Assignment history

Inventors

• Daniel E. Grupp: Acorn Technologies Inc.
• Daniel J. Connelly: Acorn Technologies Inc.

No immediate unusual patterns are determinable solely from the inventor information and the patent filing date.

Original assignee

Acorn Technologies Inc.
Based on the patent's subject matter (semiconductor devices and processes), Acorn Technologies Inc. was likely in the business of semiconductor technology development. Their current status is "Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list) Oak Ip LLC". However, the legal status also states "Expired - Fee Related , expires 2023-10-10". Google Patents lists "Oak Ip LLC" as the current assignee.

Assignment timeline

• 2019-05-30 (executed) / recorded 2019-05-30 — Reel 047701/0002
  • Conveyance: Security Interest
  • Assignor: ACORN SEMI LLC
  • Assignee: THE PETER NORTON LIVING TRUST DATED APRIL 28, 1989,
  • Correspondent: John C. Cain, THE LAW OFFICE OF JOHN C. CAIN, P.C., 2100 West Loop South, Suite 900, Houston, TX, 77027. This correspondent also appears on other tracked patents.
  • Context: Securitization (grant of security interest).
• 2019-06-26 (executed) / recorded 2019-06-26 — Reel 047701/0001
  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
  • Assignor: ACORN TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
  • Assignee: ACORN SEMI, LLC
  • Correspondent: John C. Cain, THE LAW OFFICE OF JOHN C. CAIN, P.C., 2100 West Loop South, Suite 900, Houston, TX, 77027. This correspondent also appears on other tracked patents.
  • Context: Internal reorg/transfer to subsidiary.
• 2024-12-26 (executed) / recorded 2024-12-26 — Reel 063548/0468
  • Conveyance: Release by Secured Party
  • Assignor: THE PETER NORTON LIVING TRUST
  • Assignee: ACORN SEMI, LLC
  • Correspondent: John C. Cain, THE LAW OFFICE OF JOHN C. CAIN, P.C., 2100 West Loop South, Suite 900, Houston, TX, 77027. This correspondent also appears on other tracked patents.
  • Context: Release of security interest.
• 2024-12-26 (executed) / recorded 2024-12-26 — Reel 063548/0469
  • Conveyance: Release by Secured Party
  • Assignor: THE PETER NORTON LIVING TRUST
  • Assignee: ACORN TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
  • Correspondent: John C. Cain, THE LAW OFFICE OF JOHN C. CAIN, P.C., 2100 West Loop South, Suite 900, Houston, TX, 77027. This correspondent also appears on other tracked patents.
  • Context: Release of security interest.
• 2024-12-26 (executed) / recorded 2024-12-26 — Reel 063548/0470
  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
  • Assignor: ACORN SEMI, LLC
  • Assignee: OAK IP, LLC
  • Correspondent: John C. Cain, THE LAW OFFICE OF JOHN C. CAIN, P.C., 2100 West Loop South, Suite 900, Houston, TX, 77027. This correspondent also appears on other tracked patents.
  • Context: Transfer to asserter.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 9905691
    2002 : Priority date
    2016 : Application filed by Acorn Technologies Inc
    2018 : Granted US9905691B2
    2019 : Security interest to Peter Norton Living Trust
         : Assigned to Acorn Semi LLC
    2024 : Release by Peter Norton Living Trust
         : Assigned to Oak IP LLC

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — present. The transfer from Acorn Technologies, Inc. to ACORN SEMI, LLC in 2019-06-26 (Reel 047701/0001) suggests a potential internal reorg, but the subsequent transfer from ACORN SEMI, LLC to OAK IP, LLC in 2024-12-26 (Reel 063548/0470) is a strong signal. "Oak IP LLC" with "IP" in the name, is a common naming convention for shell entities that do not produce products.
2. Known asserter in the chain — unclear. While Oak IP LLC is the current assignee, it is not explicitly listed among the provided examples of "known asserters". However, the nature of "Oak IP LLC" and its correspondent's activity (see point 3) indicate it may function as an asserter.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — present. John C. Cain of THE LAW OFFICE OF JOHN C. CAIN, P.C. appears as the correspondent for all recorded assignments: 2019-05-30 (Reel 047701/0002), 2019-06-26 (Reel 047701/0001), 2024-12-26 (Reel 063548/0468), 2024-12-26 (Reel 063548/0469), and 2024-12-26 (Reel 063548/0470). This consistent correspondent across multiple transfers, especially leading to an entity like "Oak IP LLC," is a strong indicator of NPE patterns.
4. Cascading transfers — not present. While there are multiple transfers, they are not strictly "consecutive" in a short period between chained LLCs with shared characteristics that would explicitly indicate cascading within a 24-month window for assertion preparation. The gap between the 2019 transfers and the 2024 transfers is too long.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — unclear. While there's litigation associated with this patent (e.g., US case filed in Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, Texas Eastern District Court, Delaware District Court, PTAB cases), the dates of these filings precede the final assignment to Oak IP LLC. The earliest litigation noted is from 2019, while the assignment to Oak IP LLC is in late 2024. Therefore, the transfer to Oak IP LLC does not appear to be immediately pre-litigation for the first infringement suit.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. There is no indication of Acorn Technologies Inc. or Acorn Semi, LLC undergoing bankruptcy proceedings leading to the patent transfer.
7. Privateering — unclear. While the pattern of transfers suggests potential assertion, there is no direct evidence from SEC filings or public coverage to confirm privateering on behalf of an operating company.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The chain does not terminate at a known defensive aggregator like RPX, AST, or LOT Network.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence. The presence of a shell-entity transfer to "Oak IP, LLC" (Reel 063548/0470) combined with the repeated appearance of the same correspondent, John C. Cain (Reel 047701/0001, 047701/0002, 063548/0468, 063548/0469, 063548/0470), across multiple assignments in the chain are strong signals. These patterns are highly characteristic of patent assertion entities.

USPTO Assignment Center search for US9905691: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/#!/assignment-view/US9905691/en/