Assignment history

Inventors

• Christopher P. Ricci (Flextronics AP LLC)

Original assignee

The original assignee on the issued patent US9147297B2 is Flextronics AP LLC. Flextronics International, the parent company, is a global manufacturing and supply chain company that provides design, engineering, and manufacturing services for various industries. It is an operating company.

Assignment timeline

• 2014-06-25 / recorded 2014-06-25 — Reel 032600/0815

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: Ricci, Christopher P.
  • Assignee: FLEXTRONICS AP, LLC
  • Correspondent: Jeffrey T. Van Winkle, Quinn Law Group, PLLC
  • Context: Internal transfer from inventor to operating company

• 2015-08-28 / recorded 2015-08-28 — Reel 035655/0285

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: FLEXTRONICS AP, LLC
  • Assignee: AUTOCONNECT HOLDINGS LLC
  • Correspondent: Ryan S. Quillin, DLA Piper LLP (US), One Market Plaza, Steuart Tower, Ste 2000, San Francisco, CA 94105-1440. This correspondent also appears on reel 036814/0839.
  • Context: Transfer to asserter

• 2024-07-07 / recorded 2024-07-07 — Reel 059902/0593

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: AutoConnect Holdings, LLC
  • Assignee: IP Optimum Limited
  • Correspondent: RYAN S. QUILLIN, DLA Piper LLP (US), 4365 Executive Drive, Suite 1100, San Diego, CA 92121. This correspondent also appears on reel 035655/0285.
  • Context: Transfer to asserter

• 2024-07-07 / recorded 2024-07-07 — Reel 059902/0594

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: IP Optimum Limited
  • Assignee: AUTOCONNECT HOLDINGS LLC
  • Correspondent: RYAN S. QUILLIN, DLA Piper LLP (US), 4365 Executive Drive, Suite 1100, San Diego, CA 92121. This correspondent also appears on reel 035655/0285.
  • Context: Transfer to asserter

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 9147297
    2014 : Application filed by Flextronics AP LLC
         : Assigned to Flextronics AP LLC
    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.

   • 2015-08-28 / recorded 2015-08-28 — Reel 035655/0285: Flextronics AP LLC to AutoConnect Holdings LLC. AutoConnect Holdings LLC appears to be a licensing entity, with no clear product line.
   • 2024-07-07 / recorded 2024-07-07 — Reel 059902/0593: AutoConnect Holdings, LLC to IP Optimum Limited. IP Optimum Limited also appears to be a licensing entity.
   • 2024-07-07 / recorded 2024-07-07 — Reel 059902/0594: IP Optimum Limited to AutoConnect Holdings LLC. This shows a circular transfer typical of shell entities.

2. Known asserter in the chain — Present. AutoConnect Holdings LLC is an entity associated with patent litigation. Unified Patents lists AutoConnect Holdings LLC as an asserting entity involved in litigation related to this patent family.

3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Present. Ryan S. Quillin of DLA Piper LLP (US) is the correspondent for the assignments on reels 035655/0285, 059902/0593, and 059902/0594. His repeated appearance in the chain, especially during transfers to and from entities like AutoConnect Holdings LLC, indicates a likely connection to the assertion strategy.

4. Cascading transfers — Present. The transfers on 2024-07-07 from AutoConnect Holdings LLC to IP Optimum Limited and back to AutoConnect Holdings LLC (Reel 059902/0593 and 059902/0594) happened on the same day, indicating a rapid, non-operational transfer sequence.

5. Pre-litigation transfer — Present. The patent was granted on September 29, 2015. The assignment to AutoConnect Holdings LLC occurred on August 28, 2015, just over a month before the patent issued. This transfer preceded the filing of infringement suits in 2024 by AutoConnect Holdings LLC, as indicated by Unified Patents.

6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. No information suggests Flextronics AP LLC underwent bankruptcy proceedings that led to this patent transfer.

7. Privateering — Unclear. While the patent moved from an operating company to an NPE, there is no public information definitively stating that Flextronics AP LLC is using AutoConnect Holdings LLC to assert patents on its behalf against competitors.

8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The chain does not terminate with a known defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence. The presence of multiple strong signals, including the transfer to a known asserting entity (AutoConnect Holdings LLC), the use of the same correspondent attorney for multiple transfers, cascading transfers between shell entities, and a transfer occurring shortly before patent issuance and prior to later litigation, strongly indicate that this patent is being used for assertion by an NPE.

USPTO Assignment Center search for US9147297: https://assignment-eitf.uspto.gov/assignment_view/pages/public/assignment.jsf?qid=29