Assignment history

Inventors

• Edwin S. Olson (Employer: Likely Energy and Environmental Research Center Foundation at time of invention, based on assignment records)
• Michael J. Holmes (Employer: Likely Energy and Environmental Research Center Foundation at time of invention, based on assignment records; also acted as correspondent for multiple assignments)
• John H. Pavlish (Employer: Likely Energy and Environmental Research Center Foundation at time of invention, based on assignment records)

Original assignee

The entity named on the issued patent US10668430 is Midwest Energy Emissions Corp. Midwest Energy Emissions Corp (now known as ME2C Environmental and operating as Birchtech Corp) ships products embodying the claims, specifically sorbents for mercury removal. Its primary line of business is providing mercury emission control solutions and other environmental technologies. The company is currently operating, having changed its name to Birchtech Corp in 2024.

Assignment timeline

• 2019-09-23 (executed) / recorded 2019-09-27 — Reel 049382/0204

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: JOHN H. PAVLISH
  • Assignee: ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH CENTER FOUNDATION
  • Correspondent: MICHAEL J. HOLMES, ENERGY & ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH CENTER, 15 NORTH 23RD STREET, GRAND FORKS, ND 58202. This correspondent (Michael J. Holmes) recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Inventor assignment to research foundation

• 2019-09-23 (executed) / recorded 2019-09-27 — Reel 049382/0208

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: MICHAEL J. HOLMES
  • Assignee: ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH CENTER FOUNDATION
  • Correspondent: MICHAEL J. HOLMES, ENERGY & ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH CENTER, 15 NORTH 23RD STREET, GRAND FORKS, ND 58202. This correspondent (Michael J. Holmes) recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Inventor assignment to research foundation

• 2019-09-23 (executed) / recorded 2019-09-27 — Reel 049382/0212

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: EDWIN S. OLSON
  • Assignee: ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH CENTER FOUNDATION
  • Correspondent: MICHAEL J. HOLMES, ENERGY & ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH CENTER, 15 NORTH 23RD STREET, GRAND FORKS, ND 58202. This correspondent (Michael J. Holmes) recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Inventor assignment to research foundation

• 2019-09-23 (executed) / recorded 2019-09-27 — Reel 049382/0200

  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
  • Assignor: ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH CENTER FOUNDATION
  • Assignee: MIDWEST ENERGY EMISSIONS CORP.
  • Correspondent: MICHAEL J. HOLMES, ENERGY & ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH CENTER, 15 NORTH 23RD STREET, GRAND FORKS, ND 58202. This correspondent (Michael J. Holmes) recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Transfer from research foundation to operating company

• 2020-03-11 (executed) / recorded 2020-03-24 — Reel 050462/0607

  • Conveyance: Corrective Assignment
  • Assignor: ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH CENTER FOUNDATION
  • Assignee: MIDWEST ENERGY EMISSIONS CORP.
  • Correspondent: MICHAEL J. HOLMES, ENERGY & ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH CENTER, 15 NORTH 23RD STREET, GRAND FORKS, ND 58202. This correspondent (Michael J. Holmes) recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Corrective assignment to update assignee address

• 2024-11-07 (executed) / recorded 2024-11-20 — Reel 063636/0402

  • Conveyance: Change of Name
  • Assignor: MIDWEST ENERGY EMISSIONS CORP.
  • Assignee: BIRCHTECH CORP.
  • Correspondent: Matthew S. Frick, ME2C Environmental, LLC, 4656 EXECUTIVE DRIVE, COLUMBUS, OH 43220
  • Context: Corporate name change

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 10668430
    2018 : Application filed by Midwest Energy Emissions Corp
    2019 : Inventors assigned to EERC Foundation
         : EERC Foundation assigned to Midwest Energy Emissions
    2020 : Corrective Assignment
         : Patent Issued
    2024 : Midwest Energy Emissions changed name to Birchtech Corp

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Not present. The assignees are a known research foundation (Energy and Environmental Research Center Foundation) and an operating company (Midwest Energy Emissions Corp / Birchtech Corp) that manufactures and sells products.
2. Known asserter in the chain — Not present. None of the listed assignees match known NPE lists like Acacia Research Corp or Marathon Patent Group.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Present. Michael J. Holmes, an inventor, served as the correspondent for all four assignments executed on 2019-09-23 (Reel 049382/0200, 049382/0204, 049382/0208, 049382/0212) and the corrective assignment on 2020-03-11 (Reel 050462/0607). His recurrence is within the context of an inventor/in-house counsel for a research foundation and its commercialization partner.
4. Cascading transfers — Not present. The assignments executed on 2019-09-23 represent the initial formalization of the chain of title from inventors to the operating company via a research institution, not a series of rapid transfers between unrelated shell entities.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — Present. The first litigation case in the patent family (1:19-cv-01334) was filed on 2019-07-11. The assignments perfecting the chain of title for US10668430 from the inventors to Energy and Environmental Research Center Foundation and then to Midwest Energy Emissions Corp were executed later on 2019-09-23.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. There is no indication of bankruptcy proceedings for any of the entities involved in the assignment chain.
7. Privateering — Unclear. While the current owner is an operating company, the presence of litigation in the patent family prior to the formal assignments for this specific patent might suggest a strategy where assertion was contemplated or initiated while title was being perfected. However, without more information, it is not possible to confirm privateering.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The patent has not been assigned to a known defensive aggregator like RPX or AST.

Verdict

Operating-company assertion
The patent chain shows transfers from individual inventors to a research foundation, and subsequently to Midwest Energy Emissions Corp (now Birchtech Corp), an operating company that manufactures products related to the patent claims. The "Pre-litigation transfer" signal is present as litigation in the patent family began before the formal assignments for this specific patent were executed (litigation started 2019-07-11; assignments executed 2019-09-23, recorded 2019-09-27). This timing suggests a commercial assertion strategy by an operating company, not typical NPE behavior involving shell entities or serial transfers.

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