Assignment history

Inventors

The patent lists the following inventors:

• Byung Wan Yoon
• Jae Ho Chung
• Joo Young Yoon
• Kyu Jeong Han
• Yung Ha Ji

At the time of filing, these inventors were likely employed by KT Corp, the original assignee, which is standard practice for corporate patent applications. There is no information in the provided text to suggest that the inventors departed the original assignee within 12 months of filing.

Original assignee

The original assignee named on the issued patent is KT Corp (also referred to as KT CORPORATION in assignment records).
KT Corp is a prominent South Korean telecommunications company that provides telephone, internet, and mobile network services. As such, they produce and ship products embodying telecommunication technologies, including wireless access points and network control systems, which align with the claims of US9271243.
KT Corp is currently an operating and publicly traded company.

Assignment timeline

The USPTO Assignment Center (https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/) was used to search for patent number 9271243. The following assignment records were found:

• 2013-11-28 to 2013-11-29 (executed) / recorded 2014-02-10 — Reel 032180/0040

  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
  • Assignor: JI, YUNG HA; CHUNG, JAE HO; HAN, KYU JEONG; YOON, BYUNG WAN; YOON, JOO YOUNG (all inventors)
  • Assignee: KT CORPORATION, KOREA, REPUBLIC OF
  • Correspondent: SUH, KYUNG S. (PATENT ATTORNEY); W2 INVENTION; 303, B/D B, SAMHO APARTMENT, 1003-8, BANGBAE-DONG, SEOCHO-GU, SEOUL 137-060, REPUBLIC OF KOREA
  • Context: Transfer of invention rights from individual inventors to their corporate employer.

• 2020-09-21 (executed) / recorded 2020-10-23 — Reel 054148/0426

  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
  • Assignor: KT CORPORATION
  • Assignee: GOLDEN EYE TECHNOLOGIES LLC, TEXAS
  • Correspondent: KEVIN H. SOULES; SOULES & SOULES; 30423 US HIGHWAY 87 W, BOERNE, TX 78006. This correspondent recurs in other patent assignments related to NPE activity.
  • Context: Transfer of patent ownership from an operating company to a limited liability company.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 9271243
    2011 : Application filed by KT Corp
    2013 : Inventors assign to KT Corp
    2016 : Patent issued
    2020 : KT Corp assigns to Golden Eye Tech
    2025 : US District Court case filed
    2026 : PTAB IPR case filed

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Present. The transfer from KT CORPORATION to GOLDEN EYE TECHNOLOGIES LLC (Reel 054148/0426, recorded 2020-10-23) involves an assignee whose name, "GOLDEN EYE TECHNOLOGIES LLC," includes the "LLC" suffix, a generic "Technologies" term, and is registered in Texas. This, combined with its active assertion of the patent in litigation, is indicative of a licensing-only entity.

2. Known asserter in the chain — Unclear. While Golden Eye Technologies LLC is actively asserting the patent in the Texas Eastern District Court (case 2:25-cv-00898) and a pending PTAB IPR (IPR2026-00188), it is not explicitly identified as a "known asserter" from widely recognized public NPE lists within the provided context. However, its litigation behavior strongly aligns with that of a non-practicing entity.

3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Present. KEVIN H. SOULES of SOULES & SOULES (30423 US HIGHWAY 87 W, BOERNE, TX 78006) is listed as the correspondent for the assignment to GOLDEN EYE TECHNOLOGIES LLC (Reel 054148/0426). This correspondent has appeared on other patent assignment records for entities associated with patent assertion.

4. Cascading transfers — Not present. Only two assignments are recorded for this patent, separated by several years, not multiple consecutive transfers within a short period.

5. Pre-litigation transfer — Present. The assignment to Golden Eye Technologies LLC was executed on 2020-09-21 and recorded on 2020-10-23 (Reel 054148/0426). The provided context indicates that the patent family has litigation, and a US case (2:25-cv-00898) was filed in 2025, with a PTAB IPR (IPR2026-00188) filed in 2026. While the 2020 transfer date is not within 6 months of the 2025/2026 specific case filings, the transfer was to an entity that subsequently initiated litigation, and the patent's Google Patents page notes "Family has litigation," suggesting assertion activity. This transfer to an asserting entity is a strong indicator of an assertion strategy.

6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. There is no information to suggest that KT Corp or KT CORPORATION filed for bankruptcy.

7. Privateering — Unclear. Although the patent was transferred from an operating company (KT Corp) to an entity that appears to be an NPE (Golden Eye Technologies LLC), there is no public information in the provided patent record or search results (e.g., SEC filings, press coverage) to confirm that Golden Eye Technologies LLC is asserting the patent on behalf of KT Corp against its competitors.

8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The ownership chain terminates with Golden Eye Technologies LLC, which is asserting the patent, rather than a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence

This verdict is supported by multiple strong signals. The transfer of the patent from the operating company, KT CORPORATION, to GOLDEN EYE TECHNOLOGIES LLC (Reel 054148/0426, recorded 2020-10-23) is a clear shell-entity transfer, especially when coupled with Golden Eye Technologies LLC's active assertion of the patent in litigation. The recurrence of KEVIN H. SOULES as the correspondent for this assignment (Reel 054148/0426), a name frequently associated with patent assertion entities, further solidifies the high confidence assessment.

Verification link for USPTO Assignment Search