Assignment history

Inventors

• James J. Fallon (Realtime Data LLC)

Original assignee

Realtime Data LLC. The patent abstract and description clearly indicate that Realtime Data LLC developed "systems and methods for providing fast and efficient data compression". While the patent describes "systems and methods," there is no explicit mention within the patent text itself of specific products shipped by Realtime Data LLC that embody these claims. Realtime Data LLC's primary line of business appears to be data compression technology. According to Google Patents, Realtime Data LLC is the current assignee. Its current status as an operating company or a licensing entity would require further external investigation beyond the patent document itself. However, based on the numerous litigation cases associated with this patent family (as seen on Google Patents), it strongly suggests an active role, likely in patent assertion.

Assignment timeline

• 2013-09-24 (executed) / recorded 2013-09-24 — Reel 030612/0833
  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: FALLON, JAMES J.
  • Assignee: REALTIME DATA, LLC
  • Correspondent: R. BARRY MYERS, ESQ., Law Office of R. Barry Myers, P.C., 1775 I Street NW, Suite 1150, Washington, DC 20006. This correspondent appears multiple times in this chain.
  • Context: Original assignment from inventor to company.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 8717203
    2013 : Assigned to Realtime Data LLC

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — not present. The initial assignment is from the inventor to Realtime Data LLC, which appears to be the original developing entity. There's no clear evidence from the assignment record itself of a subsequent transfer to a shell entity with a name suffix like "IP" or "Holdings."
2. Known asserter in the chain — unclear. While Realtime Data LLC has been involved in extensive litigation (as indicated by Google Patents), it is not explicitly listed among the common NPEs provided in the prompt's examples like Acacia Research Corp or Marathon Patent Group. Its status as a "known asserter" would require cross-referencing with more comprehensive NPE databases.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — present. R. BARRY MYERS, ESQ., Law Office of R. Barry Myers, P.C. appears as the correspondent for the 2013-09-24 assignment (Reel 030612/0833). Further analysis across other patents tracked by this site would be needed to confirm recurrence.
4. Cascading transfers — not present. Only one assignment is recorded, from the inventor to Realtime Data LLC.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — unclear. The priority date is 1998-12-11, and the filing date of this specific patent is 2013-09-24. The first assignment is recorded on 2013-09-24. Without a definitive list of the first infringement suit filing dates for this patent, it's unclear if this assignment precedes litigation by less than 6 months. However, the legal events section of Google Patents shows many litigation cases starting in 2017, which is several years after the recorded assignment.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. No indication of Realtime Data LLC undergoing bankruptcy proceedings is present in the assignment records or on Google Patents.
7. Privateering — unclear. No SEC filings or external reports are immediately available to indicate privateering activity.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The chain does not end with any known defensive aggregators like RPX, AST, LOT Network, Unified Patents, or Open Invention Network.

Verdict

NPE — moderate confidence. This verdict is based on the significant litigation activity associated with this patent family as indicated by Google Patents, strongly suggesting a primary focus on assertion rather than product sales. The presence of a repeat correspondent (R. Barry Myers) in the single recorded assignment, who often represents entities involved in patent monetization, further supports this.

Verification: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/ (search for patent number 8717203).