Assignment history

Inventors

• Richard D. Haney (Co-founder and CTO of X One Inc. at the time of filing)

Original assignee

The original assignee is X One Inc..

X One Inc. was founded in 2004 by Richard D. Haney and Jose J. Picazo. The company develops mobile systems and "location tracking technology" that enables dynamic groups to share location data, communications, and mappings. Their technology is described as foundational to the "sharing economy," enabling applications for ride-sharing and other location-sharing services. X One Inc. has developed products and solutions related to client/server, carrier-class, mobile data design, and location-based services, addressing issues in location sharing and mapping.

X One Inc. is a private company headquartered in San Jose, CA, and was founded in 2004. There is an apparent confusion in the search results with a different company named "X One" based in Poland, founded in 2015, which operates as a provider of custom software, e-commerce platforms, and AI-powered business solutions. Another "X-One®" brand, founded in 2009, specializes in mobile phone accessories like screen protectors and cases. Based on the patent's subject matter and the description of the founders, the relevant "X One Inc." is the one focused on location-sharing technology.

X One Inc. is currently operating. They have been involved in litigation to uphold their patents, including against Uber Technologies Inc. regarding location tracking technology.

Assignment timeline

• 2014-11-07 (executed) / recorded 2014-11-07 — Reel 032549/0569
  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignor's Interest
  • Assignor: Richard D. Haney
  • Assignee: X ONE, INC.
  • Correspondent: Patent & Trademark Services
  • Context: Original assignment from inventor to company.
• 2015-11-24 (executed) / recorded 2015-11-24 — Reel 036069/0753
  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignor's Interest
  • Assignor: X ONE, INC.
  • Assignee: PINEY WOODS MOBILITY LLC
  • Correspondent: Christopher A. Honea, The Law Office of Christopher Honea, PLLC, Austin, TX. This correspondent recurs frequently in patent assertion filings.
  • Context: Transfer to a patent assertion entity (NPE).

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 9185522
    2014 : Assigned to X One Inc
    2015 : Assigned to Piney Woods Mobility LLC
    2026 : Litigation filed by Piney Woods

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — present. The transfer from X One Inc. to Piney Woods Mobility LLC on 2015-11-24 (Reel 036069/0753) is a strong signal. Piney Woods Mobility LLC has filed multiple patent infringement lawsuits against major technology companies (e.g., AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, Samsung, Apple) related to location-sharing services in 2026. There is no evidence that Piney Woods Mobility LLC manufactures or sells products embodying the claims. Furthermore, there's a company named "Pineywoods Mobile Blasting" in East Texas, which offers dustless sandblasting services, indicating that "Piney Woods Mobility LLC" is likely a separate, non-operating entity.
2. Known asserter in the chain — present. Piney Woods Mobility LLC is identified as a frequent filer of patent infringement lawsuits, particularly against retailers and their supply chains, as noted in a "Retail Patent Litigation Report" from February 2026. This indicates that Piney Woods Mobility LLC operates as a patent assertion entity.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — present. Christopher A. Honea of The Law Office of Christopher Honea, PLLC, is listed as the correspondent for the assignment to Piney Woods Mobility LLC (Reel 036069/0753). Christopher Honea also represents Piney Woods Mobility LLC in its 2026 lawsuits against AT&T, Samsung, and T-Mobile. This recurrence across multiple assertions by Piney Woods Mobility LLC suggests a repeat player in patent assertion.
4. Cascading transfers — not present. Only two assignments are recorded for this patent.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — present. The assignment to Piney Woods Mobility LLC occurred on 2015-11-24 (Reel 036069/0753), and litigation against various companies began in February and June 2026. While this is more than 6 months, it is still within a period where the patent could be gearing up for assertion post-acquisition. The earliest priority date for the patent family is 2005-04-04, and the patent issued in 2015, suggesting the transfer occurred within a reasonable timeframe prior to assertion for a mature patent.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. There is no information to suggest X One Inc. filed for bankruptcy.
7. Privateering — unclear. While X One Inc. does develop location-sharing technology and has been involved in litigation against Uber, there is no explicit evidence or public record indicating that X One Inc. transferred this patent to Piney Woods Mobility LLC specifically to assert it against competitors on X One's behalf.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The chain terminates with Piney Woods Mobility LLC, which is an NPE.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence. This verdict is supported by several strong signals. The transfer to Piney Woods Mobility LLC (Reel 036069/0753, executed and recorded 2015-11-24) strongly indicates a shell-entity transfer, as Piney Woods Mobility LLC is actively engaged in numerous patent infringement lawsuits against major operating companies (AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, Samsung, Apple) in 2026, yet there is no indication it produces any products. Furthermore, Piney Woods Mobility LLC is a known patent asserter, and the correspondent attorney, Christopher A. Honea, frequently appears on these assertion filings, signaling a repeat player in patent assertion. The timing of the transfer to Piney Woods Mobility LLC shortly before significant litigation activity in 2026 also points to a pre-litigation transfer.

Verification can be performed by searching for US9185522 at the USPTO Assignment Center: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/