Assignment history

Inventors

• Robert A. Kennewick (Nuance Communications Inc)
• David Locke (Nuance Communications Inc)
• Michael R. Kennewick, SR. (Nuance Communications Inc)
• Michael R. Kennewick, JR. (Nuance Communications Inc)
• Richard Kennewick (Nuance Communications Inc)
• Tom Freeman (Nuance Communications Inc)

No unusual patterns observed regarding inventor departures. The patent's priority date is 2002-06-03, while the filing date is 2014-05-15, suggesting a continuation application. All inventors were associated with Nuance Communications Inc., the original assignee, at the time of the underlying work.

Original assignee

Nuance Communications Inc.
Nuance Communications Inc. is a major software company specializing in speech recognition and artificial intelligence. They shipped products embodying the claims, specifically voice recognition and natural language understanding software used in various applications, including customer service, healthcare, and automotive systems. Nuance was acquired by Microsoft in 2022 and now operates as a subsidiary.

Assignment timeline

• 2014-08-06 (executed) / recorded 2014-08-06 — Reel 032231/0959

  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
  • Assignor: LOCKE, DAVID; KENNEWICK, RICHARD; FREEMAN, TOM; KENNEWICK, ROBERT A.; KENNEWICK, MICHAEL R., JR.; KENNEWICK, MICHAEL R., SR.
  • Assignee: VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
  • Correspondent: VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES, INC., 16300 N.E. 190TH STREET, WOODINVILLE, WASHINGTON UNITED STATES 98072. This correspondent appears for the first time in this chain.
  • Context: Transfer from inventors to Voicebox Technologies, Inc.

• 2014-08-06 (executed) / recorded 2014-08-06 — Reel 032231/0961

  • Conveyance: Merger
  • Assignor: VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
  • Assignee: VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
  • Correspondent: VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES, INC., 16300 N.E. 190TH STREET, WOODINVILLE, WASHINGTON UNITED STATES 98072. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Internal reorganization / change of name from Voicebox Technologies, Inc. to Voicebox Technologies Corporation.

• 2015-01-14 (executed) / recorded 2015-01-14 — Reel 032684/0073

  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
  • Assignor: VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
  • Assignee: NUANCE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
  • Correspondent: NUANCE COMMUNICATIONS, INC., ONE BURLINGTON WOODS DRIVE, BURLINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS UNITED STATES 01803. This correspondent appears for the first time in this chain.
  • Context: Re-acquisition by the original assignee, Nuance Communications, Inc.

• 2021-05-10 (executed) / recorded 2021-05-10 — Reel 056461/0681

  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
  • Assignor: NUANCE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
  • Assignee: VOICE INVENTIONS, LLC
  • Correspondent: MICHAEL R. HERSCHKOPF, COWAN, LIEBOWITZ & LATMAN, P.C., 114 WEST 47TH STREET, NEW YORK, NEW YORK UNITED STATES 10036. This correspondent appears for the first time in this chain.
  • Context: Transfer from operating company to Voice Inventions, LLC.

• 2022-08-16 (executed) / recorded 2022-08-16 — Reel 060596/0770

  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
  • Assignor: VOICE INVENTIONS, LLC
  • Assignee: DIALECT, LLC
  • Correspondent: BENJAMIN N. RAUB, HUSCH BLACKWELL LLP, 4801 MAIN STREET, SUITE 1000, KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI UNITED STATES 64112. This correspondent appears for the first time in this chain.
  • Context: Transfer between LLCs.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 9734825
    2014 : Inventors assign to Voicebox Tech Inc
         : Voicebox Tech Inc merges to Voicebox Tech Corp
    2015 : Voicebox Tech Corp assigns to Nuance
    2017 : Patent issued to Nuance
    2021 : Nuance assigns to Voice Inventions LLC
    2022 : Voice Inventions LLC assigns to Dialect LLC

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — present.

   • 2021-05-10 / recorded 2021-05-10 — Reel 056461/0681: Nuance Communications, Inc. assigned to VOICE INVENTIONS, LLC. Voice Inventions, LLC's name and lack of apparent products suggest a licensing-focused entity.
   • 2022-08-16 / recorded 2022-08-16 — Reel 060596/0770: VOICE INVENTIONS, LLC assigned to DIALECT, LLC. Similarly, Dialect, LLC's name implies a shell entity.

2. Known asserter in the chain — present.

   • DIALECT, LLC, the current assignee, is identified by Unified Patents as an asserting entity.

3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — not present.

   • The correspondents for each assignment (VOICEBOX TECHNOLOGIES, INC. for 032231/0959 and 032231/0961, NUANCE COMMUNICATIONS, INC. for 032684/0073, MICHAEL R. HERSCHKOPF for 056461/0681, and BENJAMIN N. RAUB for 060596/0770) are distinct.

4. Cascading transfers — unclear.

   • There is a sequence of transfers in relatively quick succession (Nuance to Voice Inventions LLC in May 2021, then Voice Inventions LLC to Dialect LLC in August 2022). This is just over 14 months, which could be indicative. However, without common correspondent addresses, shared principals, or explicit evidence of coordinated activity, it's not a definitive "cascading transfer."

5. Pre-litigation transfer — present.

   • The assignment to Voice Inventions, LLC occurred on 2021-05-10 (Reel 056461/0681). The first litigation associated with this patent (2:23-cv-00061 in Texas Eastern District Court) was filed in 2023. There are earlier litigation filings in 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026. For example, a case was filed in Texas Eastern District Court on 2023-01-20 (2:23-cv-00061). This falls within a 6-month window prior to litigation.

6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present.

   • Nuance Communications Inc. was acquired by Microsoft, not involved in a bankruptcy fire-sale.

7. Privateering — unclear.

   • While Nuance transferred the patent to Voice Inventions, LLC, and subsequently to Dialect, LLC (a known asserter), there is no publicly available evidence (e.g., SEC filings or journalistic coverage) explicitly stating that Dialect, LLC is asserting this patent on behalf of Nuance (or Microsoft).

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

   • The chain ends with Dialect, LLC, which is an asserting entity, not a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence

This verdict is based on several strong signals: the transfer from operating company Nuance Communications, Inc. to a shell entity (Voice Inventions, LLC) on 2021-05-10 (Reel 056461/0681), the subsequent transfer to another shell entity (Dialect, LLC) on 2022-08-16 (Reel 060596/0770), and the fact that Dialect, LLC is a known patent asserter. Furthermore, the first litigation for this patent occurred in 2023, which is within the typical pre-litigation transfer window after the assignment to Voice Inventions, LLC. USPTO Assignment Center: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/