Assignment history

Inventors

• Qingchun Zhang: Wolfspeed Inc. (formerly Cree Inc.) [cite: Inventor Qingchun Zhang, Original Assignee Cree Inc]
• Brett Hull: Wolfspeed Inc. (formerly Cree Inc.) [cite: Inventor Brett Hull, Original Assignee Cree Inc]

(Employer at time of filing is inferred from the original assignee, Cree Inc., which later became Wolfspeed Inc.)

Original assignee

Cree Inc. was the original assignee named on the issued patent. [cite: Original Assignee Cree Inc] Cree Inc. is a well-known manufacturer of silicon carbide and GaN (gallium nitride) semiconductors, which would include products embodying the claims of this patent (transistor structures, particularly SiC MOSFETs). Cree Inc. rebranded as Wolfspeed, Inc. in October 2021 and is currently an operating company. [cite: Current Assignee Wolfspeed Inc]

Assignment timeline

• 2021-10-22 (executed) / recorded 2021-10-22 — Reel 057065/0748

  • Conveyance: Change of Name
  • Assignor: CREE, INC.
  • Assignee: WOLFSPEED, INC.
  • Correspondent: W. Frank Chandler, 9720 SW 186TH PLACE, DUNNELLON, FL 34432.
  • Context: Corporate name change from Cree Inc. to Wolfspeed Inc.

• 2023-06-30 (executed) / recorded 2023-08-01 — Reel 062776/0178

  • Conveyance: Security Interest
  • Assignor: WOLFSPEED, INC.
  • Assignee: U.S. BANK TRUST COMPANY, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
  • Correspondent: Andrew J. Valentine, STINSON LLP, 1201 WALNUT, SUITE 2900, KANSAS CITY, MO 64106.
  • Context: Grant of a security interest in intellectual property.

• 2025-09-30 (executed) / recorded 2025-10-09 — Reel 064185/0753

  • Conveyance: Security Interest
  • Assignor: WOLFSPEED, INC.
  • Assignee: U.S. BANK TRUST COMPANY, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
  • Correspondent: Andrew J. Valentine, STINSON LLP, 1201 WALNUT, SUITE 2900, KANSAS CITY, MO 64106. This correspondent also appears on reel 062776/0178.
  • Context: Grant of a security interest in intellectual property.

• 2025-09-30 (executed) / recorded 2025-10-09 — Reel 064185/0755

  • Conveyance: Release of Security Interest
  • Assignor: U.S. BANK TRUST COMPANY, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
  • Assignee: WOLFSPEED, INC.
  • Correspondent: Andrew J. Valentine, STINSON LLP, 1201 WALNUT, SUITE 2900, KANSAS CITY, MO 64106. This correspondent also appears on reel 062776/0178 and 064185/0753.
  • Context: Release of a security interest in intellectual property.

• 2025-09-30 (executed) / recorded 2025-10-09 — Reel 064185/0761

  • Conveyance: Security Interest
  • Assignor: WOLFSPEED, INC.
  • Assignee: U.S. BANK TRUST COMPANY, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
  • Correspondent: Andrew J. Valentine, STINSON LLP, 1201 WALNUT, SUITE 2900, KANSAS CITY, MO 64106. This correspondent also appears on reel 062776/0178, 064185/0753, and 064185/0755.
  • Context: Grant of a security interest in intellectual property.

• 2025-09-30 (executed) / recorded 2025-10-09 — Reel 064185/0763

  • Conveyance: Security Interest
  • Assignor: WOLFSPEED, INC.
  • Assignee: U.S. BANK TRUST COMPANY, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
  • Correspondent: Andrew J. Valentine, STINSON LLP, 1201 WALNUT, SUITE 2900, KANSAS CITY, MO 64106. This correspondent also appears on reel 062776/0178, 064185/0753, 064185/0755, and 064185/0761.
  • Context: Grant of a security interest in intellectual property.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 10886396
    2018 : Filed by Cree Inc
    2021 : Issued
         : Name changed to Wolfspeed
    2023 : Security interest to US Bank
    2025 : Security interest to US Bank
         : Release of security interest
         : Security interest to US Bank
         : Security interest to US Bank

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — not present. The initial transfer was a corporate name change from Cree Inc. to Wolfspeed, Inc., both operating companies. Subsequent transfers are related to security interests with a bank.
2. Known asserter in the chain — not present. Wolfspeed, Inc. is an operating company. U.S. Bank Trust Company, National Association, is a financial institution, not a known patent asserter.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — present. Andrew J. Valentine of Stinson LLP appears as the correspondent for all security interest recordings between Wolfspeed, Inc. and U.S. Bank Trust Company, National Association (reels 062776/0178, 064185/0753, 064185/0755, 064185/0761, 064185/0763). This is consistent with a single law firm handling repeated financial transactions for a client.
4. Cascading transfers — not present. While there are multiple recordings on the same day in 2025, these represent a series of security interests and a release, not consecutive assignments through chained LLCs.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — not present. There is no indication of litigation for this patent, and the transfers are related to corporate name changes and security interests.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. Wolfspeed, Inc. is an active operating company.
7. Privateering — not present. There is no evidence of Wolfspeed, Inc. transferring the patent to an NPE for assertion against competitors.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The chain does not terminate at a known defensive aggregator.

Verdict

Insufficient data. The assignment records show a corporate name change from Cree Inc. to Wolfspeed, Inc. and subsequent security interest filings with U.S. Bank Trust Company, National Association. These are normal business activities for an operating company and do not indicate an NPE pattern. There are no transfers to shell entities or known patent asserters.

USPTO Assignment Center search for US Patent 10886396: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/#!/patent/10886396