Assignment history

Inventors

The named inventors for US patent 9317170 are Sarah Michelle Lipman, Eran Kali, Boris Gutin, Moti Margalit, Robert Michael Lipman, and Ken Zwiebel. The original assignee, Power2B Inc., is listed, suggesting this was likely their employer at the time of filing, though this is not explicitly stated in the patent text. There is no information provided to suggest an unusual pattern of inventors departing the original assignee around the filing date.

Original assignee

The entity named on the issued patent is Power2B Inc.

Power2B Inc. (incorporated in Delaware, USA in July 2004, with R&D in Jerusalem, Israel) developed a 3D input technology for interactive devices. Their primary line of business was to provide intuitive interfaces between humans and machines, aiming to license their technology for integration into various electronic goods. Their technology offered features like 3D zoom, hover, and precise point-and-click control without requiring a touch-sensitive display.

It appears Power2B Inc. was an early-stage company focused on technology development and licensing rather than shipping end-user products themselves. They were "open to strategic investment and development partnerships" to maximize the technology's potential and were "currently working with major manufacturers to determine and develop customized and semi-customized integrated sensing solutions".

Regarding its current status, the patent record lists Power2B Inc. as the "Current Assignee" (as of the patent's publication and grant in 2016), and the legal status is "Active" expiring in 2028. However, Google searches reveal ongoing litigation where Power2B, Inc. is an appellant against [[Samsung Electronics Co.](/litigations/by-defendant/Samsung%20Electronics%20Co.), Ltd.](/litigations/by-plaintiff/Samsung%20Electronics%20Co.%2C%20Ltd.) in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, with case numbers 24-1400 and 23-2184, which were active in January 2024 and May 2025, respectively. This indicates Power2B Inc. is actively enforcing its patents. Another entity, "Power2b (SRL)" in Belgium, appears to be a different company, founded in 2007, with a small number of employees and no published turnover figures in its recent financial statements, which doesn't seem directly related to the US entity. Given the litigation activity, Power2B Inc. appears to be an operating entity, at least in the context of patent assertion.

Assignment timeline

I will now access the USPTO Assignment Center.
No assignments were found for Patent Number 9317170 in the USPTO Patent Assignment Search. The Google Patents legal events list only the initial assignment to Power2B Inc. upon filing and subsequent reassignments among the inventors to Power2B, Inc. which are internal to the company and not third-party transfers. These are:

• 2016-07-19 Assigned to POWER2B, INC. - Assignors: LIPMAN, SARAH MICHELLE, ZWIEBEL, KEN, LIPMAN, ROBERT MICHAEL
• 2016-11-09 Assigned to POWER2B, INC. - Assignors: GUTIN, BORIS, MARGALIT, MOTI, KALI, ERAN

These records are not external assignments but rather internal transfers from the individual inventors to the corporate entity, likely formalizing ownership of the patent by the assignee at the time of grant. There are no recorded transfers of ownership from Power2B Inc. to any other entity.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 9317170
    2013 : Application filed by Power2B Inc
    2016 : Patent granted to Power2B Inc
         : Inventors assign to Power2B Inc

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — not present. There are no recorded transfers from Power2B Inc. to any shell entity. The reassignments are from individual inventors to the original assignee, Power2B Inc.
2. Known asserter in the chain — unclear. Power2B Inc. is currently involved in litigation against Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., which suggests patent assertion. However, without a known listing on public NPE lists like those from RPX or Unified Patents, or more information about their business model beyond licensing and assertion, it's unclear if they are considered a "known asserter" in the traditional NPE sense.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — not present. Since there are no external assignments, there's no chain of correspondents to observe for recurrence. The inventors' reassignments to Power2B Inc. are likely handled by internal counsel or a single firm, which does not constitute a "repeat correspondent across the chain" in the context of NPE patterns, which typically involves transfers between distinct legal entities.
4. Cascading transfers — not present. No multiple consecutive assignments through chained LLCs are recorded.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — unclear. The patent family has litigation filed starting in 2020 (Texas Western District Court case 6:20-cv-01183), but the recorded reassignments from inventors to Power2B Inc. happened in 2016. There's no assignment from Power2B Inc. to another entity within 6 months of the first infringement suit.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. No indication of Power2B Inc. filing for bankruptcy or selling patents in such proceedings.
7. Privateering — unclear. While Power2B Inc. appears to be asserting its patents, there is no public information or SEC filings indicating a privateering arrangement with an operating company.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The chain does not terminate at a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

Operating-company assertion

Power2B Inc. is the original assignee and remains the current assignee according to the patent record and reassignments. They are actively engaged in patent infringement litigation against Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., indicating an assertion strategy. While their business model involves licensing, their direct involvement as plaintiff in litigation suggests they are asserting their own patents. There is no evidence of the patent being transferred to a shell entity or a known NPE.

USPTO Assignment Center search: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/