Assignment history

Inventors

• Takeshi Ookawara
• Noriharu Matsudate

At the time of filing, it is assumed that the inventors were employees of one of the original assignees, Panasonic Liquid Crystal Display Co., Ltd. or Japan Display Inc., as is typical for patent applications. No information indicates unusual departure patterns.

Original assignee

The original assignees listed on the patent application were Panasonic Liquid Crystal Display Co., Ltd. and Japan Display Inc.

• Panasonic Liquid Crystal Display Co., Ltd. was a subsidiary of Panasonic Holdings Corporation, specializing in the development, manufacture, and sales of IPS liquid crystal panels, primarily for automotive and industrial applications. The company ended LCD panel production by 2021, ceased business activities by March 2023, and Panasonic Holdings resolved to liquidate it in July 2023 due to unviability in the LCD business.
• Japan Display Inc. is an operating Japanese display manufacturer specializing in small and medium-sized display devices for various applications, including smartphones, tablets, automotive systems, and industrial devices. Japan Display Inc. is publicly traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange and continues to operate, maintaining technology leadership in the global display industry.

Both entities primarily operated in the display manufacturing sector and shipped products embodying the claims of the patent.

Assignment timeline

• 2023-08-28 (executed) / recorded 2023-11-17 — Reel 065615/0327

  • Conveyance: NUNC PRO TUNC ASSIGNMENT
  • Assignor: PANASONIC LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY CO., LTD.
  • Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION OF AMERICA
  • Correspondent: MCDERMOTT WILL & EMERY LLP, 1850 K STREET NW, WASHINGTON, DC 20006. This correspondent also appears on a later assignment in this chain.
  • Context: Internal reorganization and transfer of intellectual property within Panasonic entities.

• 2024-03-22 (executed) / recorded 2024-04-27 — Reel 067245/0560

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
  • Assignor: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION OF AMERICA; JAPAN DISPLAY INC.
  • Assignee: PANELTOUCH TECHNOLOGIES LLC
  • Correspondent: MCDERMOTT WILL & EMERY LLP, 1850 K STREET NW, WASHINGTON, DC 20006. This correspondent also appears on a previous assignment in this chain.
  • Context: Transfer of intellectual property to a new entity, likely for assertion purposes.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 9250758
    2009 : Priority date (JP 2009-004874)
    2014 : Filed by Panasonic LCD, Japan Display
    2016 : Issued to Panasonic LCD, Japan Display
    2023 : Assigned to Panasonic IP Corp Amer
    2024 : Assigned to Paneltouch Tech LLC

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — present.
   The patent was transferred from Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America and Japan Display Inc. to PANELTOUCH TECHNOLOGIES LLC (Reel 067245/0560). Paneltouch Technologies LLC has no apparent products, its management/personnel are not publicly available, and it was formed in Texas on July 11, 2023, with a Delaware entity as its managing member. It engages in patent litigation.

2. Known asserter in the chain — present.
   Paneltouch Technologies LLC is identified as a plaintiff in patent infringement lawsuits. RPX Corporation, a patent risk solutions provider, reports on Paneltouch Technologies LLC filing suit against BOE Technology, indicating it is a known asserting entity. Unified Patents also lists an IPR case against Paneltouch Technologies LLC as Patent Owner for this patent (IPR2025-01245).

3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — present.
   MCDERMOTT WILL & EMERY LLP is listed as the correspondent for both the assignment dated 2023-11-17 (Reel 065615/0327) and the assignment dated 2024-04-27 (Reel 067245/0560).

4. Cascading transfers — present.
   The internal transfer within Panasonic occurred on 2023-08-28 (executed), followed by the transfer to Paneltouch Technologies LLC on 2024-03-22 (executed). These two assignments occurred within approximately seven months, a short timeframe suggesting a rapid ownership change leading to the asserting entity.

5. Pre-litigation transfer — present.
   The patent was assigned to PANELTOUCH TECHNOLOGIES LLC on 2024-03-22 (executed, Reel 067245/0560). Paneltouch Technologies LLC filed a patent infringement suit against BOE Technology (2:25-cv-00245) in the Eastern District of Texas on February 28, 2025, asserting this patent and others from the same portfolio acquired in March 2024. This is approximately 11 months after the assignment, indicating the transfer was made in anticipation of litigation.

6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — unclear.
   While Panasonic Liquid Crystal Display Co., Ltd. was liquidated due to business unviability, the patent was transferred internally to an IP holding company before being sold to Paneltouch Technologies LLC. This is not a direct sale in formal bankruptcy proceedings, but rather a distressed sale from one of the original co-owners' intellectual property assets.

7. Privateering — unclear.
   There is no public information to confirm whether Panasonic or Japan Display Inc. are funding Paneltouch Technologies LLC's litigation efforts. RPX reports that the identity of the funder for Paneltouch Technologies' litigation is obscured.

8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present.
   The chain terminates at Paneltouch Technologies LLC, which is actively asserting patents rather than acquiring them for defensive purposes.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence

Justification: The high confidence in NPE status is supported by several strong signals. Paneltouch Technologies LLC appears to be a shell entity with no apparent products, engaging in patent litigation shortly after acquiring the patent (Reel 067245/0560). It is a known asserter (as tracked by RPX and Unified Patents). Furthermore, the presence of the same correspondent, MCDERMOTT WILL & EMERY LLP, on consecutive assignments (Reel 065615/0327 and 067245/0560) and the cascading transfers leading directly to the asserting entity further reinforce this assessment.

USPTO Assignment Center search page for verification: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/patft/index.html?query=[9250758](/patent/9250758)