Assignment history

Inventors

• Christopher P. Ricci: Unclear employer at the time of filing.
• Octavian Chincisan: Unclear employer at the time of filing.
• Alisher I. Yusupov: Unclear employer at the time of filing.

No unusual patterns regarding inventors departing the original assignee are determinable from the provided information.

Original assignee

The original assignee on the issued patent was Flextronics AP LLC.
It is unclear from the provided information whether Flextronics AP LLC shipped a product embodying the claims of US9020697.
Flextronics International Ltd. (the parent company of Flextronics AP LLC) is a global manufacturing services company that designs, builds, and ships products for its customers across various industries. However, the specific business of Flextronics AP LLC at the time of filing and whether it shipped a product embodying the claims of this particular patent is not explicitly stated.
Based on information from Google Patents, Flextronics AP LLC reassigned the patent in 2015 and then again in 2014 to FlexTronics AP, LLC. Its current status (operating, acquired, dissolved, in bankruptcy) is not definitively determinable for "Flextronics AP LLC" as a standalone entity, though its parent company, Flex, remains an active global company.

Assignment timeline

• 2014-06-25 (executed) / recorded 2014-06-25 — Reel 032609/0754

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: Christopher P. Ricci
  • Assignee: FLEXTRONICS AP, LLC
  • Correspondent: Jeffrey M. Telep, Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner LLP, 901 New York Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20001
  • Context: Internal transfer from inventor to company.

• 2014-09-16 (executed) / recorded 2014-09-16 — Reel 032745/0285

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: Octavian Chincisan
  • Assignee: FLEXTRONICS AP, LLC
  • Correspondent: Jeffrey M. Telep, Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner LLP, 901 New York Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20001. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Internal transfer from inventor to company.

• 2014-09-16 (executed) / recorded 2014-09-16 — Reel 032745/0285

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: Alisher Yusupov
  • Assignee: FLEXTRONICS AP, LLC
  • Correspondent: Jeffrey M. Telep, Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner LLP, 901 New York Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20001. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Internal transfer from inventor to company.

• 2015-08-28 (executed) / recorded 2015-09-02 — Reel 035178/0744

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: FLEXTRONICS AP, LLC
  • Assignee: AutoConnect Holdings LLC
  • Correspondent: GREGORY W. CARR, CARR LAW FIRM, P.C., 2727 LBJ FREEWAY, SUITE 940, DALLAS, TEXAS 75234.
  • Context: Transfer to an asserting entity.

• 2024-07-07 (executed) / recorded 2024-07-08 — Reel 060232/0834

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: AutoConnect Holdings, LLC
  • Assignee: IP Optimum Limited
  • Correspondent: Daniel E. De La Garza, Daniel De La Garza, Attorney at Law, P.O. Box 271167, Houston, Texas 77277.
  • Context: Transfer to a likely asserting entity.

• 2024-07-07 (executed) / recorded 2024-07-08 — Reel 060232/0834

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: IP Optimum Limited
  • Assignee: AutoConnect Holdings LLC
  • Correspondent: Daniel E. De La Garza, Daniel De La Garza, Attorney at Law, P.O. Box 271167, Houston, Texas 77277. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Transfer back to a likely asserting entity, possibly for litigation strategy or to restructure ownership.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 9020697
    2014 : Filed by Flextronics AP LLC
         : Assigned from C. Ricci to Flextronics
         : Assigned from O. Chincisan to Flextronics
         : Assigned from A. Yusupov to Flextronics
    2015 : Issued
         : Assigned to AutoConnect Holdings LLC
    2024 : Assigned to IP Optimum Limited
         : Assigned to AutoConnect Holdings LLC

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — present. The transfer to AutoConnect Holdings LLC on 2015-08-28 (recorded 2015-09-02, Reel 035178/0744) and the subsequent transfer to IP Optimum Limited on 2024-07-07 (recorded 2024-07-08, Reel 060232/0834) followed by an immediate transfer back to AutoConnect Holdings LLC on the same date, strongly suggest shell entities for assertion purposes. AutoConnect Holdings LLC is a known NPE as per the litigation summary provided earlier. The correspondent for these later transfers is Daniel E. De La Garza, Attorney at Law, P.O. Box 271167, Houston, Texas 77277, which is a registered-agent type address.

2. Known asserter in the chain — present. AutoConnect Holdings LLC is explicitly named as a Plaintiff in the District Court litigation in Texas Eastern District Court (Case Number: 2:24-cv-00802) and Delaware District Court (Case Number: 1:24-cv-01327), confirming its status as a known asserter. This is evidenced by the assignment to AutoConnect Holdings LLC on 2015-08-28 (recorded 2015-09-02, Reel 035178/0744).

3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — present. Jeffrey M. Telep of Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner LLP appears as the correspondent for all three inventor assignments to Flextronics AP, LLC in 2014 (Reel 032609/0754 and Reel 032745/0285). Daniel E. De La Garza, Attorney at Law, P.O. Box 271167, Houston, Texas 77277, appears as the correspondent for both transfers involving IP Optimum Limited on 2024-07-07 (Reel 060232/0834). The recurrence of Daniel E. De La Garza for the transfers involving IP Optimum Limited and AutoConnect Holdings LLC suggests a consistent legal representative for these entities.

4. Cascading transfers — present. There are two transfers on the same day, 2024-07-07 (recorded 2024-07-08, Reel 060232/0834), from AutoConnect Holdings, LLC to IP Optimum Limited and then immediately back to AutoConnect Holdings LLC. This rapid succession of transfers between two entities, especially when associated with a known NPE and a consistent correspondent, is a strong signal of cascading transfers for potential strategic purposes.

5. Pre-litigation transfer — present. The assignment to AutoConnect Holdings LLC occurred on 2015-08-28 (recorded 2015-09-02, Reel 035178/0744). The earliest litigation found for this patent is a PTAB case IPR2025-01342, with a filing date in 2025, and district court cases filed in October and December 2024. This significant gap (over 8 years) means the initial transfer to AutoConnect Holdings LLC was not immediately pre-litigation for the currently active cases. However, the transfers involving IP Optimum Limited on 2024-07-07, just months before the District Court litigation filings in October and December 2024, indicate pre-litigation transfers (Reel 060232/0834).

6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. There is no information to suggest that Flextronics AP LLC, or any other assignor, underwent a bankruptcy fire-sale.

7. Privateering — unclear. While the patent was initially owned by a manufacturing company (Flextronics AP LLC), the transfer to AutoConnect Holdings LLC, a known NPE, suggests a potential for privateering. However, there is no explicit information detailing an ongoing relationship or assertion on behalf of Flextronics AP LLC against its competitors.

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

Verdict

NPE — high confidence

This verdict is based on multiple strong signals. AutoConnect Holdings LLC is a known patent asserter involved in ongoing litigation, as detailed in the litigation summary. The transfers on 2024-07-07 (Reel 060232/0834) between AutoConnect Holdings LLC and IP Optimum Limited, handled by the same correspondent (Daniel E. De La Garza), show cascading transfers and shell entity characteristics, occurring shortly before active litigation began.

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