Assignment history

Inventors

• Mike Kennewick: Co-founder and CEO of VoiceBox Technologies Corp (at time of filing)
• Lynn Elise Armstrong: Employer at time of filing is unclear from available information.

Original assignee

VoiceBox Technologies Corp. was the original assignee. VoiceBox Technologies Corp. developed and marketed a voice AI conversational platform and was considered a pioneer in voice assistants and conversational AI, creating the first smart speaker in 2005. Their technology was used in automotive systems (e.g., Toyota, Renault, Chrysler) and mobile/enterprise solutions (e.g., Samsung, Best Buy). VoiceBox Technologies Corp. was acquired by Nuance Communications in 2018 for approximately $82-$84 million. Nuance Communications was later acquired by Microsoft. After the acquisition, a new company, VB Assets LLC, was formed by former employees and investors of VoiceBox Technologies to manage and assert the remaining patent portfolio.

Assignment timeline

The USPTO Assignment Center search for US9502025 shows the following records:

• 2011-01-26 (executed) / recorded 2011-02-02 — Reel 025699/0776
  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
  • Assignor: ARMSTRONG, LYNN ELISE; KENNEWICK, MIKE
  • Assignee: VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
  • Correspondent: LINDEMAN, DENNIS D. of LINDEMAN & MILLER, PLLC, PO BOX 1228, SEATTLE, WA, 98111-1228
  • Context: Transfer from inventors to original assignee
• 2011-02-17 (executed) / recorded 2011-02-23 — Reel 025754/0839
  • Conveyance: Corrective Assignment
  • Assignor: ARMSTRONG, LYNN ELISE; KENNEWICK, MIKE
  • Assignee: VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
  • Correspondent: LINDEMAN, DENNIS D. of LINDEMAN & MILLER, PLLC, PO BOX 1228, SEATTLE, WA, 98111-1228
  • Context: Corrective assignment to refine terms of inventor transfer, effective NUNC PRO TUNC November 10, 2009.
• 2014-04-07 (executed) / recorded 2014-04-16 — Reel 032223/0740
  • Conveyance: Merger
  • Assignor: VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
  • Assignee: VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
  • Correspondent: DELLECESE, BRIAN R. of CONNOLLY BOVE LODGE & HUTZ LLP, 1007 NORTH ORANGE STREET, WILMINGTON, DE, 19801
  • Context: Internal corporate reorganization/merger.
• 2017-12-22 (executed) / recorded 2018-01-10 — Reel 041280/0858
  • Conveyance: Security Interest
  • Assignor: VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
  • Assignee: ORIX GROWTH CAPITAL, LLC
  • Correspondent: MATTHEW R. MCLAUGHLIN of HAYNES AND BOONE, LLP, 2323 VICTORY AVENUE, SUITE 700, DALLAS, TX, 75219
  • Context: Grant of security interest, likely in exchange for financing.
• 2018-04-05 (executed) / recorded 2018-04-12 — Reel 041846/0946
  • Conveyance: Release By Secured Party
  • Assignor: ORIX GROWTH CAPITAL, LLC
  • Assignee: VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
  • Correspondent: ELIZABETH H. HENRY of HAYNES AND BOONE, LLP, 2323 VICTORY AVENUE, SUITE 700, DALLAS, TX, 75219
  • Context: Release of security interest.
• 2018-07-25 (executed) / recorded 2018-08-01 — Reel 042602/0971
  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
  • Assignee: KENNEWICK, MICHAEL RYE
  • Correspondent: KUTZ, L. ALAN of L. ALAN KUTZ, P.C., 2019 SILVERSIDE RD., SUITE 100, WILMINGTON, DE, 19810
  • Context: Assignment of patent rights, NUNC PRO TUNC November 10, 2009, to Michael Rye Kennewick, one of the original inventors and co-founder of VoiceBox. This occurred around the time VoiceBox Technologies was acquired by Nuance Communications.
• 2020-04-24 (executed) / recorded 2020-04-30 — Reel 048792/0698
  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: KENNEWICK, MICHAEL RYE
  • Assignee: AI THINKTANK LLC
  • Correspondent: KUTZ, L. ALAN of L. ALAN KUTZ, P.C., 2019 SILVERSIDE RD., SUITE 100, WILMINGTON, DE, 19810. This correspondent also appears on reel 042602/0971.
  • Context: Transfer from individual inventor to an LLC. Michael Kennewick is associated with AI Thinktank.
• 2020-10-30 (executed) / recorded 2020-11-06 — Reel 051582/0067
  • Conveyance: Corrective Assignment
  • Assignor: VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
  • Assignee: VB ASSETS, LLC
  • Correspondent: MATTHEW R. MCLAUGHLIN of HAYNES AND BOONE, LLP, 2323 VICTORY AVENUE, SUITE 700, DALLAS, TX, 75219. This correspondent also appears on reel 041280/0858.
  • Context: Corrective assignment to transfer to VB Assets, LLC. VB Assets LLC was formed by former VoiceBox employees and investors to assert patents.
• 2022-01-14 (executed) / recorded 2022-01-21 — Reel 053706/0770
  • Conveyance: NUNC PRO TUNC Assignment
  • Assignor: AI THINKTANK LLC
  • Assignee: VB ASSETS, LLC
  • Correspondent: KUTZ, L. ALAN of L. ALAN KUTZ, P.C., 2019 SILVERSIDE RD., SUITE 100, WILMINGTON, DE, 19810. This correspondent also appears on reel 042602/0971 and 048792/0698.
  • Context: Transfer to VB Assets, LLC from AI Thinktank LLC, effective NUNC PRO TUNC. This consolidates ownership under VB Assets.
• 2025-04-08 (executed) / recorded 2025-04-16 — Reel 059904/0937
  • Conveyance: Security Interest
  • Assignor: VB ASSETS, LLC
  • Assignee: CONTINGENCY CAPITAL FUND A LP
  • Correspondent: ROBERT A. MACRAE of FOLEY & LARDNER LLP, 975 Page Mill Road, Palo Alto, CA, 94304
  • Context: Grant of security interest, likely in exchange for litigation financing.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 9502025
    2010 : Application filed by VoiceBox Technologies Corp
    2011 : Assigned to VoiceBox Technologies Inc
    2014 : Merged to VoiceBox Technologies Corp
    2016 : Issued
    2018 : Security interest to ORIX
         : Release by ORIX
         : Assigned to Michael Rye Kennewick
    2020 : Assigned to AI THINKTANK LLC
         : Corrective Assignment to VB Assets LLC
    2022 : NUNC PRO TUNC Assignment to VB Assets LLC
    2025 : Security interest to CONTINGENCY CAPITAL FUND A LP

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Present. The transfer from Michael Rye Kennewick to AI Thinktank LLC (Reel 048792/0698, executed 2020-04-24) and then from AI Thinktank LLC to VB Assets, LLC (Reel 053706/0770, executed 2022-01-14) fits this pattern. VB Assets LLC explicitly states its business is owning and licensing a portfolio of intellectual property covering innovations in voice assistants and conversational AI, and focuses on "licensing, enforcing, and expanding its patent portfolio." This indicates a primary purpose of patent assertion rather than product shipment. The addresses for AI Thinktank LLC and VB Assets LLC provided in some sources are registered-agent style addresses or general business addresses rather than product development facilities.

2. Known asserter in the chain — Present. VB Assets LLC is identified as a patent asserter (often referred to as an NPE) in recent litigation against Amazon, Apple, Samsung, and Google. They describe themselves as a company formed by former employees and investors of VoiceBox Technologies to represent its patents.

3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Present.

   • LINDEMAN, DENNIS D. of LINDEMAN & MILLER, PLLC appears on Reel 025699/0776 and 025754/0839.
   • KUTZ, L. ALAN of L. ALAN KUTZ, P.C. appears on Reel 042602/0971, 048792/0698, and 053706/0770. This recurrence across transfers involving Michael Kennewick and AI Thinktank LLC to VB Assets LLC is a strong signal.
   • MATTHEW R. MCLAUGHLIN of HAYNES AND BOONE, LLP appears on Reel 041280/0858 and 051582/0067.

4. Cascading transfers — Present.

   • VoiceBox Technologies Corp. to Michael Rye Kennewick (Reel 042602/0971, executed 2018-07-25).
   • Michael Rye Kennewick to AI THINKTANK LLC (Reel 048792/0698, executed 2020-04-24).
   • AI THINKTANK LLC to VB ASSETS, LLC (Reel 053706/0770, executed 2022-01-14).
     These transfers occurred within a relatively short period (less than 24 months between the second and third, and less than 4 years for the entire sequence), and involve individuals and entities related to the original inventors/company founders, culminating in VB Assets LLC, an entity focused on patent assertion.

5. Pre-litigation transfer — Present. The assignment to VB Assets, LLC was finalized in 2022 (Reel 053706/0770, executed 2022-01-14). VB Assets LLC filed a lawsuit against Amazon in July 2019. While the direct transfer of this specific patent to VB Assets, LLC came after the initial filing against Amazon, the transfer to Michael Rye Kennewick (Reel 042602/0971, executed 2018-07-25) and subsequently to AI Thinktank LLC and then VB Assets LLC was part of the process of setting up VB Assets LLC to manage and assert the VoiceBox patent portfolio following the Nuance acquisition. The lawsuit against Amazon in July 2019 was filed by VB Assets LLC, which "was formed by former employees and former investors of the earlier company who still own the patents in dispute." This indicates the structure was in place for litigation before the final assignment of this specific patent to VB Assets LLC in 2022. More recently, VB Assets LLC has been actively filing lawsuits against other tech giants like Apple, Samsung, and Google in 2024 and 2026.

6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. VoiceBox Technologies Corp. was acquired by Nuance Communications in 2018, not dissolved or in bankruptcy. The subsequent transfers were part of a strategic move to manage the patent portfolio for assertion.

7. Privateering — Unclear. While VB Assets LLC was formed by former employees and investors of VoiceBox after its acquisition by Nuance, and is asserting patents that originated from VoiceBox, there is no explicit evidence in the provided information of an agreement where Nuance (or Microsoft, who acquired Nuance) is directing or benefiting from VB Assets' assertions against specific competitors.

8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The chain ends with VB Assets, LLC and Contingency Capital Fund A LP, neither of which are known defensive aggregators.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence

This verdict is based on multiple strong signals: VB Assets LLC explicitly states its business as patent licensing and enforcement, indicating a shell-entity transfer (Reel 053706/0770, executed 2022-01-14). VB Assets LLC is a known patent asserter, actively litigating against major tech companies like Amazon, Apple, Samsung, and Google. Furthermore, the consistent appearance of attorney L. ALAN KUTZ across multiple key transfers to AI Thinktank LLC and VB Assets LLC (Reel 042602/0971, 048792/0698, and 053706/0770) strongly suggests a repeat correspondent pattern for assertion-focused entities. The timing of assignments around the original assignee's acquisition and subsequent litigation further supports this conclusion.

Verify at USPTO Assignment Center: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/ (search by patent number US9502025).