Assignment history

Inventors

• Kendall J. Collie: Likely Champion Power Equipment Inc. or affiliate at time of filing.
• Mark J. Sarder: Likely Champion Power Equipment Inc. or affiliate at time of filing.
• Aleko D. Sotiriades: Likely Champion Power Equipment Inc. or affiliate at time of filing.
• James J. Dehn: Likely Champion Power Equipment Inc. or affiliate at time of filing.
• Leigh Jenison: Likely Champion Power Equipment Inc. or affiliate at time of filing.
• Hiroaki Sato: Likely Champion Power Equipment Inc. or affiliate at time of filing.

All inventors assigned their interest to Champion Engine Technology, LLC on the same day the application was filed (2015-10-28), and Champion Engine Technology, LLC subsequently assigned the patent to Champion Power Equipment, Inc. This is a common practice for employees to assign their intellectual property to their employer or a related holding company.

Original Assignee

Champion Power Equipment Inc.

• Product Embodiment: Yes, Champion Power Equipment Inc. is a known manufacturer of dual fuel generators, which directly embody the claims of US10697398 "Batteryless dual fuel engine with liquid fuel cut-off".
• Primary Line of Business: Design, manufacture, and sale of power equipment, including generators, pressure washers, log splitters, and engines.
• Current Status: Operating.

Assignment timeline

• 2015-10-28 (executed) / recorded 2016-01-20 — Reel 039217/0111

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: COLLIE, KENDALL J.; DEHN, JAMES J.; JENISON, LEIGH; SARDER, MARK J.; SATO, HIROAKI; SOTIRIADES, ALEKO D. (all inventors)
  • Assignee: CHAMPION ENGINE TECHNOLOGY, LLC
  • Correspondent: Jeffrey D. Myers, MYERS AND CHEEK LLP, 1600 WEST 38TH STREET, SUITE 300, AUSTIN, TEXAS 78731. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Transfer of inventor rights to an IP holding or subsidiary entity.

• 2018-11-20 (executed) / recorded 2018-11-29 — Reel 044732/0112

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: CHAMPION ENGINE TECHNOLOGY, LLC
  • Assignee: CHAMPION POWER EQUIPMENT, INC.
  • Correspondent: Jeffrey D. Myers, MYERS AND CHEEK LLP, 1600 WEST 38TH STREET, SUITE 300, AUSTIN, TEXAS 78731. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Internal reorganization, transferring ownership from an IP holding entity back to the operating parent company.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 10697398
    2015 : Application filed
         : Inventors assigned to Champion Engine Tech LLC
    2018 : Champion Engine Tech assigned to Champion Power Equip Inc
    2020 : Patent issued
    2023 : First litigation filed
    2025 : PTAB case IPR2025-01271 filed

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Unclear. The transfer from inventors to "CHAMPION ENGINE TECHNOLOGY, LLC" (Reel 039217/0111) is to an LLC, which could be a shell. However, the subsequent transfer back to the operating company, Champion Power Equipment, Inc. (Reel 044732/0112), suggests it functions more as an internal IP holding entity rather than a typical NPE shell designed for assertion.
2. Known asserter in the chain — Not present. No entities known as high-frequency NPE plaintiffs appear in the assignment chain.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Present. Jeffrey D. Myers of MYERS AND CHEEK LLP is listed as the correspondent for both assignments: Reel 039217/0111 (recorded 2016-01-20) and Reel 044732/0112 (recorded 2018-11-29).
4. Cascading transfers — Not present. There are two transfers, but they are separated by several years (2015-2018), not within a short 24-month window.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — Not present. The patent was issued on 2020-06-30. The last assignment was recorded on 2018-11-29. Google Patents lists the earliest litigation in 2023, well over six months after the last transfer and patent issuance.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. No evidence of bankruptcy for any assignor in the chain.
7. Privateering — Not present. The transfers appear to be internal to the Champion corporate family, not to a third-party NPE.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The chain does not terminate at a known defensive aggregator.

Verdict

Operating-company assertion

The patent is currently assigned to Champion Power Equipment, Inc., a company that manufactures and sells products directly embodying the claimed invention. While there was an initial transfer to an LLC, the subsequent transfer back to the operating company and the presence of ongoing litigation (including PTAB challenges) indicate that Champion Power Equipment, Inc. is actively asserting this patent to protect its market position against competitors.

For verification of assignment records, please visit: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/