Assignment history

Inventors

The named inventors are Sameep Dave, Russell Fuerst, Mark Kohoot, Jim Keszenheimer, and William H Thesling. All five inventors were employees of Viasat Inc. at the time of filing, as Viasat Inc. is listed as the original assignee. [cite: The full patent text confirms this. Inventor: Sameep Dave, Russell Fuerst, Mark Kohoot, Jim Keszenheimer, William H Thesling, Original Assignee: Viasat Inc]

Original assignee

The original assignee on the issued patent is Viasat Inc. [cite: The full patent text confirms this. Original Assignee: Viasat Inc] Viasat Inc. is a global communications company that provides high-speed satellite broadband services and secure networking systems for military and commercial markets. Their products include military communications equipment, satellite modems, antenna systems, VSAT networks, broadband systems, and secure networking solutions, as well as home and small business internet services. Viasat Inc. is currently an operating company.

Assignment timeline

• 2014-02-10 (executed) / recorded 2014-02-10 — Reel 032182/0939

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: KOHOOT, MARK, THESLING, WILLIAM H, FUERST, RUSSELL, KESZENHEIMER, JIM, DAVE, SAMEEP
  • Assignee: VIASAT, INC.
  • Correspondent: David R. Stevens, Viasat, Inc., 6155 El Camino Real, Carlsbad, CA 92009.
  • Context: Original assignment from inventors to the employer.

• 2016-05-24 (executed) / recorded 2016-05-24 — Reel 038799/0714

  • Conveyance: Patent Security Agreement
  • Assignor: VIASAT, INC.
  • Assignee: MUFG UNION BANK, N.A., AS AGENT
  • Correspondent: Robert A. Fanning, Jr., CADWALADER, WICKERSHAM & TAFT LLP, 200 LIBERTY STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10281.
  • Context: Securitization of patent assets by Viasat Inc.

• 2019-03-27 (executed) / recorded 2019-03-27 — Reel 048715/0589

  • Conveyance: Security Interest
  • Assignor: VIASAT, INC.
  • Assignee: WILMINGTON TRUST, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS COLLATERAL TRUSTEE
  • Correspondent: Robert A. Fanning, Jr., CADWALADER, WICKERSHAM & TAFT LLP, 200 LIBERTY STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10281. This correspondent also appears on the 2016-05-24 entry for this patent.
  • Context: Further securitization of patent assets by Viasat Inc.

• 2022-03-04 (executed) / recorded 2022-03-07 — Reel 059332/0558

  • Conveyance: Security Agreement
  • Assignor: VIASAT, INC.
  • Assignee: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A.
  • Correspondent: Robert A. Fanning, Jr., CADWALADER, WICKERSHAM & TAFT LLP, 200 LIBERTY STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10281. This correspondent also appears on the 2016-05-24 and 2019-03-27 entries for this patent.
  • Context: Further securitization of patent assets by Viasat Inc.

• 2023-05-30 (executed) / recorded 2023-06-01 — Reel 063822/0446

  • Conveyance: Security Agreement
  • Assignor: VIASAT, INC.
  • Assignee: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., AS AGENT
  • Correspondent: Robert A. Fanning, Jr., CADWALADER, WICKERSHAM & TAFT LLP, 200 LIBERTY STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10281. This correspondent also appears on the 2016-05-24, 2019-03-27, and 2022-03-07 entries for this patent.
  • Context: Further securitization of patent assets by Viasat Inc.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 8966347
    2013 : Filed by Viasat Inc
    2014 : Assigned by inventors to Viasat Inc
    2015 : Issued to Viasat Inc
    2016 : Security agreement to MUFG Union Bank
    2019 : Security interest to Wilmington Trust
    2022 : Security agreement to Bank of America
    2023 : Security agreement to Bank of America as Agent

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Not present. The patent remains with the original operating company, Viasat Inc., and transfers have been for security agreements rather than outright assignments to shell entities.

2. Known asserter in the chain — Not present. The assignees (MUFG Union Bank, Wilmington Trust, Bank of America) are financial institutions involved in securitization, not known patent assertion entities. Known NPEs include Acacia Research Corp, Marathon Patent Group, Intellectual Ventures, IPNav, Wi-LAN, Mosaid/Conversant, Vringo, Pendrell, Innovatio IP Ventures, MPHJ Technology, Lumen View Technology, Round Rock Research, and Erich Spangenberg entities.

3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Present. Robert A. Fanning, Jr., of Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP, appears as the correspondent on all security agreement recordings from 2016-05-24 (Reel 038799/0714), 2019-03-27 (Reel 048715/0589), 2022-03-07 (Reel 059332/0558), and 2023-06-01 (Reel 063822/0446). While this indicates a consistent legal representative for Viasat's financial transactions, it does not, in this context, suggest an NPE pattern, as the transfers are security agreements with financial institutions, not transfers of ownership to shell entities for assertion.

4. Cascading transfers — Not present. The transfers are primarily security agreements, not consecutive assignments of ownership, and they occur over several years rather than in rapid succession.

5. Pre-litigation transfer — Unclear. There is litigation noted in the CAFC (case 24-1483), but the assignment timeline shows security agreements with financial institutions, not a transfer of ownership immediately preceding litigation. Without specific details of the CAFC case filing date and the nature of the plaintiff, it's difficult to draw a conclusion here.

6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. Viasat Inc. is an active, operating company.

7. Privateering — Not present. There is no indication of a transfer to an NPE asserting on Viasat's behalf.

8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The patent is not currently held by a defensive aggregator like RPX, Allied Security Trust (AST), LOT Network, or Open Invention Network (OIN).

Verdict

Insufficient data. While there is ongoing litigation at the CAFC (case 24-1483), the recorded assignments for US8966347 exclusively show security agreements with financial institutions, not a transfer of ownership to a shell entity or known patent asserter. The patent remains with the original operating company, Viasat Inc. Therefore, there is insufficient evidence from the assignment records to definitively classify this as an NPE assertion. The existence of a repeat correspondent across the security agreements is a signal, but in this context, it points to consistent legal representation for an operating company's financial dealings rather than an NPE pattern. The USPTO Assignment Center search page can be found at https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/ for verification.