Texas Instruments (TI) (2:21-cv-00221) has been sued through a new Eastern District of Texas complaint, the defendant accused of infringing a single patent broadly pertaining to a radio-frequency (RF) module assembly. The plaintiff, Texas LFP, LLC, targets TI over the provision of its SimpleLink-series of devices, including the CC2650MODA wireless module—in particular, the incorporation of certain RF modules that support the Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) 5.1 specification.
Texas LFP was formed in Texas on July 19, 2011 with Kevin LaDue as its sole managing member. More recent Texas records, starting in 2019, indicate that Milton J. LaDue (of uncertain relation, if any, to Kevin), LaDue Children's 2008 TR C, and LaDue Children's 2008 TR JA (presumably trusts formed for certain individuals, perhaps Kevin's children) as its managing members. In its complaint, Texas LFP characterizes itself as a "family-owned entity that wholly owns and operates Rochester Gauges, Inc.", a manufacturer of "liquid level gauges". The plaintiff further alleges that it "invested financially" in the research and development of Armen Kazanchian, the named inventor of the patent-in-suit (8,610,573), which investment resulted in the patent, described as a "novel energy efficient wireless module that could transmit and receive data while substantially reducing or eliminating interference from competing frequency bands".
Azanchian identifies himself on social media as having founded a trio of entities—RF Digital, RFduino, and Simblee—all acquired by Heptagon (providing "sensing, illumination and 3D imaging solutions for the Internet of Things (IoT) and Smart Devices") in 2016. The '573 patent issued to Kazanchian (of Hermosa Beach, California) in December 2013, having an estimated priority date, based on the filing of a provisional application, in September 2008. Kazanchian assigned it to RF Digital (formed in California), for which Kazanchian later signed as "owner" in January 2013. RF Digital passed it (as an application) to Kevin LaDue that month, with LaDue moving the patent to Texas LFP in July 2015.
Texas LFP litigated two "liquid level transducer" patents against CiES between 2015-2016. CiES filed counterclaims of infringement against Rochester Gauges, as well as its parent Gas Equipment Company, asserting patents of its own. A fight over charges of inequitable conduct, laid out in the early pleadings, began to brew when the parties settled the dispute.
Nelson Bumgardner Albritton PC filed the complaint on Texas LFP's behalf, with the case initially assigned to District Judge Rodney Gilstrap. 6/17, Eastern District of Texas.
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