Assignment history

Inventors

• Jeroen Laarakkers (Nederlandse Organisatie voor Toegepast Natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek TNO)
• Mattijs Oskar Van Deventer (Nederlandse Organisatie voor Toegepast Natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek TNO)
• Victor Bastiaan Klos (Nederlandse Organisatie voor Toegepast Natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek TNO)

All named inventors were employed by the original assignee, Nederlandse Organisatie voor Toegepast Natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek TNO, at the time of filing.

Original Assignee

The original assignee named on the issued patent is Nederlandse Organisatie voor Toegepast Natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek TNO (Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research), often referred to as TNO.

TNO is a large, independent organization for applied scientific research in the Netherlands. Its primary line of business involves innovation and research across various sectors, not typically shipping end-consumer products embodying patent claims directly, but rather licensing technologies or contributing to their development. TNO is currently an active operating entity.

Assignment Timeline

The following is a chronological list of every recorded assignment for US Patent 9,602,649 as found on the USPTO Assignment Center:

• 2012-03-22 (executed) / recorded 2012-04-09 — Reel 028015/0754

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: LAARAKKERS, JEROEN; VAN DEVENTER, MATTIJS OSKAR; KLOS, VICTOR BASTIAAN (Inventors)
  • Assignee: NEDERLANDSE ORGANISATIE VOOR TOEGEPAST-NATUURWETENSCHAPPELIJK ONDERZOEK TNO
  • Correspondent: KEMNA & VAN DER VEER B.V., POSTBUS 1511, 5602 BM EINDHOVEN, NETHERLANDS.
  • Context: Transfer of inventor's interest to the original assignee.

• 2020-02-25 (executed) / recorded 2020-03-05 — Reel 052113/0431

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: NEDERLANDSE ORGANISATIE VOOR TOEGEPAST-NATUURWETENSCHAPPELIJK ONDERZOEK (TNO)
  • Assignee: DATASERVE TECHNOLOGIES LLC, DELAWARE
  • Correspondent: PATRICK KANANEN, P.O. BOX 1076, NEW SMYRNA BEACH, FL 32170-1076.
  • Context: Transfer from original research organization to a known patent licensing entity.

• 2020-07-22 (executed) / recorded 2020-08-21 — Reel 053579/0590

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: DATASERVE TECHNOLOGIES LLC
  • Assignee: K.MIZRA LLC, CALIFORNIA
  • Correspondent: PATRICK KANANEN, P.O. BOX 1076, NEW SMYRNA BEACH, FL 32170-1076. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Transfer between patent licensing entities.

Timeline Diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 9602649
    2010 : Filed
    2012 : Inventors assign to TNO
    2017 : Patent Issued
    2020 : TNO assigns to DATASERVE TECHNOLOGIES LLC
         : DATASERVE assigns to K.MIZRA LLC

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Present.

   • 2020-03-05 (Reel 052113/0431): Transfer from Nederlandse Organisatie voor Toegepast Natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek (TNO) to DATASERVE TECHNOLOGIES LLC. While Data-Serv Technologies LLC appears to be an IT services provider, another entity, DataServ L.L.C., provides cloud-based Accounts Payable automation solutions, neither of which align with patent licensing. DataServe Technologies LLC, the assignee, is incorporated in Delaware, a common jurisdiction for shell entities.
   • 2020-08-21 (Reel 053579/0590): Transfer from DATASERVE TECHNOLOGIES LLC to K.MIZRA LLC. K. Mizra LLC explicitly identifies itself as a "patent licensing company run by experienced management" and lists patent litigation in the US and Europe on its website. This clearly indicates a shell entity focused on patent monetization.

2. Known asserter in the chain — Present.

   • 2020-08-21 (Reel 053579/0590): K. Mizra LLC is the current assignee. K. Mizra LLC is a known patent licensing firm actively engaged in patent litigation in the US and Europe.

3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Present.

   • PATRICK KANANEN, P.O. BOX 1076, NEW SMYRNA BEACH, FL 32170-1076, is listed as the correspondent for both the 2020-03-05 (Reel 052113/0431) assignment to DATASERVE TECHNOLOGIES LLC and the 2020-08-21 (Reel 053579/0590) assignment to K.MIZRA LLC. This attorney handled consecutive transfers within the chain.

4. Cascading transfers — Present.

   • 2020-03-05 (Reel 052113/0431) and 2020-08-21 (Reel 053579/0590): Two assignments occurred within approximately 5 months (less than 24 months), transferring ownership from TNO to DataServe Technologies LLC and then to K.Mizra LLC. Both transfers used the same correspondent attorney.

5. Pre-litigation transfer — Unclear. The provided information states that the patent is subject to litigation, but the specific case number and filing date are ambiguous. Without a confirmed filing date for an infringement suit related to this patent, it's unclear if the transfers occurred within 6 months prior to litigation.

6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. The original assignee TNO is an active research organization, and there is no indication of bankruptcy proceedings for any entity in the chain leading to the assignment of this patent.

7. Privateering — Unclear. While the patent originated from a research organization and is now owned by an NPE, there's no explicit evidence from SEC filings or other public sources to confirm TNO transferred the patent to K. Mizra LLC to assert against specific competitors on TNO's behalf.

8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The chain ends with K. Mizra LLC, a patent licensing company, not a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence

The assignment chain strongly indicates an NPE monetization strategy. The presence of multiple shell-entity transfers, the clear identification of the current assignee K. Mizra LLC as a patent licensing firm, the rapid cascading transfers between these entities (within 5 months in 2020), and the use of a repeat correspondent attorney for these transfers (Patrick Kananen for Reel 052113/0431 and Reel 053579/0590) are all strong signals of patent assertion activities.

For verification of assignment records, please refer to the USPTO Assignment Center at https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/.