Assignment history

Inventors

Donavan Paul Poulin, employer at the time of filing not determinable from the provided patent text.

Original assignee

The original assignee is Wapp Tech Corp. Their primary line of business and whether they shipped a product embodying the claims is not determinable from the provided patent text. Wapp Tech Corp is listed as the "Current Assignee" and the patent has an "Active" legal status.

Assignment timeline

The USPTO Assignment Center (https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/) shows the following assignment for US8924192:

• 2012-11-09 (executed) / recorded 2023-11-29 — Reel 063077/0638
  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignor's Interest
  • Assignor: POULIN, DONAVAN PAUL
  • Assignee: WAPP TECH CORP.
  • Correspondent: BLANK ROME LLP, 1800 MASSACHUSETTS AVE NW, WASHINGTON, DC, 20036.
  • Context: Transfer from inventor to original assignee.

The Google Patents page also lists an assignment event:

• 2023-11-29 Assigned to WAPP TECH CORP. (reassignment).

It appears this is the same event, with the USPTO Assignment Center providing more detail.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 8924192
    2012 : Filed by Wapp Tech Corp
    2014 : Issued
    2023 : Assigned to WAPP TECH CORP from inventor

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — unclear. The initial assignment is from the inventor to WAPP TECH CORP. While WAPP TECH CORP. could be a licensing-only entity, the provided search results indicate several companies with similar names ("WAPPtech Environmental technology Ltd.", "WAPP Technologies", "Wapp ltd") involved in software development, including mobile apps, and water solutions. One search result specifically states "Wapp creates mobile app so users can enjoy their lives on the go." and "Web, mobile and custom application development agency.". This suggests WAPP TECH CORP. (or an affiliated entity) may be an operating company. However, the exact nature of "WAPP TECH CORP." as the assignee of the patent is not definitively established as an operating company that directly ships products embodying these claims. The Google Patents page for US8924192 lists Wapp Tech Corp as the "Original Assignee" and "Current Assignee". Additionally, there's a reference to "Wapp Tech Limited Partnership and Wapp Tech Corp., Plaintiffs" in a patent infringement case. This indicates Wapp Tech Corp is involved in litigation, but doesn't definitively determine its primary business model.
2. Known asserter in the chain — not present. WAPP TECH CORP. does not appear on common public NPE lists based on the provided information.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — not present. Only one assignment is recorded, handled by BLANK ROME LLP. Therefore, there is no recurrence to assess.
4. Cascading transfers — not present. Only one assignment from the inventor to the assignee is recorded.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — unclear. The patent was issued on 2014-12-30. The only recorded assignment from the inventor to WAPP TECH CORP. was executed and recorded on 2023-11-29. Google Patents indicates that litigation for this patent was filed in 2018 (e.g., 4:18-cv-00469 in Texas Eastern District Court). A Justia Law document shows "Wapp Tech Limited Partnership et al v. [Apple Inc.](/litigations/by-plaintiff/Apple%20Inc.) et al, No. 4:2025cv00230" for this patent, with a document date of August 22, 2025. The litigation predates the recorded assignment from the inventor to Wapp Tech Corp. This suggests that the assignment to Wapp Tech Corp in 2023 was not a pre-litigation transfer to enable assertion. However, without earlier assignment records, it's unclear if there were prior unrecorded transfers that might align with earlier litigation.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. No indication of bankruptcy for Wapp Tech Corp.
7. Privateering — unclear. There is no information to indicate privateering.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The patent is currently assigned to WAPP TECH CORP., which is not a known defensive aggregator.

Verdict

Insufficient data. While WAPP TECH CORP. is involved in patent litigation concerning this patent, only one assignment from the inventor to WAPP TECH CORP. is officially recorded (executed 2012-11-09, recorded 2023-11-29, Reel 063077/0638). This single record, occurring well after the patent's issuance and initial litigation filings, does not provide sufficient signals to confidently determine an NPE pattern. The nature of Wapp Tech Corp's business is also unclear, with some search results pointing to mobile app development and other software solutions, but not definitively establishing if they directly produce products embodying the claims of this specific patent.

USPTO Assignment Center search: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/