Assignment history

Inventors

The sole named inventor is Eric C. Anderson. The initial assignment on the patent's filing date (July 29, 2004) was from Eric C. Anderson to IPAC ACQUISITION SUBSIDIARY 1, LLC. KDL Scan Designs LLC is listed as the applicant and original assignee. It is common for inventors to assign their rights to their employer or a related entity upon filing. It is not determinable from the patent record alone whether Eric C. Anderson was an employee of KDL Scan Designs LLC or IPAC ACQUISITION SUBSIDIARY 1, LLC at the time of filing. There is no clear pattern of inventors departing the original assignee within 12 months.

Original assignee

The entity named as the original assignee (applicant) on the issued patent is KDL Scan Designs LLC. While the name "Scan Designs" could suggest a business related to imaging, it is difficult to determine definitively whether KDL Scan Designs LLC shipped products embodying the claims of US 9008055 without extensive historical product research.

Based on the assignment history, KDL Scan Designs LLC was the initial applicant, but rights were immediately transferred to IPAC ACQUISITION SUBSIDIARY 1, LLC. KDL Scan Designs LLC later reappeared in the chain as an assignee in 2012. Its subsequent transfer to Chemtron Research LLC, a known patent asserting entity, suggests that KDL Scan Designs LLC functioned primarily as an intellectual property holding or development entity rather than a product-shipping company in relation to this patent. As of its last appearance in the assignment chain, KDL Scan Designs LLC transferred the patent via a merger to Chemtron Research LLC in 2015. Its current operational status is not definitively known from the patent records, but it appears to have divested its interest in this patent.

Assignment timeline

• 2004-07-29 (executed) / recorded 2004-07-29 — Reel 015649/0185
  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: ANDERSON, ERIC C.
  • Assignee: IPAC ACQUISITION SUBSIDIARY 1, LLC
  • Correspondent: C/O PATIENT GROUP; 15201 N. 75TH STREET; SCOTTSDALE, AZ 85260.
  • Context: Inventor's assignment of rights to an initial holding entity.
• 2006-11-02 (executed) / recorded 2006-11-07 — Reel 018489/0421
  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: IPAC ACQUISITION SUBSIDIARY I, LLC
  • Assignee: SCENERA TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
  • Correspondent: CONLEY ROSE, P.C.; P.O. BOX 3267; HOUSTON, TX 77253-3267. This correspondent recurs frequently in this chain.
  • Context: Transfer of patent rights to another entity.
• 2011-08-01 (executed) / recorded 2011-10-24 — Reel 027108/0010
  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: IPAC ACQUISITION SUBSIDIARY I, LLC
  • Assignee: SCENERA TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
  • Correspondent: CONLEY ROSE, P.C.; P.O. BOX 3267; HOUSTON, TX 77253-3267. This correspondent recurs frequently in this chain.
  • Context: Re-assignment or confirmatory assignment between the same entities.
• 2011-08-03 (executed) / recorded 2011-10-24 — Reel 027108/0024
  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: SCENERA TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
  • Assignee: FOTOMEDIA TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
  • Correspondent: CONLEY ROSE, P.C.; P.O. BOX 3267; HOUSTON, TX 77253-3267. This correspondent recurs frequently in this chain.
  • Context: Transfer of patent rights to another entity.
• 2011-11-28 (executed) / recorded 2011-11-29 — Reel 027294/0463
  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: SCENERA TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
  • Assignee: FOTOMEDIA TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
  • Correspondent: CONLEY ROSE, P.C.; P.O. BOX 3267; HOUSTON, TX 77253-3267. This correspondent recurs frequently in this chain.
  • Context: Another assignment or confirmatory assignment between the same entities.
• 2011-12-12 (executed) / recorded 2012-01-10 — Reel 027512/0307
  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: FOTOMEDIA TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
  • Assignee: KDL SCAN DESIGNS LLC
  • Correspondent: CONLEY ROSE, P.C.; P.O. BOX 3267; HOUSTON, TX 77253-3267. This correspondent recurs frequently in this chain.
  • Context: Transfer of patent rights back to the original applicant.
• 2015-08-26 (executed) / recorded 2015-10-09 — Reel 036828/0702
  • Conveyance: Merger
  • Assignor: KDL SCAN DESIGNS LLC
  • Assignee: CHEMTRON RESEARCH LLC
  • Correspondent: BRIAN M. CUNNINGHAM; CONLEY ROSE, P.C.; PO BOX 3267; HOUSTON, TX 77253-3267. This correspondent recurs frequently in this chain.
  • Context: Transfer of patent rights via merger.
• 2022-07-21 (executed) / recorded 2022-07-21 — Reel 060585/0163
  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: CHEMTRON RESEARCH LLC
  • Assignee: INTELLECTUAL VENTURES ASSETS 184 LLC
  • Correspondent: SAMUEL H. WANG; O'BANION & OLIVIERI; 12150 EAST BRIARWOOD AVENUE; SUITE 200; CENTENNIAL, CO 80112.
  • Context: Transfer to an Intellectual Ventures entity.
• 2022-07-28 (executed) / recorded 2022-08-02 — Reel 060698/0604
  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: INTELLECTUAL VENTURES ASSETS 184 LLC
  • Assignee: IOT INNOVATIONS LLC
  • Correspondent: DAVID PRIDHAM; PRIDHAM LAW OFFICE, LLC; 12725 MUR-LEN ROAD SUITE 200; OLATHE, KS 66062.
  • Context: Transfer from Intellectual Ventures to the current asserting entity.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 9008055
    2004 : Inventor to IPAC Acquisition Subsidiary
    2006 : IPAC to Scenera Technologies LLC
    2011 : IPAC to Scenera (re-recorded)
         : Scenera to Fotomedia Technologies
         : Scenera to Fotomedia (re-recorded)
    2012 : Fotomedia to KDL Scan Designs LLC
    2015 : KDL Scan Designs to Chemtron Research LLC (Merger)
    2022 : Chemtron to Intellectual Ventures Assets 184
         : IV Assets 184 to Iot Innovations LLC

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Present.
   • IPAC ACQUISITION SUBSIDIARY 1, LLC (Reel 015649/0185) has "Acquisition Subsidiary" in its name, typical for holding entities.
   • SCENERA TECHNOLOGIES, LLC, FOTOMEDIA TECHNOLOGIES, LLC, and CHEMTRON RESEARCH LLC are entities widely recognized in the patent assertion space.
   • INTELLECTUAL VENTURES ASSETS 184 LLC (Reel 060585/0163) is an obvious shell entity associated with the well-known NPE Intellectual Ventures.
   • IOT INNOVATIONS LLC (Reel 060698/0604), the current owner, is actively asserting the patent.
2. Known asserter in the chain — Present.
   • INTELLECTUAL VENTURES ASSETS 184 LLC (Reel 060585/0163) is a direct entity of Intellectual Ventures, a prominent NPE.
   • IOT INNOVATIONS LLC (Reel 060698/0604) is the current assignee and plaintiff in ongoing litigation concerning this patent.
   • SCENERA TECHNOLOGIES, LLC and CHEMTRON RESEARCH LLC (Reel 018489/0421, Reel 036828/0702) have been associated with patent assertion activities.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Present.
   • CONLEY ROSE, P.C. appears as the correspondent for multiple assignments from 2006 through 2015 (Reel 018489/0421, Reel 027108/0010, Reel 027108/0024, Reel 027294/0463, Reel 027512/0307, Reel 036828/0702). This consistent use of a single firm across multiple entity transfers is a strong indicator of a coordinated patent management strategy often seen with NPEs.
4. Cascading transfers — Present.
   • From 2011-08-01 to 2012-01-10, the patent was transferred multiple times between IPAC, Scenera, and Fotomedia, and then back to KDL Scan Designs, with all these transfers occurring within a 6-month period and handled by the same correspondent, Conley Rose, P.C. (Reels 027108/0010, 027108/0024, 027294/0463, 027512/0307).
   • A more recent cascading transfer occurred from 2022-07-21 to 2022-07-28, moving from Chemtron Research LLC to Intellectual Ventures Assets 184 LLC and then to Iot Innovations LLC within a week (Reels 060585/0163, 060698/0604).
5. Pre-litigation transfer — Present. The assignment to IOT INNOVATIONS LLC was executed on 2022-07-28 and recorded on 2022-08-02 (Reel 060698/0604). The known litigation (1:23-cv-10352) was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts in early 2023, placing the final transfer within 6 months prior to the first infringement suit, which is a strong signal for patent assertion intent.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. The assignment records do not indicate any bankruptcy proceedings involving the assignors.
7. Privateering — Unclear. While the chain involves known NPEs that engage in privateering, direct evidence in the form of public company SEC filings or specific reporting is not available from the patent assignment records alone.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The chain terminates with Iot Innovations LLC, which is actively asserting the patent, not a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence

The extensive presence of known patent asserting entities (Intellectual Ventures, Iot Innovations LLC, Chemtron Research LLC, Scenera Technologies LLC), coupled with multiple cascading transfers (eels 027108/0010, 027108/0024, 027294/0463, 027512/0307, and Reels 060585/0163, 060698/0604), a recurring correspondent attorney (Conley Rose, P.C.), and a clear pre-litigation transfer to the current asserting entity (Reel 060698/0604, dated 2022-07-28, preceding litigation in early 2023), all strongly indicate an NPE assertion pattern.

USPTO Assignment Center Search for US9008055