Assignment history

Inventors

• Christopher P. Ricci: Likely associated with AutoConnect Holdings LLC or Flextronics AP, LLC at the time of filing. The patent application was filed by AutoConnect Holdings LLC on March 14, 2013, and Christopher P. Ricci assigned his interest to FLEXTRONICS AP, LLC on March 18, 2013.

Original assignee

The entity named on the issued patent is AutoConnect Holdings LLC.
AutoConnect Holdings LLC does not appear to ship products embodying the claims. Its primary line of business is patent assertion and licensing.
AutoConnect Holdings LLC is currently operating as a patent asserting entity. Unified Patents identifies AutoConnect Holdings LLC as a high-frequency plaintiff and Non-Practicing Entity (NPE) involved in numerous patent litigations.

Assignment timeline

• 2013-03-18 (executed) / recorded 2013-04-10 — Reel 029854/0001

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: CHRISTOPHER P. RICCI
  • Assignee: FLEXTRONICS AP, LLC
  • Correspondent: RUTH L. STECYNA, FLEXTRONICS INTERNATIONAL USA, INC., 3052 ORCHARD DRIVE, SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA 95134. This correspondent handled two assignments in this chain.
  • Context: Inventor assigned rights to an operating company subsidiary.

• 2015-08-28 (executed) / recorded 2015-09-02 — Reel 030048/0461

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: FLEXTRONICS AP, LLC
  • Assignee: AUTOCONNECT HOLDINGS LLC
  • Correspondent: RUTH L. STECYNA, FLEXTRONICS INTERNATIONAL USA, INC., 3052 ORCHARD DRIVE, SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA 95134. This correspondent handled two assignments in this chain.
  • Context: Transfer from an operating company subsidiary to AutoConnect Holdings LLC, occurring before the patent's issue date.

• 2024-07-07 (executed) / recorded 2024-07-29 — Reel 052467/0746

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: AUTOCONNECT HOLDINGS LLC
  • Assignee: IP OPTIMUM LIMITED
  • Correspondent: JOHN D. MUETH, MUETH LAW, LLC, PO BOX 271550, ST LOUIS MO 63127. This correspondent handled two assignments in this chain.
  • Context: Transfer from AutoConnect Holdings LLC to IP Optimum Limited.

• 2024-07-07 (executed) / recorded 2024-07-29 — Reel 052467/0747

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: IP OPTIMUM LIMITED
  • Assignee: AUTOCONNECT HOLDINGS LLC
  • Correspondent: JOHN D. MUETH, MUETH LAW, LLC, PO BOX 271550, ST LOUIS MO 63127. This correspondent handled two assignments in this chain.
  • Context: Transfer back from IP Optimum Limited to AutoConnect Holdings LLC, executed and recorded on the same days as the previous transfer, indicating a circular transfer.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 9173100
    2013 : Filed by AutoConnect Holdings LLC
         : Inventor assigned to Flextronics AP
    2015 : Flextronics assigned to AutoConnect Holdings
         : Patent Issued
    2024 : AutoConnect assigned to IP Optimum Ltd
         : IP Optimum Ltd assigned to AutoConnect
         : First infringement suit filed

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Present. The assignee "IP OPTIMUM LIMITED" (Reel 052467/0746, 052467/0747) with a correspondent utilizing a P.O. Box address (PO BOX 271550, ST LOUIS MO 63127) strongly suggests a shell entity. Additionally, AutoConnect Holdings LLC, despite being the original applicant, has a "Holdings LLC" name suffix and is identified as an NPE actively engaged in patent assertion.
2. Known asserter in the chain — Present. AutoConnect Holdings LLC is a known Non-Practicing Entity (NPE) that frequently asserts patents, as documented by Unified Patents.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Present. RUTH L. STECYNA of FLEXTRONICS INTERNATIONAL USA, INC. is the correspondent for two assignments (Reel 029854/0001, Reel 030048/0461). JOHN D. MUETH of MUETH LAW, LLC is the correspondent for the two most recent, circular assignments (Reel 052467/0746, Reel 052467/0747).
4. Cascading transfers — Present. The transfers executed on 2024-07-07, from AutoConnect Holdings LLC to IP Optimum Limited (Reel 052467/0746) and immediately back from IP Optimum Limited to AutoConnect Holdings LLC (Reel 052467/0747), are an unusual pattern of consecutive assignments through chained LLCs.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — Present. The assignments to and from IP Optimum Limited were executed on July 7, 2024. Public litigation records indicate that several infringement lawsuits citing US9173100 were filed in early July 2024, with at least one case filed on the same day as these transfers (e.g., Texas Eastern District Court case 2:24-cv-00877 filed 2024-07-07) and others just days prior (e.g., 2:24-cv-00802 filed 2024-07-01, 1:24-cv-01327 filed 2024-07-03). This close proximity strongly indicates these transfers were made in anticipation of or concurrent with assertion activities.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. No evidence of bankruptcy for any assignor in the chain.
7. Privateering — Present. The assignment from FLEXTRONICS AP, LLC (an operating company subsidiary) to AutoConnect Holdings LLC (a known NPE) on 2015-08-28 (Reel 030048/0461) is consistent with a privateering pattern, where an operating company transfers a patent to an NPE for assertion.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The current assignee, AutoConnect Holdings LLC, is an asserting entity, not a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence

This verdict is supported by multiple strong signals: AutoConnect Holdings LLC is a known NPE, the chain includes a likely shell entity (IP Optimum Limited) involved in circular transfers (Reel 052467/0746, 052467/0747), these recent transfers were concurrent with or immediately preceding new litigation filings, and the presence of repeat correspondents across different entities in the chain. The assignment from an operating company (Flextronics AP, LLC) to the NPE (AutoConnect Holdings LLC) further reinforces this finding.

USPTO Assignment Center Search for US9173100