Assignment history

Inventors

• Takashi KASHIMURA (Employer: SanDisk Technologies LLC)
• Xiaolong HU (Employer: SanDisk Technologies LLC)
• Sayako Nagamine (Employer: SanDisk Technologies LLC)
• Yusuke Yoshida (Employer: SanDisk Technologies LLC)
• Hiroaki Iuchi (Employer: SanDisk Technologies LLC)
• Akira Nakada (Employer: SanDisk Technologies LLC)
• Kazutaka Yoshizawa (Employer: SanDisk Technologies LLC)

All named inventors assigned their interest to SanDisk Technologies Inc. on the filing date of the patent (2014-10-10), indicating they were employed by or had an agreement with the original assignee at that time. No unusual patterns of inventor departure within 12 months of filing are observed.

Original assignee

The original assignee listed on the patent is SanDisk Technologies LLC. SanDisk was a prominent manufacturer of flash memory products, including NAND flash memory, which is the core technology described in US9281314. They actively shipped products embodying the claims of the patent. SanDisk was acquired by Western Digital Corporation in May 2016 and operates as a subsidiary under Western Digital. The patent was subsequently transferred out of SanDisk Technologies LLC in 2024.

Assignment timeline

• 2014-10-10 (executed) / recorded 2014-10-13 — Reel 032549/0569

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
  • Assignor: IUCHI, HIROAKI; KASHIMURA, TAKASHI; NAKADA, AKIRA; YOSHIDA, YUSUKE; YOSHIZAWA, KAZUTAKA; HU, XIAOLONG; NAGAMINE, SAYAKO
  • Assignee: SANDISK TECHNOLOGIES INC.
  • Correspondent: SAN DISK TECHNOLOGIES LLC, ATTN: LEGAL DEPT., 951 SANDISK DRIVE, MILPITAS, CA 95035
  • Context: Initial assignment from inventors to the corporate entity of the original applicant.

• 2016-05-25 (executed) / recorded 2016-05-25 — Reel 037951/0269

  • Conveyance: CHANGE OF NAME
  • Assignor: SANDISK TECHNOLOGIES INC
  • Assignee: SANDISK TECHNOLOGIES LLC
  • Correspondent: SANDISK TECHNOLOGIES LLC, ATTN: LEGAL DEPT., 951 SANDISK DRIVE, MILPITAS, CA 95035
  • Context: Internal corporate name change.

• 2024-08-08 (executed) / recorded 2024-08-15 — Reel 062638/0342

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
  • Assignor: SANDISK TECHNOLOGIES LLC
  • Assignee: PALISADE TECHNOLOGIES, LLP
  • Correspondent: SCHLEE, WILLIAM J., BARBER LAW, LLC, 1310 N. COURTHOUSE RD, SUITE 200, ARLINGTON, VA 22201. This correspondent has been noted as representing various asserting entities in other patent analyses.
  • Context: Transfer of patent ownership from an operating company (SanDisk Technologies LLC, a subsidiary of Western Digital) to a new entity.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 9281314
    2014 : Filed by SanDisk Technologies LLC
         : Assigned from inventors to SanDisk Inc
    2016 : SanDisk Inc name change to SanDisk LLC
    2024 : Assigned to Palisade Technologies LLP

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — present. The transfer to Palisade Technologies, LLP (Reel 062638/0342, recorded 2024-08-15) from an operating company (SanDisk Technologies LLC) indicates a transfer to a licensing or asserting entity. The LLP structure and the involvement of a correspondent attorney known for handling NPE assignments are strong indicators.
2. Known asserter in the chain — present. Palisade Technologies LLP is the current assignee. The litigation summary explicitly names Palisade Technologies LLP as the plaintiff in multiple active district court cases (e.g., Palisade Technologies LLP v. T-Mobile USA, Inc., Case 7:24-cv-00262 and Palisade Technologies LLP v. Micron Technology, Inc., Case 2:25-cv-01170) and as a defendant in an IPR filed by Unified Patents, LLC (IPR2025-01009), confirming its status as a known patent asserter.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — present. William J. Schlee of Barber Law, LLC is the correspondent for the assignment to Palisade Technologies, LLP (Reel 062638/0342). This correspondent and firm are recognized for frequently handling assignments for patent assertion entities, indicating a pattern beyond a single transaction.
4. Cascading transfers — not present. The assignment chain consists of an initial inventor assignment, a corporate name change, and a single transfer to the current assignee, not multiple consecutive transfers through chained LLCs.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — unclear. The assignment to Palisade Technologies LLP was recorded on 2024-08-15 (Reel 062638/0342). The first reported infringement suit listing Palisade Technologies LLP as plaintiff (Palisade Technologies LLP v. T-Mobile USA, Inc., Case 7:24-cv-00262) was filed on April 1, 2024. This means the recorded assignment followed the filing of the initial lawsuit by the asserting entity, rather than preceding it. However, the assignment did precede subsequent litigation by Palisade Technologies LLP (e.g., IPR2025-01009 filed January 22, 2025 and 2:25-cv-01170 filed April 25, 2025).
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. SanDisk Technologies LLC transferred the patent as part of a portfolio sale, not due to bankruptcy proceedings.
7. Privateering — unclear. While the patent originated from an operating company (SanDisk/Western Digital) and was transferred to an NPE, there is no public information or SEC filing evidence to suggest that Western Digital is funding or directing Palisade's litigation efforts against specific competitors.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The patent's ownership chain terminates with Palisade Technologies LLP, an entity actively engaged in patent assertion, not a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence

The high confidence verdict is based on the transfer of the patent from an operating company (SanDisk Technologies LLC) to Palisade Technologies, LLP, which is a known patent assertion entity identified as a plaintiff in multiple lawsuits and a defendant in an IPR initiated by Unified Patents. Furthermore, the involvement of William J. Schlee of Barber Law, LLC as the correspondent (Reel 062638/0342), a firm frequently associated with patent assertion activities, strongly supports this conclusion.

For verification, see the USPTO Patent Assignment Search for US9281314.