Assignment history

Inventors

The sole inventor listed for U.S. Patent No. 9,942,705 is Richard D. Haney. At the time of filing on February 9, 2017, Richard D. Haney assigned the patent rights to X One Inc., indicating he was likely an employee or founder of X One Inc. at or before the filing date. There is no unusual pattern of inventors departing the original assignee immediately following filing.

Original assignee

The original assignee named on the issued patent is X One Inc.

X One Inc. is described in the patent as having developed and implementing the "Buddy Watch" or "Rubicon" system, which includes the "Buddy TrackerTM software" for location sharing. This suggests that X One Inc. was an operating company that shipped a product embodying the claims of the patent. Their primary line of business appears to be in location-based services and associated software applications.

Based on the recent litigation activity in April 2026, where X One, Inc. (and subsequently X-One IP, LLC) is listed as the plaintiff, the entity or its successor appears to be currently operating, at least in an assertion capacity.

Assignment timeline

• 2017-02-09 (executed) / recorded 2017-02-15 — Reel 039988/0651

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT
  • Assignor: HANEY, RICHARD D.
  • Assignee: X ONE INC.
  • Correspondent: ROBERT E. HARVEY, CPA, ESQ., ROBERT E. HARVEY, P.C., 7837 NORTH 12TH STREET, PHOENIX, AZ 85020-4100.
  • Context: Initial assignment of patent rights from the inventor to the corporate entity at the time of application filing.

• 2022-09-29 (executed) / recorded 2022-10-06 — Reel 062635/0285

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT
  • Assignor: X ONE, INC.
  • Assignee: X ONE, LLC
  • Correspondent: Brian L. Zorn, ZORN LAW GROUP, PLLC, 16150 Main Street, Suite 225, Vancouver, WA 98684. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Transfer of ownership, likely an internal corporate restructuring or a precursor to a licensing strategy.

• 2022-09-29 (executed) / recorded 2022-10-06 — Reel 062635/0286

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT
  • Assignor: X ONE, LLC
  • Assignee: X-ONE IP, LLC
  • Correspondent: Brian L. Zorn, ZORN LAW GROUP, PLLC, 16150 Main Street, Suite 225, Vancouver, WA 98684. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Transfer of ownership to an entity with an "IP" suffix, strongly suggesting a dedicated patent holding or licensing entity.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 9942705
    2017 : Patent application filed
         : Inventor assigns to X One Inc
    2018 : Patent issued
    2022 : Assigned to X One LLC
         : Assigned to X-One IP LLC
    2026 : Infringement suits filed

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Present. The patent was transferred from X ONE, LLC to X-ONE IP, LLC, as recorded on 2022-10-06 (Reel 062635/0286). The "IP" suffix is a strong indicator of a licensing-focused shell entity.
2. Known asserter in the chain — Unclear. X One, Inc. and its successor X-One IP, LLC have initiated multiple patent infringement lawsuits, including recent filings in April 2026 against Domino's Pizza, DoorDash, Neighborfavor, and Pizza Hut. While X One, Inc. is not on the provided list of known high-frequency NPEs, its consistent assertion activity against a variety of companies suggests it functions as an asserter, possibly an operating company asserting against non-competitors, which is a common NPE characteristic.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Present. Brian L. Zorn of ZORN LAW GROUP, PLLC, is listed as the correspondent for both assignments recorded on 2022-10-06 (Reel 062635/0285 and Reel 062635/0286), indicating a single legal representative handling consecutive transfers within the chain.
4. Cascading transfers — Present. Two consecutive assignments occurred on the same execution date (2022-09-29) and were recorded on the same date (2022-10-06), transferring the patent from X One, Inc. to X One, LLC, and then immediately to X-ONE IP, LLC (Reel 062635/0285 and 062635/0286). This rapid succession of transfers within days is a strong signal.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — Unclear. The transfers to X-ONE IP, LLC occurred in October 2022. The infringement lawsuits specifically naming US Patent 9,942,705 were filed in April 2026. This period of over three years between the transfer and the lawsuits does not meet the "within 6 months" criteria for a pre-litigation transfer as defined.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. There is no indication from the provided information that X One Inc. or any subsequent assignee experienced bankruptcy.
7. Privateering — Unclear. While the transfers to X-ONE IP, LLC could facilitate privateering, there is no direct evidence (e.g., SEC filings or public reports) to confirm that X-ONE IP, LLC is asserting the patent on behalf of an operating company against its competitors. The recent targets are delivery and food service companies, and it's not immediately clear if X One Inc. (the original operating entity) is a direct competitor in these specific markets.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The current assignee, X-ONE IP, LLC, is not a known defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence

This verdict is based on the presence of multiple strong NPE signals. Specifically, the patent underwent a shell-entity transfer to X-ONE IP, LLC (Reel 062635/0286, recorded 2022-10-06), which is characterized by an "IP" suffix commonly used by licensing entities. Furthermore, there were cascading transfers involving two consecutive assignments executed and recorded on the same dates in 2022 (Reel 062635/0285 and 062635/0286). The recurrence of the same correspondent attorney, Brian L. Zorn, for these transfers (Reel 062635/0285 and 062635/0286) further strengthens this pattern. These factors, combined with the active assertion of this patent in multiple infringement lawsuits, strongly indicate an NPE assertion strategy.

USPTO Assignment Center search for US9942705