Assignment history

Inventors

• Mark J. Sarder (Champion Power Equipment Inc.)
• Aleko D. Sotiriades (Champion Power Equipment Inc.)
• James J. Dehn (Champion Power Equipment Inc.)
• Leigh Jenison (Champion Power Equipment Inc.)

It is highly probable that all inventors were employed by Champion Power Equipment Inc. at the time of filing, as patent rights typically vest in the inventor initially but are often assigned to employers through employment agreements. Champion Power Equipment's engineering and R&D are based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Original assignee

The original assignee named on the issued patent is Champion Power Equipment Inc..

Champion Power Equipment Inc. designs and manufactures a wide range of power equipment, including portable generators, home standby generators, inverter generators, engines, winches, and log splitters. They are known for their dual-fuel technology in generators, which is directly related to the claims of US10221780.

Champion Power Equipment Inc. is currently an operating company and has remained privately held since its founding in 2003.

Assignment timeline

• 2015-06-12 (executed) / recorded 2015-06-12 — Reel 035546/0995
  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: DEHN, JAMES J.; JENISON, LEIGH; SARDER, MARK J.; SOTIRIADES, ALEKO D.
  • Assignee: Champion Engine Technology, LLC
  • Correspondent: Leigh J. Fulwood, Champion Power Equipment Inc., 12039 Smith Ave., Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670. This correspondent appears multiple times in this chain.
  • Context: Internal transfer from inventors to a related entity.
• 2018-11-29 (executed) / recorded 2018-11-29 — Reel 046460/0279
  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: Champion Engine Technology, LLC
  • Assignee: CHAMPION POWER EQUIPMENT, INC.
  • Correspondent: Leigh J. Fulwood, Champion Power Equipment Inc., 12039 Smith Ave., Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670. This correspondent appears multiple times in this chain.
  • Context: Internal transfer/reorganization.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 10221780
    2015 : Inventors assigned to Champion Engine Technology LLC
    2018 : Assigned to Champion Power Equipment Inc
    2019 : Patent issued

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Not present. Both Champion Engine Technology, LLC and CHAMPION POWER EQUIPMENT, INC. appear to be related operating entities, with the patent eventually returning to the main operating company.
2. Known asserter in the chain — Not present. Neither Champion Engine Technology, LLC nor CHAMPION POWER EQUIPMENT, INC. are listed as known NPEs by Unified Patents or RPX.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Present. Leigh J. Fulwood of Champion Power Equipment Inc. (12039 Smith Ave., Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670) is listed as the correspondent for both assignments recorded on 2015-06-12 (Reel 035546/0995) and 2018-11-29 (Reel 046460/0279). This indicates a consistent internal legal representation for Champion Power Equipment's patent activities.
4. Cascading transfers — Not present. There are only two recorded assignments in the chain, spaced over three years.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — Unclear. While there is litigation associated with this patent (mentioned on Google Patents), without specific filing dates for those cases, it's not possible to definitively state if any assignment occurred within 6 months prior to a lawsuit.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. Champion Power Equipment Inc. remains an active, privately held company.
7. Privateering — Not present. There is no evidence in the assignment records or public information to suggest a privateering arrangement.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The chain does not terminate at a known defensive aggregator.

Verdict

Operating-company assertion. The patent was initially assigned from the inventors to Champion Engine Technology, LLC, and subsequently to Champion Power Equipment, Inc. Champion Power Equipment Inc. is an active operating company that manufactures and sells generators incorporating dual-fuel technology, which is the subject of this patent. The consistent correspondent across the assignments also points to internal management of the patent portfolio by an operating company.

Verification: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/