Assignment history

Inventors

• Philippe Di Cristo (Nuance Communications Inc)
• Min Ke (Nuance Communications Inc)
• Robert A. Kennewick (Nuance Communications Inc)
• Lynn Elise Armstrong (Nuance Communications Inc)

No unusual patterns observed regarding inventor departures. The priority date is 2005-08-05, and the application filing date for US9263039 is 2014-09-29, which is a continuation of earlier applications. The inventors were employed by Nuance Communications Inc at the time of the original priority application filing.

Original assignee

Nuance Communications Inc.
Nuance Communications Inc. is a multinational computer software technology corporation, providing speech recognition and artificial intelligence solutions. They shipped products embodying the claims, specifically in the area of speech recognition and natural language understanding, as evidenced by their core business. As of today, Nuance Communications Inc. is operating.

Assignment timeline

• 2014-09-29 (executed) / recorded 2014-09-29 — Reel 032646/0970

  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
  • Assignor: ARMSTRONG, LYNN ELISE; DI CRISTO, PHILIPPE; KE, MIN; KENNEWICK, ROBERT A.
  • Assignee: VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
  • Correspondent: ROTHWELL, FIGG, ERNST & MANBECK, P.C.
  • Context: Transfer from individual inventors to Voicebox Technologies, Inc.

• 2014-09-29 (executed) / recorded 2014-09-29 — Reel 032646/0971

  • Conveyance: Merger
  • Assignor: VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
  • Assignee: VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
  • Correspondent: ROTHWELL, FIGG, ERNST & MANBECK, P.C. (This correspondent recurs in this chain.)
  • Context: Internal corporate reorganization/name change of Voicebox Technologies.

• 2020-02-06 (executed) / recorded 2020-02-06 — Reel 049337/0833

  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
  • Assignor: VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
  • Assignee: NUANCE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
  • Correspondent: NUANCE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
  • Context: Transfer back to Nuance Communications, Inc., likely an acquisition or portfolio consolidation.

• 2021-05-10 (executed) / recorded 2021-05-10 — Reel 053303/0545

  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
  • Assignor: NUANCE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
  • Assignee: VOICE INVENTIONS, LLC
  • Correspondent: NIXON PEABODY LLP
  • Context: Transfer to Voice Inventions, LLC.

• 2022-08-16 (executed) / recorded 2022-08-16 — Reel 058079/0474

  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
  • Assignor: VOICE INVENTIONS, LLC
  • Assignee: DIALECT, LLC
  • Correspondent: ROTHWELL, FIGG, ERNST & MANBECK, P.C. (This correspondent recurs in this chain.)
  • Context: Transfer to Dialect, LLC.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 9263039
    2014 : Inventors assign to Voicebox Tech Inc
         : Voicebox Tech Inc merges to Voicebox Tech Corp
    2016 : Issued
    2020 : Voicebox Tech Corp assigns to Nuance
    2021 : Nuance assigns to Voice Inventions LLC
    2022 : Voice Inventions LLC assigns to Dialect LLC

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Present.

   • 2021-05-10 (executed) / recorded 2021-05-10 — Reel 053303/0545: Transfer from NUANCE COMMUNICATIONS, INC. to VOICE INVENTIONS, LLC. The suffix "LLC" combined with the lack of known product association for "Voice Inventions, LLC" suggests a licensing-focused entity.
   • 2022-08-16 (executed) / recorded 2022-08-16 — Reel 058079/0474: Transfer from VOICE INVENTIONS, LLC to DIALECT, LLC. Similarly, "LLC" and no apparent product association for "Dialect, LLC" point to a shell entity.

2. Known asserter in the chain — Present.

   • Dialect LLC, the current assignee as of the last recorded assignment (Reel 058079/0474, 2022-08-16), is listed as having ongoing litigation, including PTAB cases and US District Court cases across multiple districts (Texas, Virginia, Washington). Unified Patents also lists ongoing litigation associated with Dialect LLC, indicating it is an active asserter.

3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Present.

   • ROTHWELL, FIGG, ERNST & MANBECK, P.C. appears as the correspondent for:
     • 2014-09-29 (executed) / recorded 2014-09-29 — Reel 032646/0970 (inventors to Voicebox Technologies, INC.)
     • 2014-09-29 (executed) / recorded 2014-09-29 — Reel 032646/0971 (Voicebox Technologies, INC. to VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION)
     • 2022-08-16 (executed) / recorded 2022-08-16 — Reel 058079/0474 (VOICE INVENTIONS, LLC to DIALECT, LLC)
       The recurrence of this firm across transfers involving both an operating company (Voicebox) and subsequent transfers to suspected NPEs (Dialect, LLC) is a signal.

4. Cascading transfers — Present.

   • 2021-05-10 (executed) / recorded 2021-05-10 — Reel 053303/0545: Transfer to VOICE INVENTIONS, LLC.
   • 2022-08-16 (executed) / recorded 2022-08-16 — Reel 058079/0474: Transfer to DIALECT, LLC.
     These two transfers occur within a 15-month period, between two LLCs (Voice Inventions, LLC and Dialect, LLC), which is indicative of cascading transfers.

5. Pre-litigation transfer — Unclear.
   The patent family has litigation filed, with the first worldwide family litigation filed on an unspecified date. Multiple US cases were filed in 2023, 2024, and 2026. The transfer to Dialect, LLC occurred on 2022-08-16 (Reel 058079/0474). Without the exact date of the "First worldwide family litigation filed", it's difficult to definitively assess if this transfer was within 6 months preceding it. However, given the subsequent litigation filings, it is highly probable the transfer was in preparation for assertion.

6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present.
   No evidence in the assignment records or Google Patents indicates that Nuance Communications, Inc., Voicebox Technologies Corporation, Voice Inventions, LLC, or Dialect, LLC have filed for bankruptcy.

7. Privateering — Unclear.
   While Nuance Communications, Inc. transferred the patent to Voice Inventions, LLC, there is no explicit evidence from the provided sources (assignment records, Google Patents) to confirm a privateering arrangement where Dialect, LLC is asserting on Nuance's behalf.

8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present.
   The chain ends with Dialect, LLC, which is an active asserter, not a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence

The patent chain shows strong indications of NPE activity, including multiple shell-entity transfers, specifically to Voice Inventions, LLC (Reel 053303/0545, 2021-05-10) and then to Dialect, LLC (Reel 058079/0474, 2022-08-16). Dialect, LLC is a known patent asserter with ongoing litigation, as indicated by Google Patents. The recurrence of ROTHWELL, FIGG, ERNST & MANBECK, P.C. as correspondent across various transfers, including the final one to Dialect, LLC, further supports this conclusion. The cascading transfers between Voice Inventions, LLC and Dialect, LLC within a 15-month period also point to an assertion-driven strategy.

For verification, see the USPTO Assignment Center search for US9263039: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/patent/index.html?id=9263039