Assignee: INTENT IQ LLC
  • Correspondent: GREGORY J. BATTERSBY, 477 MAIN AVE., SUITE 404, NORWALK, CT 06851
  • Context: Transfer of patent rights from an affiliated entity (AlmondNet, Inc.) to the assignee (Intent IQ LLC) shortly before the application filing date, establishing Intent IQ LLC as the original assignee for this specific patent.

• 2018-02-14 (executed) / recorded 2019-01-28 — Reel 052441/0458

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT
  • Assignor: INTENT IQ LLC
  • Assignee: ALMONDNET INC.
  • Correspondent: KENNETH L. KING, LAW OFFICE OF KENNETH L. KING, PO BOX 2981, WESTFIELD, NJ 07091. This correspondent recurs multiple times in this chain.
  • Context: Internal reorganization or transfer between closely related entities.

• 2018-02-14 (executed) / recorded 2019-01-28 — Reel 052441/0462

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT
  • Assignor: ALMONDNET INC.
  • Assignee: INTENT IQ LLC
  • Correspondent: KENNETH L. KING, LAW OFFICE OF KENNETH L. KING, PO BOX 2981, WESTFIELD, NJ 07091. This correspondent recurs multiple times in this chain.
  • Context: Internal reorganization or transfer between closely related entities.

• 2018-02-14 (executed) / recorded 2019-01-28 — Reel 052441/0466

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT
  • Assignor: INTENT IQ LLC
  • Assignee: ALMONDNET INC.
  • Correspondent: KENNETH L. KING, LAW OFFICE OF KENNETH L. KING, PO BOX 2981, WESTFIELD, NJ 07091. This correspondent recurs multiple times in this chain.
  • Context: Internal reorganization or transfer between closely related entities.

• 2018-02-14 (executed) / recorded 2019-01-28 — Reel 052441/0470

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT
  • Assignor: ALMONDNET INC.
  • Assignee: INTENT IQ LLC
  • Correspondent: KENNETH L. KING, LAW OFFICE OF KENNETH L. KING, PO BOX 2981, WESTFIELD, NJ 07091. This correspondent recurs multiple times in this chain.
  • Context: Internal reorganization or transfer between closely related entities.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 8677398
    2007 : Original app filed by AlmondNet
    2011 : Assigned to Intent IQ LLC
         : Continuation filed by Intent IQ LLC
    2014 : Patent 8677398 Issued
    2019 : Assigned Intent IQ to AlmondNet (internal)
         : Assigned AlmondNet to Intent IQ (internal)
         : Assigned Intent IQ to AlmondNet (internal)
         : Assigned AlmondNet to Intent IQ (internal)
    2021 : First litigation filed (Meta)

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Not present. The transfers occur between Intent IQ LLC and AlmondNet, Inc., both of which are operating companies in the ad-tech space and are actively involved in asserting these patents.
2. Known asserter in the chain — Present. Intent IQ LLC and AlmondNet, Inc. are explicitly identified in the litigation summary as patent owners who are "actively asserting it against numerous major technology and media companies" [cite: US Litigation Summary]. This behavior aligns with that of patent asserters.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Present. Kenneth L. King, Law Office of Kenneth L. King, appears as the correspondent for four consecutive assignments recorded on 2019-01-28 (Reel 052441/0458, 0462, 0466, 0470).
4. Cascading transfers — Present. Four assignments were executed on 2018-02-14 and recorded on 2019-01-28, with the patent being transferred back and forth between Intent IQ LLC and AlmondNet Inc. (Reel 052441/0458, 0462, 0466, 0470).
5. Pre-litigation transfer — Not present. The last recorded assignment (2018-02-14 executed / 2019-01-28 recorded, Reel 052441/0470) predates the earliest cited litigation (January 27, 2026) by several years.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. There is no evidence of a bankruptcy sale.
7. Privateering — Unclear. While AlmondNet and Intent IQ LLC are associated and assert patents, it does not appear to be a classic privateering scenario where an operating company transfers a patent to an unaffiliated NPE to assert on its behalf. Instead, they appear to be direct beneficiaries of the assertions.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The patent has not been acquired by a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence

Intent IQ LLC and its related entity AlmondNet, Inc. are documented as actively and frequently asserting this patent against numerous technology and media companies, which is a strong indicator of NPE activity. [cite: US Litigation Summary]. Further, the presence of a recurring correspondent (Kenneth L. King) across multiple internal transfers (Reel 052441/0458, 0462, 0466, 0470) suggests a structured approach to patent management consistent with assertion-focused entities.

USPTO Patent Assignment Search: US8677398