Assignment history

Inventors

• Xuefeng Yin (Employer at time of filing: SHANGHAI SAGE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY Co Ltd)

Original assignee

Empire Technology Development LLC. It is unclear if Empire Technology Development LLC shipped a product embodying the claims. Empire Technology Development LLC's primary line of business appears to be patent acquisition and licensing, rather than product development. Its current status is unclear, though it has been involved in multiple patent reassignments.

Assignment timeline

• 2012-07-16 (executed) / recorded 2012-07-16 — Reel 028913/0500
  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: Xuefeng Yin
  • Assignee: SHANGHAI SAGE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY CO. LTD.
  • Correspondent: EMPIRE TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT LLC, 2375 116TH AVE NE STE 110, BELLEVUE, WA, 98004
  • Context: Transfer from inventor to a technology company.
• 2012-07-16 (executed) / recorded 2012-07-16 — Reel 028913/0501
  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: SHANGHAI SAGE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY CO. LTD.
  • Assignee: EMPIRE TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT LLC
  • Correspondent: EMPIRE TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT LLC, 2375 116TH AVE NE STE 110, BELLEVUE, WA, 98004. This correspondent recurs.
  • Context: Transfer from technology company to Empire Technology Development LLC.
• 2019-01-29 (executed) / recorded 2019-01-29 — Reel 046481/0885
  • Conveyance: Security Interest
  • Assignor: EMPIRE TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT LLC
  • Assignee: CRESTLINE DIRECT FINANCE, L.P.
  • Correspondent: LARA REID, KIRKLAND & ELLIS LLP, 601 LEXINGTON AVENUE, NEW YORK, NEW YORK, 10022
  • Context: Securitization of patent assets.
• 2022-09-30 (executed) / recorded 2022-09-30 — Reel 054005/0122
  • Conveyance: Release By Secured Party
  • Assignor: CRESTLINE DIRECT FINANCE, L.P.
  • Assignee: EMPIRE TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT LLC
  • Correspondent: LARA REID, KIRKLAND & ELLIS LLP, 601 LEXINGTON AVENUE, NEW YORK, NEW YORK, 10022. This correspondent recurs.
  • Context: Release of security interest, returning control to Empire Technology Development LLC.
• 2022-12-15 (executed) / recorded 2022-12-16 — Reel 054271/0212
  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: EMPIRE TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT, LLC
  • Assignee: COBBLESTONE WIRELESS, LLC
  • Correspondent: BRIAN C. MCMANUS, C/O LEGALZOOM LEGAL SERVICES, 9900 SPECTRUM DRIVE, AUSTIN, TEXAS, 78717
  • Context: Transfer to Cobblestone Wireless, LLC.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 8891347
    2011 : Application filed by Empire Technology Development LLC
    2012 : Assigned from inventor to Shanghai Sage
         : Assigned from Shanghai Sage to Empire Technology
    2014 : Application granted and published
    2019 : Security interest to Crestline Direct Finance
    2022 : Security interest released
         : Assigned to Cobblestone Wireless LLC

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — present.

   • 2012-07-16 (executed) / recorded 2012-07-16 — Reel 028913/0501: Empire Technology Development LLC appears to be a licensing-focused entity, lacking evidence of product shipment.
   • 2022-12-15 (executed) / recorded 2022-12-16 — Reel 054271/0212: Cobblestone Wireless, LLC. The name suggests a licensing or holding company, and common indicators for NPEs (no products in commerce, registered-agent address) would need further investigation for definitive confirmation.

2. Known asserter in the chain — present.

   • Cobblestone Wireless LLC is listed as the current assignee, and Unified Patents has ongoing litigation data referencing this patent and Cobblestone Wireless LLC as the petitioner in PTAB cases IPR2024-00136 and IPR2024-00319.

3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — present.

   • EMPIRE TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT LLC, 2375 116TH AVE NE STE 110, BELLEVUE, WA, 98004 appears as correspondent on Reel 028913/0500 and 028913/0501.
   • LARA REID, KIRKLAND & ELLIS LLP, 601 LEXINGTON AVENUE, NEW YORK, NEW YORK, 10022 appears on Reel 046481/0885 and 054005/0122.

4. Cascading transfers — not present. The transfers occur over several years.

5. Pre-litigation transfer — present.

   • The patent was assigned to Cobblestone Wireless, LLC on 2022-12-15 (executed) / recorded 2022-12-16 (Reel 054271/0212).
   • Litigation records show cases filed in Texas Eastern District Court in 2022-12-22 (e.g., case 2:22-cv-00474, 2:22-cv-00477, 2:22-cv-00478), which is within 6 months of the assignment.

6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. No indication of the original assignee, Empire Technology Development LLC, filing for bankruptcy.

7. Privateering — unclear. While there's a transfer to a likely NPE and subsequent litigation, there's no explicit evidence from SEC filings or other public records directly indicating an operating company transferred the patent for assertion on its behalf against competitors.

8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The chain does not end at a known defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence. The presence of multiple strong signals, including transfers to shell entities (Empire Technology Development LLC and Cobblestone Wireless, LLC), the identification of Cobblestone Wireless LLC as a known asserter through Unified Patents litigation data, repeat correspondents across different transfers (Empire Technology Development LLC, Lara Reid), and pre-litigation transfers to Cobblestone Wireless LLC immediately preceding infringement suits in late 2022, strongly indicate an NPE pattern.

USPTO Assignment Center search page for verification: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/