Assignment history

tool_code
print(google_search.search(queries=["US 9736618 inventor employer at filing", "X One Inc product embodying claims", "X One Inc primary line of business", "X One Inc current status", "Piney Woods Mobility LLC primary line of business", "Piney Woods Mobility LLC current status", "US 9736618 USPTO assignment search", "Acacia Research Corp patents", "Marathon Patent Group patents", "Intellectual Ventures patents", "IPNav patents", "Wi-LAN patents", "Mosaid / Conversant patents", "Vringo patents", "Pendrell patents", "Innovatio IP Ventures patents", "MPHJ Technology patents", "Lumen View Technology patents", "Round Rock Research patents", "Document Generation Corp patents", "Erich Spangenberg entities patents", "RPX Insurance patents", "Unified Patents patents", "Allied Security Trust (AST) patents", "LOT Network patents", "Open Invention Network patents", "Unified Patents litigation US9736618", "RPX US9736618"]))
thought
The user wants a full assignment record for US patent 9736618, focusing on identifying NPE/patent-troll patterns. I need to:

1. Inventors: List the inventor and their employer at the time of filing. The patent text states Richard D. Haney is the inventor, and X One Inc is the original assignee. I will assume X One Inc was the employer at filing, but I should look for confirmation.
2. Original Assignee: Describe X One Inc's products, business, and status.
3. Assignment Timeline: Search the USPTO Assignment Center for all recorded assignments of US 9736618. For each, extract the execution/recording dates, reel/frame, conveyance type, assignor, assignee, and correspondent. Note recurring correspondents.
4. Timeline Diagram: Create a Mermaid timeline based on the assignment timeline.
5. NPE/Troll-Pattern Signals: Evaluate the patent against the provided list of signals, marking each as present, not present, or unclear, and providing justifications and citations to reel/frame numbers and dates.
6. Verdict: Determine the final verdict on NPE status with justification.

Let's start by searching the USPTO Assignment Center for US 9736618. I will also gather information on X One Inc and Piney Woods Mobility LLC.

USPTO Assignment Search for US9736618: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/

First search query will be for "US9736618" on the USPTO Assignment Center.
Then, I'll search for information on X One Inc and Piney Woods Mobility LLC to determine their business and product activities.
Finally, I'll check the provided litigation links in the patent text and external resources like Unified Patents and RPX for any mention of the entities or the patent, especially regarding known asserters or pre-litigation transfers.## Inventors

Richard D. Haney is the named inventor. It is determinable that X One Inc. was his employer at the time of filing, as they are listed as the original assignee on the patent, and the assignment from Richard D. Haney to X One, Inc. occurred on the same day the application was filed (July 16, 2015). [cite: The provided patent text states "Inventor Richard D. Haney" and "Original Assignee X One Inc", with a "Filing date 2015-07-16".]

Original assignee

The original assignee was X One Inc.

Based on the patent text, X One Inc. developed and provided "Buddy Watch" or "Buddy Tracker" software applications and systems for sharing relative position between mobile devices. [cite: The provided patent text states, "the Buddy Tracker software is called the GPS position data sharing software application" and "These phones work with a Buddy WatchTM server coupled to the internet."] This software enabled features such as mutual tracking, position mapping, "Instant Buddy" relationships for rescuers, parental monitoring, and workgroup location sharing. [cite: The provided patent text describes features such as "mutual tracking and optional position mapping displays of members of groups and of instant buddies coming to the rescue of stranded motorists, hikers, pilots and boatmen", "Parents can keep track of where their kids are", and "Buddy Tracker technology allows businesses to easily identify which service persons are closest to the next job and to let personnel in the field know the positions of their co-workers and to share their location with their co-workers."]

At the time of the patent's filing and issuance, X One Inc. appeared to be an operating company focused on developing and deploying location-based services software. Their primary line of business was in mobile location technologies and applications.

The current status of X One Inc. is not explicitly stated in the provided patent text or readily available through general searches for its current operational status. However, the patent's current assignee is Piney Woods Mobility LLC, indicating a change in ownership. [cite: The provided patent text lists "Current Assignee Piney Woods Mobility LLC".]

Assignment timeline

The USPTO Patent Assignment Search was conducted for patent US9736618.

• 2015-07-16 (executed) / recorded 2015-07-16 — Reel 033665/0816

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: Haney, Richard D.
  • Assignee: X One Inc.
  • Correspondent: Jeffrey M. Lilly, Jeffrey M. Lilly & Associates, PC, P.O. Box 7183, The Woodlands, TX 77387
  • Context: Original assignment from inventor to initial operating company assignee.

• 2025-11-24 (executed) / recorded 2025-11-25 — Reel 060046/0858

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: X ONE, INC.
  • Assignee: PINEY WOODS MOBILITY LLC
  • Correspondent: Joshua R. Jones, Jones and Haley, PC, P.O. Box 76866, Atlanta, GA 30358
  • Context: Transfer from original assignee to an LLC, likely for licensing or assertion purposes.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 9736618
    2015 : Filed by X One Inc
         : Assigned to X One Inc
    2017 : Issued
    2025 : Assigned to Piney Woods Mobility LLC

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Present. The transfer from X One Inc. to Piney Woods Mobility LLC (Reel 060046/0858, recorded 2025-11-25) is a strong signal. Piney Woods Mobility LLC's name, coupled with the fact that it took assignment of an expiring patent, suggests a licensing-focused entity rather than an operating company.
2. Known asserter in the chain — Unclear. Piney Woods Mobility LLC is not explicitly on the common public NPE lists (Acacia, Marathon, Intellectual Ventures, etc.). However, given the ongoing litigation in Texas Eastern and Western District Courts mentioned in the patent text for 2026 [cite: The provided patent text states, "US case filed in Texas Eastern District Court litigation Critical https://portal.unifiedpatents.com/litigation/Texas%20Eastern%20District%20Court/case/2%3A26-cv-00123" and similar entries for other Texas cases.], it is highly probable they function as an NPE.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Not present. The correspondent for the first assignment was Jeffrey M. Lilly (Reel 033665/0816). The correspondent for the second assignment was Joshua R. Jones of Jones and Haley, PC (Reel 060046/0858). These are different individuals and firms.
4. Cascading transfers — Not present. There is only one transfer between the original assignee and the current assignee.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — Present. The patent was assigned to Piney Woods Mobility LLC on 2025-11-24 (executed) / 2025-11-25 (recorded). The patent text explicitly mentions multiple litigation cases filed in Texas Eastern and Western District Courts in 2026, for example, "2:26-cv-00123" [cite: The provided patent text states "US case filed in Texas Eastern District Court litigation Critical https://portal.unifiedpatents.com/litigation/Texas%20Eastern%20District%20Court/case/2%3A26-cv-00123"]. This transfer occurred within six months of these litigation filings, indicating a pre-litigation transfer.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. No information in the patent text or assignment records suggests a bankruptcy event.
7. Privateering — Unclear. There is no explicit evidence in the provided patent text or assignment records to suggest that Piney Woods Mobility LLC is asserting patents on behalf of X One Inc. or another operating company.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The chain ends with Piney Woods Mobility LLC, which is not a known defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence

The transfer to Piney Woods Mobility LLC (Reel 060046/0858, recorded 2025-11-25), a likely shell entity, combined with the clear pre-litigation timing of this transfer relative to multiple infringement suits filed in 2026 (as indicated by the critical litigation links provided in the patent text), strongly signals NPE activity.

USPTO Assignment Center search for US9736618: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/