Assignment history

Inventors

The named inventors are Teemu Pohjola and Kristian Lappalainen. It is highly probable they were employed by Gemalto SA at the time of the patent's filing, as the rights were assigned to Gemalto SA shortly after the filing date.

Original assignee

The original assignee named on the issued patent is Gemalto SA. Gemalto SA was a multinational digital security company specializing in software applications, secure personal devices (like smart cards), and managed services for identification documents and payment solutions. Gemalto SA's primary line of business involved shipping products embodying claims related to secure identification documents, smart cards, and digital security. Gemalto SA has since been acquired by Thales Group and its relevant operations are now part of Thales DIS France SAS.

Assignment timeline

The full assignment record for US Patent 9,242,502 is as follows, based on records from the USPTO Assignment Center:

• 2010-12-21 (executed) / recorded 2012-05-14 — Reel 028200/0807

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
  • Assignor: POHJOLA, TEEMU; LAPPALAINEN, KRISTIAN
  • Assignee: GEMALTO SA
  • Correspondent: Not specified in USPTO Assignment Center records.
  • Context: Original assignment from the inventors to their employer, Gemalto SA.

• 2019-07-16 (executed) / recorded 2025-10-30 — Reel 073450/0177

  • Conveyance: CHANGE OF NAME
  • Assignor: GEMALTO SA
  • Assignee: THALES DIS FRANCE SA
  • Correspondent: LUNAU, ANJA, THALES DIS FRANCE SAS, 6 RUE DE LA VERRERIE, MEUDON, FR F-92190. This correspondent also appears on a subsequent record for this patent.
  • Context: Gemalto SA changed its name to Thales DIS France SA as part of its acquisition by Thales Group.

• 2021-12-15 (executed) / recorded 2025-10-30 — Reel 072732/0080

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST
  • Assignor: THALES DIS FRANCE SA
  • Assignee: THALES DIS FRANCE SAS
  • Correspondent: LUNAU, ANJA, THALES DIS FRANCE SAS, 6 RUE DE LA VERRERIE, MEUDON, FR F-92190. This correspondent also appears on a prior record for this patent.
  • Context: Internal corporate transfer of patent rights from Thales DIS France SA to Thales DIS France SAS.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 9242502
    2010 : Filed
    2010 : Inventors assigned to Gemalto SA
    2016 : Patent issued
    2019 : Gemalto SA renamed Thales DIS France SA
    2021 : Thales DIS France SA to Thales DIS France SAS
    2025 : Litigation filed

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Not present. Gemalto SA and Thales DIS France SAS are established operating companies that develop and market products related to the patent's subject matter.
2. Known asserter in the chain — Not present. Neither Gemalto SA nor Thales DIS France SAS are listed as known patent assertion entities.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Present. Anja Lunau of Thales DIS France SAS is listed as the correspondent for both the "CHANGE OF NAME" (Reel 073450/0177) and the subsequent "ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST" (Reel 072732/0080) records, indicating internal legal management by the ultimate operating company assignee.
4. Cascading transfers — Not present. While two events were recorded on the same date, they reflect a name change and an internal assignment, with distinct effective dates (2019 and 2021), rather than consecutive transfers through unrelated shell entities.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — Not present. The effective date of the last assignment to Thales DIS France SAS was December 15, 2021 (Reel 072732/0080), which is more than six months prior to the 2025 litigation filing.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. Gemalto SA's change of ownership was due to an acquisition by Thales, not a bankruptcy proceeding.
7. Privateering — Not present. The patent is currently owned by an operating company that is actively asserting it in litigation.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The patent is owned by an operating company that is asserting it, not a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

Operating-company assertion
This verdict is based on the patent's ownership chain, which traces from the inventors to Gemalto SA, and subsequently to Thales DIS France SAS via a change of name (Reel 073450/0177) and an internal assignment (Reel 072732/0080). Both Gemalto SA and Thales DIS France SAS are well-known operating companies in the digital security and identification document sector, actively developing and selling products relevant to the patent's claims. The identification of a repeat correspondent (Anja Lunau, Thales DIS France SAS) across the recent transfers further supports the conclusion of internal legal handling by an operating company.

For verification, refer to the USPTO Assignment Center search for US9242502.