Assignment history

Inventors

• Charles Cameron Lindquist
• Timothy John Lindquist

The patent document does not explicitly state the inventors' employer at the time of filing. However, Portus Singapore Pte Ltd is named as the original assignee on the patent, suggesting the inventors were likely employed by or affiliated with Portus Singapore Pte Ltd (or its Australian predecessor) when the application was filed.

Original assignee

Portus Singapore Pte Ltd.

• Shipped a product embodying the claims: No. Portus Singapore Pte Ltd explicitly states in its litigation filings that it "has never sold a product" and identifies itself as "a non-practicing entity, with no products to mark." While the company claims to be the "original creator of the smart home" and to have developed "valuable and industry-leading smart home systems," this is presented in the context of patent assertion and licensing rather than direct product sales.
• Primary line of business: Officially, its primary activity is listed as "INTERNET ACCESS PROVIDERS, INCLUDE ISPS" with "OTHER HOLDING COMPANIES" as a secondary activity, incorporated in Singapore. However, its actual business model, as evidenced by its activities, is focused on acquiring and asserting patents related to smart home and remote monitoring systems through a "Patent Licensing Program".
• Current status: Live and operating.

Assignment timeline

A search of the USPTO Patent Assignment Search database for patent number US9961097 revealed no recorded assignments for this patent. This indicates that the original assignee, Portus Singapore Pte Ltd, remains the recorded owner of the patent, and no post-issuance transfers have been documented.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 9961097
    1998 : Priority date
    2014 : Application filed by Portus Singapore Pte Ltd
    2018 : Patent issued to Portus Singapore Pte Ltd
    2019 : First infringement suit filed by Portus

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Present. Portus Singapore Pte Ltd openly identifies itself as a "non-practicing entity" and states that it "has never sold a product." Its stated primary business activities (Internet access providers, other holding companies) do not align with the manufacture or sale of smart home products. Its operations revolve around a "Patent Licensing Program."
2. Known asserter in the chain — Present. Portus Singapore Pte Ltd is widely recognized as a "non-practicing entity" (NPE) by sources such as Unified Patents and RPX Corporation. The company has initiated a substantial number of patent infringement lawsuits against various technology providers, including Amazon, Samsung, LG, Peloton, and Vivint.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Not present. There are no recorded assignments for US9961097 on the USPTO Assignment Center, thus no chain of assignments to analyze for recurring correspondents.
4. Cascading transfers — Not present. No assignments are recorded for this patent.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — Not present. The patent was issued on May 1, 2018. The earliest identified litigation (Case Number 2:19-cv-00044) was filed on February 7, 2019. There are no recorded assignments of the patent within six months prior to this first litigation filing.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. There is no evidence suggesting that Portus Singapore Pte Ltd or any prior (unrecorded) assignee underwent bankruptcy proceedings. Portus Singapore Pte Ltd is currently listed as an active company.
7. Privateering — Unclear. While Portus has licensed its technology to companies like Apple, Cisco, and Comcast, and has government investment, there is no explicit public record indicating that its litigation efforts are conducted specifically on behalf of these operating companies against their direct competitors.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The patent remains with Portus Singapore Pte Ltd, which is actively asserting it in litigation.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence

Justification: Portus Singapore Pte Ltd explicitly declares itself a "non-practicing entity" that "has never sold a product" but operates a "Patent Licensing Program". This, combined with the extensive and continuous pattern of patent infringement litigation against a wide array of technology companies, provides strong and unequivocal signals of an NPE. The absence of recorded assignments for the patent number on the USPTO Assignment Center confirms that the patent remains with this identified NPE. For verification, refer to the USPTO Patent Assignment Search.