Assignment history

Inventors

• Jun Yokoyama (NEC Corp)

Original assignee

NEC Corp. is a Japanese multinational information technology and electronics corporation. They are a major provider of IT services and products, including servers and other ICT equipment. NEC Corp. is currently operating. It is highly probable they shipped products embodying the claims, given their primary line of business.

Assignment timeline

• 2013-08-13 (executed) / recorded 2014-03-13 — Reel 032432/0803

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: Yokoyama, Jun
  • Assignee: NEC CORPORATION
  • Correspondent: SUZANNE E. HAAS, 1150 18th STREET, N.W., SUITE 1000, WASHINGTON, DC 20036
  • Context: Original assignment from inventor to corporate entity

• 2023-04-14 (executed) / recorded 2023-04-17 — Reel 063349/0459

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: NEC CORPORATION
  • Assignee: NEC Asia Pacific Pte Ltd.
  • Correspondent: SUZANNE E. HAAS, NIXON & VANDERHYE, P.C., 901 N. GLEBE ROAD, 11TH FLOOR, ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA 22203
  • Context: Internal reorg

• 2024-01-18 (executed) / recorded 2024-01-27 — Reel 066376/0276

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: NEC Asia Pacific Pte Ltd.
  • Assignee: IP WAVE PTE LTD.
  • Correspondent: BRIAN M. BECKER, 1375 BROADWAY, SUITE 1000, NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10018
  • Context: Transfer-to-asserter

• 2024-03-05 (executed) / recorded 2024-06-27 — Reel 067944/0332

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: IP WAVE PTE LTD.
  • Assignee: CLOUD BYTE LLC.
  • Correspondent: BRIAN M. BECKER, 1375 BROADWAY, SUITE 1000, NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10018. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Transfer-to-asserter

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 9482632
    2013 : Assigned to NEC Corp
    2016 : Patent granted
    2023 : Assigned to NEC Asia Pacific Pte Ltd
    2024 : Assigned to IP WAVE PTE LTD
         : Assigned to CLOUD BYTE LLC

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — present.

   • IP WAVE PTE LTD. (Assignee in Reel 066376/0276): The name "IP WAVE PTE LTD." suggests an entity focused on intellectual property, and a "Pte Ltd" (Private Limited) designation is common for such entities. The context of subsequent litigation filings by the ultimate assignee further supports this.
   • CLOUD BYTE LLC. (Assignee in Reel 067944/0332): The name "CLOUD BYTE LLC." does not explicitly suggest a shell entity, but the subsequent litigation activity associated with it and its role in the chain strongly indicate it functions as a licensing-only entity.

2. Known asserter in the chain — present.

   • Unified Patents has identified "CLOUD BYTE LLC" as an NPE involved in litigation.

3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — present.

   • Brian M. Becker, 1375 Broadway, Suite 1000, New York, New York 10018, appears as the correspondent for both the assignment to IP WAVE PTE LTD. (Reel 066376/0276) and the subsequent assignment to CLOUD BYTE LLC. (Reel 067944/0332).

4. Cascading transfers — present.

   • There are two consecutive assignments within a short period:
     • NEC Asia Pacific Pte Ltd. to IP WAVE PTE LTD. (executed 2024-01-18, recorded 2024-01-27, Reel 066376/0276)
     • IP WAVE PTE LTD. to CLOUD BYTE LLC. (executed 2024-03-05, recorded 2024-06-27, Reel 067944/0332)
   • Both transfers occurred within a 5-month period in 2024 and share the same correspondent.

5. Pre-litigation transfer — present.

   • The assignment to IP WAVE PTE LTD. (Reel 066376/0276) was executed on 2024-01-18 and recorded on 2024-01-27.
   • The assignment to CLOUD BYTE LLC. (Reel 067944/0332) was executed on 2024-03-05 and recorded on 2024-06-27.
   • Litigation was filed by Cloud Byte LLC in the Texas Eastern District Court on 2024-08-01 (case 2:24-cv-00637) and 2026-02-15 (case 2:26-cv-00150). The assignments immediately precede these filings, particularly the 2024 filing.

6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present.

   • No evidence of the original assignee, NEC Corp., filing for bankruptcy.

7. Privateering — unclear.

   • While there is a transfer from an operating company (NEC) to entities that subsequently assert the patent, there is no explicit public record (e.g., SEC filing) confirming a privateering arrangement where NEC is actively directing or benefiting from the assertion by Cloud Byte LLC against competitors.

8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present.

   • The chain ends with Cloud Byte LLC, which is an identified NPE, not a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence

This verdict is driven by several strong signals. The patent underwent cascading transfers in 2024 to entities with names suggestive of intellectual property monetization (IP WAVE PTE LTD. and CLOUD BYTE LLC), specifically visible in Reels 066376/0276 and 067944/0332. The ultimate assignee, CLOUD BYTE LLC, is a known NPE, and multiple infringement suits were filed shortly after the assignments (e.g., case 2:24-cv-00637 filed in August 2024), indicating pre-litigation transfers. Furthermore, the recurrence of the same correspondent, Brian M. Becker, for these transfers, as seen in Reel 066376/0276 and Reel 067944/0332, is a strong indicator of a coordinated assertion strategy.

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