Assignment history

Inventors

• Christian Stumm - Employer at the time of filing not explicitly stated in the patent document, but the original assignment (executed 1997-02-26) shows Christian Stumm as the assignor of his interest to Digital Delivery, Inc.

Original assignee

The patent issued with V Cast Inc as the original assignee.
V-Cast Inc. developed a "client-server system for delivery of online information," which would have embodied the claims of US5768528, such as scheduled content delivery and error recovery for online publications. Based on subsequent litigation and assignments, it appears the business associated with V-Cast Inc. eventually transitioned into Gigex, Inc., which later became an active patent asserter.

Assignment timeline

The following is a chronological list of recorded assignments for US Patent US5768528, based on the authoritative "Legal Status" section provided in the patent text and cross-referenced with USPTO Assignment Center records.

• 1997-02-26 (executed) / recorded 1997-03-04 — Reel 017006/0098

  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
  • Assignor: STUMM, CHRISTIAN
  • Assignee: DIGITAL DELIVERY, INC.
  • Correspondent: MORRISON & FOERSTER LLP, 755 Page Mill Road, Palo Alto, CA, 94304.
  • Context: The inventor assigns all rights, title, and interest in the patent application to Digital Delivery, Inc.

• 1997-05-19 (executed) / recorded 1997-05-27 — Reel 017770/0524

  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
  • Assignor: DIGITAL DELIVERY, INC.
  • Assignee: V-CAST, INC.
  • Correspondent: MORRISON & FOERSTER LLP, 755 Page Mill Road, Palo Alto, CA, 94304. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Digital Delivery, Inc. assigns its interest in the patent to V-Cast, Inc.

• 2006-03-14 (executed) / recorded 2013-11-20 — Reel 017770/0530

  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
  • Assignor: GIGEX, INC.
  • Assignee: SILICON VALLEY BANK
  • Correspondent: R. T. PARKER, GIGEX.COM, INC., 1740 N. RIDGEWOOD DR., P.O. BOX 1989, PLEASANT GROVE, UT, 84062. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Gigex, Inc. assigns interest to Silicon Valley Bank, likely as a security interest or collateral for a financial transaction. This implies Gigex, Inc. held a collateralizable interest in the patent at this time, even if V-Cast, Inc. was the recorded owner until 2013.

• 2006-10-20 (executed) / recorded 2013-11-20 — Reel 017770/0532

  • Conveyance: Release
  • Assignor: SILICON VALLEY BANK
  • Assignee: GIGEX INC.
  • Correspondent: R. T. PARKER, GIGEX.COM, INC., 1740 N. RIDGEWOOD DR., P.O. BOX 1989, PLEASANT GROVE, UT, 84062. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Silicon Valley Bank releases its security interest in the patent back to Gigex Inc.

• 2013-11-08 (executed) / recorded 2013-11-20 — Reel 017770/0527

  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
  • Assignor: V-CAST, INC.
  • Assignee: GIGEX.COM, INC.
  • Correspondent: R. T. PARKER, GIGEX.COM, INC., 1740 N. RIDGEWOOD DR., P.O. BOX 1989, PLEASANT GROVE, UT, 84062. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: V-Cast, Inc. formally transfers the patent to Gigex.com, Inc.

• 2013-11-08 (executed) / recorded 2013-11-20 — Reel 017770/0529

  • Conveyance: Change of Name
  • Assignor: GIGEX.COM, INC.
  • Assignee: GIGEX, INC.
  • Correspondent: R. T. PARKER, GIGEX.COM, INC., 1740 N. RIDGEWOOD DR., P.O. BOX 1989, PLEASANT GROVE, UT, 84062. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Gigex.com, Inc. formally changes its name to Gigex, Inc.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US US5768528
    1997 : Inventor assigns to Digital Delivery
         : Digital Delivery assigns to V-Cast
    2006 : Gigex assigns to SVB (Security)
         : SVB releases to Gigex
    2013 : V-Cast assigns to Gigex.com
         : Gigex.com changes name to Gigex
    2017 : First infringement suits filed
    2016 : Patent expires

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — present. The name "GIGEX.COM, INC." and "GIGEX, INC." (the latter asserting as "Gigex, Inc. (doing business as V-Cast)") suggests a holding entity rather than a product-shipping company, especially when paired with their role as a plaintiff in patent litigation. The correspondent address is also the assignee's address, often seen with licensing entities. [cite: REEL 017770/0527, REEL 017770/0529]
2. Known asserter in the chain — present. Gigex, Inc. is explicitly identified in the "Litigation summary" section as the plaintiff in multiple patent infringement lawsuits against AOL LLC, [Apple Inc.](/litigations/by-plaintiff/Apple%20Inc.), and Yahoo! Inc. [cite: Litigation summary]
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — present.
   • Morrison & Foerster LLP appears on REEL 017006/0098 (1997-03-04) and REEL 017770/0524 (1997-05-27).
   • R. T. Parker, GIGEX.COM, INC. appears on REEL 017770/0530 (2013-11-20), REEL 017770/0532 (2013-11-20), REEL 017770/0527 (2013-11-20), and REEL 017770/0529 (2013-11-20). The consistent use of an in-house correspondent associated with the asserting entity for multiple recordings over a significant period is a strong signal.
4. Cascading transfers — present. Multiple events from 2006 and 2013 were all recorded on the same date (2013-11-20) in Reel 017770, frames 0527, 0529, 0530, and 0532. This bundling suggests a concerted effort to clean up or clarify the ownership chain, often seen before or during assertion campaigns.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — not present. The last assignment/name change was executed on 2013-11-08 (recorded 2013-11-20). The first infringement suits were filed on March 28, 2017. This is well outside the 6-month window.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — unclear. While there was a security interest held by Silicon Valley Bank in 2006 (REEL 017770/0530, REEL 017770/0532), there is no explicit evidence of a bankruptcy fire-sale of V-Cast, Inc. or Gigex, Inc.
7. Privateering — unclear. While Gigex, Inc. asserts the patent, there is no direct evidence to suggest it is doing so on behalf of an operating company against competitors.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The chain ends with Gigex, Inc., an asserting entity, not a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence

The assignment chain clearly exhibits multiple strong NPE signals. Gigex, Inc. is a known asserter, having filed multiple infringement suits [cite: Litigation summary]. The transfers involving Gigex.com, Inc. and Gigex, Inc. (REEL 017770/0527, REEL 017770/0529) point to shell-entity transfers, especially when considering the continuous use of the same in-house correspondent (R. T. Parker) for all later recordings. The cascading transfers on 2013-11-20 (REEL 017770/0527, REEL 017770/0529, REEL 017770/0530, REEL 017770/0532) further indicate a structured process typical of IP monetization efforts.

For verification, refer to the USPTO Patent Assignment Search for US5768528: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/