Assignment history

Inventors

• Luis M. Ortiz: Employer at time of filing not explicitly stated in the patent document. Based on the assignment record, he assigned his interest to Mesa Digital LLC on the filing date, suggesting Mesa Digital LLC was the assignee at the time of filing.
• Kermit D. Lopez: Employer at time of filing not explicitly stated in the patent document. Based on the assignment record, he assigned his interest to Mesa Digital LLC on the filing date, suggesting Mesa Digital LLC was the assignee at the time of filing.

No unusual patterns regarding inventors departing the original assignee within 12 months of filing are determinable from the provided information, as the initial assignment to Mesa Digital LLC occurred on the filing date itself.

Original assignee

The entity named on the issued patent US9031537 is Mesa Digital LLC.

Mesa Digital LLC does not appear to ship products embodying the claims of US9031537 or any other products. Its primary line of business is patent licensing and assertion, as indicated by its classification as a non-practicing entity (NPE) by organizations like Unified Patents and RPX. As of the current date (June 26, 2026), Mesa Digital LLC appears to be an actively operating entity focused on patent assertion, given the extensive litigation history involving this patent and its family members. The patent's legal status is "Expired - Fee Related," effective December 3, 2023, but this does not preclude ongoing litigation for past infringements.

Assignment timeline

• 2008-10-23 (executed) / recorded 2008-11-20 — Reel 021487/0572
  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: LOPEZ, KERMIT D. (Individual) & ORTIZ, LUIS M. (Individual)
  • Assignee: MESA DIGITAL, LLC
  • Correspondent: BROWNING, MICHAEL R. C/O CONLEY ROSE, P.C., P.O. BOX 3267, HOUSTON, TX 77253-3267.
  • Context: Initial transfer from inventors to a dedicated patent holding and assertion entity.

The USPTO Assignment Center search for US9031537 reveals only this single assignment record.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 9031537
    2000 : Priority date
    2008 : Filed by inventors
         : Assigned to Mesa Digital LLC
    2015 : Patent issued
    2023 : Patent expired

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Present. The patent was assigned from the individual inventors to Mesa Digital LLC on the filing date (Reel 021487/0572, executed 2008-10-23). Mesa Digital LLC is a known non-practicing entity (NPE) and does not manufacture products, functioning primarily for patent licensing and assertion.
2. Known asserter in the chain — Present. Mesa Digital LLC is identified by Unified Patents and RPX as an active non-practicing entity (NPE) and a high-frequency plaintiff in patent litigation. The entity became the assignee on 2008-10-23 (Reel 021487/0572).
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Unclear. Michael R. Browning of Conley Rose, P.C. is listed as the correspondent for the only recorded assignment (Reel 021487/0572). Without further information on other patent chains or known NPE assertion lists for this specific correspondent, it cannot be confirmed if they are a repeat player.
4. Cascading transfers — Not present. There is only one recorded assignment in the chain for this patent.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — Not present. The assignment to Mesa Digital LLC occurred on October 23, 2008 (Reel 021487/0572). The earliest identified litigation related to this patent family began in 2018 or 2019, which is significantly more than 6 months after the assignment date.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. There is no indication from the patent record or general searches that the inventors or Mesa Digital LLC were in bankruptcy proceedings that led to this assignment.
7. Privateering — Unclear. While Mesa Digital LLC is an NPE, there is no public information or evidence provided to suggest it is asserting this patent on behalf of an operating company against competitors.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The patent is currently held by Mesa Digital LLC, an asserting entity, not a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence

This verdict is driven by two strong signals: the transfer of the patent from individual inventors directly to Mesa Digital LLC (Reel 021487/0572, executed 2008-10-23), which is a known shell entity with no product manufacturing, and Mesa Digital LLC's established reputation as a prominent patent asserter identified by industry watchdogs like Unified Patents and RPX. This pattern strongly indicates the patent was acquired and held for the purpose of licensing and assertion rather than commercialization.

(USPTO Assignment Center search: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/ - search for US9031537)