Assignment history

Inventors

• Charles A. Leonard (Employer at time of filing: Command Electronics LLC, implied as original assignee)

Original assignee

The original assignee, Command Electronics LLC, appears to have been an operating company in the vehicle leveling systems market. While specific product details aren't exhaustively provided in the patent text, the background section discusses "onboard leveling systems that utilize digital sensors and hydraulic jacks" and "Level indicators are generally bubble levels attached to both the side and front or rear of the RV," implying a context of product development. The current status of Command Electronics LLC as an operating entity is unclear from the patent text alone.

Assignment timeline

• 2017-06-09 (executed) / recorded 2020-12-02 — Reel 054511/0970

  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
  • Assignor: LEONARD, CHARLES L. (Incorrect middle initial, corrected by next entry)
  • Assignee: Command Electronics, LLC
  • Correspondent: BRENTON C. DAVIS, DAVIS & DAVIS, P.C., 2800 WELLS FARGO CAPITOL CTR, 333 SOUTHSEVENTH STREET, MINNEAPOLIS, MN 55402. This correspondent has not recurred in this site's tracked patents.
  • Context: Internal transfer from inventor to original operating company (with initial error).

• 2020-12-03 (executed) / recorded 2020-12-03 — Reel 054512/0358

  • Conveyance: Corrective Assignment
  • Assignor: LEONARD, CHARLES A.
  • Assignee: Command Electronics, LLC
  • Correspondent: BRENTON C. DAVIS, DAVIS & DAVIS, P.C., 2800 WELLS FARGO CAPITOL CTR, 333 SOUTHSEVENTH STREET, MINNEAPOLIS, MN 55402. This correspondent has not recurred in this site's tracked patents.
  • Context: Correction of previous internal transfer from inventor to original operating company.

• 2022-01-12 (executed) / recorded 2022-01-12 — Reel 058140/0178

  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
  • Assignor: Command Electronics, LLC
  • Assignee: FBA OPERATING CO
  • Correspondent: MEHRAN RAFIZADEH, RAFIZADEH LAW GROUP, APC, 17215 FABRICA WAY, SUITE 217, CERRITOS, CA 90703. This correspondent has not recurred in this site's tracked patents.
  • Context: Transfer from original assignee to FBA OPERATING CO.

• 2024-03-15 (executed) / recorded 2024-03-20 — Reel 066789/0628

  • Conveyance: Security Interest
  • Assignor: BCK LLC, FBA OPERATING CO., TECHNORV LLC
  • Assignee: MIDCAP FINANCIAL TRUST
  • Correspondent: KATHRYN M. LORENZEN, DEBEVOISE & PLIMPTON LLP, 919 THIRD AVENUE, NEW YORK, NY 10022. This correspondent has not recurred in this site's tracked patents.
  • Context: Securitization agreement by FBA Operating Co. (and related entities) to MIDCAP FINANCIAL TRUST.

• 2024-03-29 (executed) / recorded 2024-03-29 — Reel 066848/0468

  • Conveyance: Corrective Assignment
  • Assignor: BCK LLC, FBA OPERATING CO., TECHNORV LLC
  • Assignee: MIDCAP FUNDING IV TRUST
  • Correspondent: KATHRYN M. LORENZEN, DEBEVOISE & PLIMPTON LLP, 919 THIRD AVENUE, NEW YORK, NY 10022. This correspondent has not recurred in this site's tracked patents.
  • Context: Correction of previous security interest assignment from "MIDCAP FINANCIAL TRUST" to "MIDCAP FUNDING IV TRUST".

• 2025-07-28 (executed) / recorded 2025-08-01 — Reel 069279/0146

  • Conveyance: License
  • Assignor: FBA OPERATING CO.
  • Assignee: ETN CAPITAL, LLC D/B/A BEECH LANE
  • Correspondent: KATHRYN M. LORENZEN, DEBEVOISE & PLIMPTON LLP, 919 THIRD AVENUE, NEW YORK, NY 10022. This correspondent has recurred in this chain.
  • Context: License agreement from FBA OPERATING CO. to ETN CAPITAL, LLC D/B/A BEECH LANE.

• 2026-01-28 (executed) / recorded 2026-02-05 — Reel 070213/0550

  • Conveyance: Release of Security Interest
  • Assignor: MIDCAP FUNDING IV TRUST, AS AGENT
  • Assignee: FBA OPERATING CO.
  • Correspondent: KATHRYN M. LORENZEN, DEBEVOISE & PLIMPTON LLP, 919 THIRD AVENUE, NEW YORK, NY 10022. This correspondent has recurred in this chain.
  • Context: Release of security interest by MIDCAP FUNDING IV TRUST to FBA OPERATING CO.

• 2026-02-12 (executed) / recorded 2026-02-19 — Reel 070274/0937

  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignor's Interest
  • Assignor: FBA OPERATING CO.
  • Assignee: ETN CAPITAL, LLC
  • Correspondent: KATHRYN M. LORENZEN, DEBEVOISE & PLIMPTON LLP, 919 THIRD AVENUE, NEW YORK, NY 10022. This correspondent has recurred in this chain.
  • Context: Final assignment from FBA OPERATING CO. to ETN CAPITAL, LLC.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 10890925
    2017 : Inventor to Command Electronics LLC
    2020 : Corrective assignment
    2021 : Issued
    2022 : Assigned to FBA OPERATING CO
    2024 : Security Interest to MIDCAP FINANCIAL TRUST
         : Corrective Security to MIDCAP FUNDING IV TRUST
    2025 : Licensed to ETN Capital dba Beech Lane
    2026 : Security interest released to FBA
         : Assigned to ETN CAPITAL LLC

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — present.

   • 2022-01-12 (executed) / recorded 2022-01-12 — Reel 058140/0178: The transfer from Command Electronics, LLC to "FBA OPERATING CO" is a strong signal. "FBA OPERATING CO" does not clearly indicate a product-shipping business, and the general term "Operating Co" can be used by shell entities.
   • 2026-02-12 (executed) / recorded 2026-02-19 — Reel 070274/0937: The final transfer to "ETN CAPITAL, LLC" is also a strong signal. "ETN Capital LLC" as the current assignee, combined with "DBA Beech Lane" in the preceding license (Reel 069279/0146), suggests a rebranding or an entity primarily focused on asset management or monetization rather than direct product manufacturing and sales under its primary name.

2. Known asserter in the chain — unclear. While "ETN Capital LLC" and "FBA OPERATING CO" have names that could suggest a non-practicing entity, they do not directly match the provided list of known high-frequency NPEs (Acacia Research Corp, Marathon Patent Group, etc.) as of the current date.

3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — present.

   • Kathryn M. Lorenzen of Debevoise & Plimpton LLP appears as the correspondent for multiple entries:
     • 2024-03-15 (executed) / recorded 2024-03-20 — Reel 066789/0628 (Security Interest)
     • 2024-03-29 (executed) / recorded 2024-03-29 — Reel 066848/0468 (Corrective Assignment)
     • 2025-07-28 (executed) / recorded 2025-08-01 — Reel 069279/0146 (License)
     • 2026-01-28 (executed) / recorded 2026-02-05 — Reel 070213/0550 (Release of Security Interest)
     • 2026-02-12 (executed) / recorded 2026-02-19 — Reel 070274/0937 (Assignment of Assignor's Interest)
       This recurrence across various conveyance types and assignees (FBA OPERATING CO., MIDCAP FINANCIAL TRUST, MIDCAP FUNDING IV TRUST, ETN CAPITAL, LLC) is a strong signal.

4. Cascading transfers — present.

   • Multiple consecutive assignments and related conveyances occurred within a relatively short period:
     • 2024-03-15 (executed) / recorded 2024-03-20 — Reel 066789/0628 (Security Interest)
     • 2024-03-29 (executed) / recorded 2024-03-29 — Reel 066848/0468 (Corrective Assignment)
     • 2025-07-28 (executed) / recorded 2025-08-01 — Reel 069279/0146 (License)
     • 2026-01-28 (executed) / recorded 2026-02-05 — Reel 070213/0550 (Release of Security Interest)
     • 2026-02-12 (executed) / recorded 2026-02-19 — Reel 070274/0937 (Assignment of Assignor's Interest)
       This rapid succession of transfers and agreements, especially involving securitization, licensing, and final assignment, all within less than 24 months, indicates a pattern often associated with monetization strategies.

5. Pre-litigation transfer — unclear. While the Google Patents page shows "Family has litigation" with cases filed from 2022 onwards, the specific dates of the assignments (starting with FBA OPERATING CO in 2022) are close to or after some of these litigation filings, making it difficult to definitively tag any specific assignment as "pre-litigation" without more precise litigation filing dates for this specific patent.

6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. There is no indication from the assignment records or patent text that any assignor declared bankruptcy.

7. Privateering — unclear. There is no direct evidence from the provided records (such as SEC filings or specific industry coverage) to suggest privateering.

8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The current assignee, ETN Capital LLC, is not a known defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence. This verdict is driven by multiple strong signals. The patent transitioned from an original operating company (Command Electronics, LLC) to entities with "OPERATING CO" and "CAPITAL, LLC" in their names (FBA OPERATING CO, Reel 058140/0178; ETN CAPITAL, LLC, Reel 070274/0937), which are common designations for shell entities involved in patent monetization. Furthermore, the presence of a repeat correspondent, Kathryn M. Lorenzen, across multiple, rapid-fire transactions (Reel 066789/0628 through Reel 070274/0937) from 2024 to 2026, including security interests, licenses, and assignments, strongly indicates a coordinated monetization strategy. The cascading transfers themselves within a short timeframe also reinforce this pattern.

USPTO Assignment Center search for US10890925