Quest Patent Research Profile
Quest Patent Research Corporation operates as an intellectual property asset management company. The company's principal operations include the acquisition, licensing and enforcement of intellectual property rights that are either owned or controlled by it or one of its wholly-owned subsidiaries. The company owns, controls or manages fifteen intellectual property portfolios, which principally consist of patent rights. As part of its intellectual property asset management activities and in the ordinary course of the company's business, it has been necessary for it or the intellectual property owner who it represents to initiate, and it is likely to continue to be necessary to initiate, patent infringement lawsuits and engage in patent infringement litigation.
The company intends to develop its business by acquiring intellectual property rights, either in the form of ownership of or an exclusive license to the underlying intellectual property.
Intellectual Property Portfolios
Mobile Data
The real-time mobile data portfolio relates to the automatic update of information delivered to a mobile device without the need for a manual refreshing. The portfolio consists of U.S. Patent No. 7,194,468 Apparatus and Method for Supplying Information and all related patents, patent applications, and all continuations, continuations-in-part, divisions, extensions, renewals, reissues and re-examinations relating to all inventions thereof (the Mobile Data Portfolio).
Flexible Packaging - Turtle Pak
In March 2008, the company entered into an agreement with Emerging Technologies Trust whereby its majority-owned subsidiary, Quest Packaging Solutions Corporation, acquired the exclusive license to make, use, sell, offer for sale or sublicense the intellectual property of Emerging Technologies Trust (the Turtle Pak Portfolio). The Turtle Pak portfolio relates to a high-protection packaging system recommended for fragile items weighing less than ten pounds. The intellectual property consists of two U.S. patents, U.S. Patent No. RE36,412 and U.S. Patent No. 6,490,844, and the Turtle Pak trademark. Turtle Pak brand packaging is suited for such uses as electrical and electronic components, medical, dental, and diagnostic equipment, instrumentation products, and control components. Turtle Pak brand packaging materials are 100% curbside recyclable.
As the exclusive licensee and manager of the manufacture and sale of licensed product, the company coordinates the manufacture and sale of licensed products to end users; and it contracts for the manufacture and assembly of the product components, and it coordinates order receipt, fulfillment and invoicing.
Universal Financial Data System
The invention describes a universal financial data system which allows its holder to use the device to access one or more accounts stored in the memory of the device as a cash payment substitute, as well as to keep track of financial and transaction records and data, such as transaction receipts, in a highly portable package, such as a cellular device (the Financial Data Portfolio). The inventive universal data system is capable of supporting multiple accounts of various types, including but not limited to credit card accounts, checking/debit accounts, and loyalty accounts. The company's wholly-owned subsidiary, Wynn Technologies Inc., acquired US Patent No. 5,859,419, from the owner, Sol Wynn. In January 2001, the company filed a reissue application for the patent, and the United States Patent and Trademark Office issued patent RE38,137. This reissued patent, which contains 35 separate claims, replaces the original patent, which had seven claims.
Rich Media
The rich media portfolio is directed to methods, systems, and processes that permit typical Internet users to design rich-media production content (i.e., rich-media applications), such as websites. The portfolio consists of U.S. Patent No. 7,000,180, Methods, Systems, and Processes for the Design and Creation of Rich Media Applications via the Internet and all related patents, patent applications, corresponding foreign patents and foreign patent applications and foreign counterparts, and all continuations, continuations-in-part, divisions, extensions, renewals, reissues and re-examinations relating to all inventions thereof (the Rich Media Portfolio). In July 2008, the company entered into a consulting and licensing program management agreement with Balthaser Online, Inc., the patent owner, pursuant to which it performed services related to the establishment and management of a licensing program to evaluate and analyze the relevant market and to obtain licenses for the Rich Media Portfolio in exchange for management fees, as well as an irrevocable entitlement to a distribution of 15% of all proceeds generated by the Rich Media Portfolio for the remaining life of the portfolio regardless of whether those proceeds are derived from litigation, settlement, licensing or otherwise.
Anchor Structure Portfolio
This portfolio, which the company acquired from IV16 in 2015 and transferred to its subsidiary, Mariner IC Inc. (Mariner), consists of two United States patents, which relate to technology for incorporating metal structures in the corners and edges of semiconductor dies to prevent cracking from stresses.
Power Management/Bus Control Portfolio
This portfolio, which is the second portfolio which the company acquired from IV16 and transferred to a newly-formed subsidiary, Semcon IP Inc., consists of four United States patents that cover fundamental technology for adjusting the processor clock and voltage to save power based on the operating characteristics of the processor and one United States patent that relates to coordinating direct bus communications between subsystems in an assigned channel.
Diode on Chip Portfolio
This portfolio, which is the third portfolio which the company acquired from IV16 and transferred to a newly-formed subsidiary, IC Kinetics Inc., consists of three United States patents and one pending continuation application which cover technology relating to on-chip temperature measurement for semiconductors.
CXT Portfolio
This portfolio consists of thirty United States patents, which cover technology relating to systems and methods of operating an accessible information database, which provides for inventory evaluation, filtering according to preferences, alternative product recommendations, and access to a database of consumer feedback/evaluation.
In April 2018 CXT Systems, Inc. (CXT) brought a patent infringement suit in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas against Academy Ltd., In May 2018 CXT brought patent infringement suits in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas against Conn's, Inc., Fossil Group, Inc., JC Penney Company, Inc., and Tailored Brands, Inc. In May 2019, CXT brought patent infringement actions in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas against Harbor Freight Tools USA, Inc., Hallmark.com, LLC, Retail Concepts, Inc. and CC Filson Co. In August 2019, CXT brought patent infringement suits in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas against Neiman Marcus Group Ltd., General Nutrition Corporation and Steve Madden, Ltd.
In March 2021 CXT brought patent infringement suits in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas against Advanced Auto Parts, Inc., Costco Wholesale Corporation, The Sherwin-Williams Company, V.F. Corporation and IKEA North America Services, LLC.
CMOS Portfolio
This portfolio consists of eleven United States patents and sixteen foreign patents which cover technology relating to digital image sensor technology systems and methods which PIS acquired on January 26, 2018.
M-RED Portfolio
This portfolio consists of sixty United States patents and eight foreign patents which cover technology relating to processor and power management which M-RED acquired on March 15, 2019.
On April 29, 2019, M-RED brought patent infringement suits in the U.S. District for the Eastern District of Texas against MediaTek Inc. and Acer Inc. On July 16, 2019, M-Red Inc. brought a patent infringement suit in the U.S. District for the Eastern District of Texas against Panasonic Corporation.
In March 2021, M-RED brought patent infringement suits in the U.S. District for the Eastern District of Texas against Nintendo Co., Ltd., Mitsubishi Electric Corporation and Xiaomi Corporation et. al. In April 2021, the case against Nintendo Co., Ltd. was dismissed without prejudice. In August 2021, M-Red Inc. brought a patent infringement suit in the U.S. District for the Eastern District of Texas against OnePlus Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. In September 2021, M-RED Inc. brought patent infringement suits in the U.S. District for the Eastern District of Texas against ASRock Inc., Biostar Microtech International Corp., Giga-Byte Technology Co., Ltd. and Micro-Star International Co. Ltd.
The actions against Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, ASRock Inc., and Micro-Star International Co. Ltd. were resolved in 2021 and the company's revenue for the year ended December 31, 2021 includes revenue from any related settlements. The actions against Xiaomi Corporation et. al., OnePlus Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd., Biostar Microtech International Corp., and Giga-Byte Technology Co., Ltd. were resolved in 2022 and the company's revenue for the year ended December 31, 2022, included revenue from any related settlements.
Audio Messaging Portfolio
This portfolio consists of five issued United States patents and one pending application which generally relate to systems and methods for associating an audio clip with an object which the company's wholly-owned subsidiary, Audio Messaging Inc. (AMI), acquired in May of 2020.
Peregrin Portfolio
Acquired in February 2021 by the company's wholly owned subsidiary, Peregrin Licensing LLC (PLL), this portfolio consists of eight issued United States patents which generally relate to systems and methods for processing inbound and outbound communications, such as, for example, determining the location of a caller and routing the inbound communication to an entity in the caller's location (the Peregrin Portfolio). PLL acquired the portfolio pursuant to an agreement with Peter K. Trzyna (PKT) whereby PKT assigned the company all right, title, and interest in a portfolio of eight United States patents.
Taasera Portfolio
Acquired by the company's wholly-owned subsidiary, Taasera Licensing LLC (TLL), this portfolio consists of 29 United States patents and 2 foreign patents which generally relate to the field of network security (the Taasera Portfolio). In August 2021 acquired a portfolio of network security patents from Daedalus Blue LLC (DBL) consisting of 22 United States patents and 2 foreign patents. Original assignees of the patents acquired from DBL include International Business Machines Corporation, Internet Security Systems, Inc. and Fiberlink Communications Corporation (Fiberlink). ISS and Fiberlink were acquired by IBM in 2006 and 2013, respectively. In September 2019, IBM divested over 500 United States patent assets, as well as a number of foreign counterparts in Asia, Europe, and elsewhere, to Daedalus Group, and affiliate of DBL. Pursuant to the acquisition agreement, DBL is entitled to a portion of the net proceeds from monetization of the TLL portfolio.
In November 2021, TLL brought patent infringement suits in the U.S. District for the Eastern District of Texas against Trend Micro Incorporated. In March 2022, Trend Micro, Inc. filed a complaint against TLL in the U.S. District for the Western District of Texas seeking declaratory judgement of non-infringement of the patents in suit. In February 2022, TLL brought patent infringement suits in the U.S. District for the Eastern District of Texas against Checkpoint Software Technologies Ltd. and Palo Alto Networks, Inc. In March 2022, TLL voluntarily dismissed, without prejudice, the action against Palo Alto Networks, Inc. In March 2022, Palo Alto Networks, Inc. filed a complaint against TLL and the company in the U.S. District for the Southern District of New York seeking declaratory judgement of non-infringement of the patents in suit. In May 2022, Trend Micro Inc. filed a motion with the Panel on Multidistrict Litigation seeking to have the pending actions consolidated into a centralized multidistrict litigation for pretrial proceedings. In August 2022, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation consolidated all actions in the U.S. District for the Eastern District of Texas. In October 2022, TLL brought patent infringement suits in the U.S. District for the Eastern District of Texas against Fortinet, inc., Crowdstrike, Inc. et.al., and Musarubra US, LLC.
Soundstreak Portfolio
Acquired through the company's acquisition of Soundstreak Texas LLC (STX) in 2021. This patent portfolio consists of three United States patents and one pending patent application which generally relate to streaming data (including audio or video) while also storing higher quality versions of the same data locally.
Multimodal Media Portfolio
Acquired by the company's wholly owned subsidiary, Multimodal Media LLC (MML), the Multimodal Media portfolio consists of fifteen United States patents and one pending application which generally relate to systems and methods of recording and sending interactive messages and voice messages using mobile devices, as well as completing a communication after an incomplete call (the Multimodal Media Portfolio).
In November 2021, MML brought patent infringement suits in the U.S. District for the Eastern District of Texas against ZTE Corporation and Guangdong OPPO Mobile Telecommunications Corp., Ltd. In November 2022, MML brought patent infringement suits in the U.S. District for the Eastern District of Texas against Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. et al and TCL Technology Group Corporation et al.
LS Cloud Storage Portfolio
Acquired through the company's acquisition of LS Cloud Storage Technologies LLC (LSC) in 2021, the LS Cloud Portfolio consists of four United States patents which generally relate to data sharing using distributed cache.
In March 2022, LSC brought patent infringement suits in the U.S. District for the Eastern District of Texas against Microsoft Corporation, Google LLC, Cisco Systems, Inc. and Amazon.com, Inc. et.al. In November 2022, Google LLC filed a petition before the patent trial and appeal board for inter partes review of US Patent No. 10,154,092.
Tyche Portfolio
Acquired in January 2022, the Tyche portfolio consists of two United States patents and related assets relating generally to symmetric inducting devices incorporated in integrated circuits and in particular to an integrated circuit having symmetric inducting device with a ground shield.
In May 2022, Tyche Licensing LLC (Tyche) brought patent infringement suits in the U.S. District for the Eastern District of Texas against MediaTek Inc., Realtek Semiconductor Corporation, Texas Instruments Incorporated, Infineon Technologies AG and STMicroelectronics NV et. al. In May 2022, Tyche voluntarily dismissed, without prejudice, the action against STMicroelectronics NV et .al. In May 2022, STMicroelectronics, Inc. filed an action for declaratory judgement of non-infringement in the U.S. District for the Northern District of Texas, the action was dismissed without prejudice in July 2022. In September 2022, the action against Texas Instruments Incorporated was dismissed with prejudice. As of December 31, 2022, the actions against MediaTek Inc. and Infineon Technologies AG were stayed pending settlement.
Deepwell Portfolio
Acquired in January 2022, the Deepwell portfolio consisted of 12 United States patents and related assets (Deepwell Portfolio).
EDI Portfolio
In July 2022, EDI Licensing LLC (EDI) acquired, via assignment from Edward D. Ioli Trust, all right title and interest to a portfolio of five United States patents and related applications relating to a system and method for controlling vehicles and for providing assistance to operated vehicles (EDI Portfolio).
HPE Portfolio
Acquired in July 2022 pursuant to an agreement with Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP and Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company, the HPE portfolio consists of eight United States Patents across five patent families which relate generally to systems and methods around hardware, software and system security and capabilities (HPE Portfolio).
Intellectual Property Rights
The company has fifteen intellectual property portfolios: financial data, mobile data, Turtle Pak, anchor structure, power management/bus control, diode on chip, rich media, CXT, CMOS, M-RED, Audio Messaging, Peregrin, Taasera, Soundstreak, Multmodal Media, LS Cloud, Tyyche, Deepwell, EDI and HPE. The following table sets forth information concerning the company's patents and other intellectual property. Each patent or other intellectual property right listed in the table below that has been granted is publicly accessible on the Internet website of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office at www.uspto.gov. The anchor structure portfolio is referred to as Mariner, the power management/bus control portfolio is referred to as Semcom, the diode on chip portfolio is referred to as IC, the Audio Messaging portfolio is referred to as AMI, the Peregrin portfolio is referred to as PLL, the Taasera portfolio is referred to as TLL, the Soundstreak portfolio is referred to as STX, the Multimodal Media portfolio is referred to as MML, the LS Cloud portfolio is referred to as LSC, the Tyche portfolio is referred to as Tyche, the Deepwell portfolio is referred to as DIP, the EDI portfolio is referred to as EDI, and the HPE portfolio is referred to as HPE.
History
The company, a Delaware corporation, was incorporated in 1987. The company was formerly known as Quest Products Corporation and changed its name to Quest Patent Research Corporation in 2007.
