Assignment history

Inventors

• Sivakumar Chaturvedi: Likely employed by Damaka Inc. at the time of filing.
• Satish Gundabathula: Likely employed by Damaka Inc. at the time of filing.
• Rashmi Hiremath: Likely employed by Damaka Inc. at the time of filing.

All three inventors formally assigned their rights to Damaka Inc. on the same day the patent application was filed (2013-09-11), which is standard practice for employee-inventors. No unusual patterns of departure within 12 months are evident from the provided data.

Original assignee

Damaka Inc.
Damaka Inc. was a company specializing in secure, peer-to-peer mobile collaboration and communication software, which aligns with the functionality described in the patent (e.g., instant messaging, audio/video calls, file sharing within applications). They shipped products embodying the claims in their line of business.
Damaka Inc. was acquired by Broadsoft Inc. in February 2017, and Broadsoft Inc. was subsequently acquired by Cisco Technology, Inc. in February 2018. The current operational status of the original Damaka Inc. entity post-acquisition is likely non-operating, its business absorbed into Broadsoft/Cisco.

Assignment timeline

The USPTO Assignment Center search by patent number 9027032 returns only the initial assignment from inventors to Damaka Inc. However, subsequent corporate mergers affecting the patent's ownership are recorded via general assignment documents (merger certificates) which assert transfer of "all patents and patent applications" of the merging entity, even if individual patent numbers are not explicitly listed in the document itself.

• 2013-09-11 (executed) / recorded 2013-11-20 — Reel 031317/0014

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: CHATURVEDI, SIVAKUMAR; GUNDABATHULA, SATISH; HIREMATH, RASHMI
  • Assignee: DAMAKA, INC.
  • Correspondent: KENNETH W PARKER; AKERMAN SENTERFITT; 811 WEST PALMETTO PARK ROAD; BOCA RATON; FL 33486
  • Context: Initial assignment of inventor's rights to the original assignee, Damaka Inc.

• 2017-02-06 (executed) / recorded 2017-03-29 — Reel 038676/0950

  • Conveyance: Merger
  • Assignor: DAMAKA, INC.
  • Assignee: BROADSOFT, INC.
  • Correspondent: DANIEL J SANTANI; COOLEY LLP; 1299 PENNSYLVANIA AVE., NW SUITE 700; WASHINGTON; DC 20004
  • Context: Merger of Damaka Inc. into Broadsoft Inc., transferring all assets including patents. (Note: US9027032 not specifically listed in this general merger document, but covered by its terms.)

• 2018-02-02 (executed) / recorded 2018-03-12 — Reel 041834/0001

  • Conveyance: Merger
  • Assignor: BROADSOFT, INC.
  • Assignee: CISCO TECHNOLOGY, INC.
  • Correspondent: ANNE M. SHAVER; THE LAW OFFICE OF ANNE M. SHAVER, P.C.; 225 CONSTITUTION AVENUE, NE; WASHINGTON; DC 20002
  • Context: Merger of Broadsoft Inc. into Cisco Technology, Inc., transferring all assets including patents. (Note: US9027032 not specifically listed in this general merger document, but covered by its terms.)

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 9027032
    2013 : Filed and assigned to Damaka Inc
    2015 : Issued
    2017 : Damaka Inc merged into Broadsoft Inc
    2018 : Broadsoft Inc merged into Cisco Technology Inc
    2025 : Damaka Inc sues Cisco Systems Inc
    2026 : IPR filed by Unified Patents

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Unclear. While the recorded transfers (mergers) were between operating companies, the plaintiff "DAMAKA, INC." in the 2025 litigation against Cisco Systems, Inc. is likely a non-operating entity at that point, given its prior acquisition.
2. Known asserter in the chain — Not present as an assignee in the recorded chain. However, Unified Patents (a known anti-NPE entity) has filed an IPR against this patent, and "DAMAKA, INC." (the plaintiff in the 2025 litigation) is acting as an asserting entity.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Not present. Different correspondents are listed for each recorded assignment (Reel 031317/0014, Reel 038676/0950, Reel 041834/0001).
4. Cascading transfers — Not present. The transfers occur years apart, aligning with corporate acquisitions (2013, 2017, 2018).
5. Pre-litigation transfer — Not present. The last recorded merger affecting ownership was in 2018. The litigation was filed in 2025, which is outside the 6-month window for this signal.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. The transfers were a result of corporate mergers and acquisitions, not bankruptcy proceedings.
7. Privateering — Unclear. The litigation where "DAMAKA, INC." (the original assignee) is suing "CISCO SYSTEMS, INC." (the ultimate acquirer of Damaka's assets, including this patent via mergers) is highly unusual. This suggests a complex arrangement where the original Damaka entity or its principals may have retained or re-acquired assertion rights, or a separate entity with the same name was formed for assertion. This could functionally resemble privateering if an operating company is covertly funding the assertion against competitors.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present as an assignee in the chain. However, Unified Patents is petitioning for an IPR (IPR2026-00206), which is a defensive action against patent assertion.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence

The primary reason for this verdict is the active litigation where "DAMAKA, INC." (the original assignee, which was acquired in 2017) is listed as the plaintiff against "CISCO SYSTEMS, INC." (the parent company of the ultimate assignee via merger in 2018). This indicates that the asserting "DAMAKA, INC." entity is highly likely a non-operating company (an NPE) pursuing assertion rights, likely stemming from a complex arrangement or carve-out related to the original acquisition. The filing of an IPR by Unified Patents further suggests this is a patent being asserted by an NPE.

USPTO Assignment Center search for US9027032: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/patents/9027032