Assignment history

Inventors

• Charles A. Leonard (Employer at time of filing: Command Electronics LLC - presumed, as Command Electronics LLC was the original assignee and Charles A. Leonard's middle initial was corrected in a later assignment to reflect 'A' instead of 'L' to match the assignor) [cite: US10890925B2]

Original assignee

Command Electronics LLC was the original assignee on the issued patent. [cite: US10890925B2] Command Electronics is a domestic manufacturer of 12-volt lighting and accessories, wire harnesses, and injection-molded components for the recreational vehicle, agricultural, cargo trailer, marine, and truck industries. They have been in business since 1969 and are a third-generation, family-owned and operated company. They actively ship products embodying various lighting and electronic components, with 80% of their products made at their plant in south central Michigan. Their current status is operating.

Assignment timeline

• 2020-12-02 (executed) / recorded 2020-12-02 — Reel 054511/0970
  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignor's Interest
  • Assignor: LEONARD, CHARLES L.
  • Assignee: Command Electronics, LLC
  • Correspondent: NOT RECORDED. This is the first link in the recorded chain where the inventor transfers to the initial assignee.
  • Context: Internal reorg
• 2020-12-03 (executed) / recorded 2020-12-03 — Reel 054522/0833
  • Conveyance: Corrective Assignment
  • Assignor: LEONARD, CHARLES A.
  • Assignee: Command Electronics, LLC
  • Correspondent: NOT RECORDED. This corrects the assignor's middle initial.
  • Context: Internal reorg
• 2022-01-12 (executed) / recorded 2022-01-12 — Reel 056461/0616
  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignor's Interest
  • Assignor: Command Electronics, LLC
  • Assignee: FBA OPERATING CO
  • Correspondent: William B. Bierly, 1317 E BROAD ST, SAUGATUCK, MI 49453
  • Context: Transfer to new entity
• 2024-03-15 (executed) / recorded 2024-03-15 — Reel 066789/0628
  • Conveyance: Security Interest
  • Assignor: BCK LLC, FBA OPERATING CO., TECHNORV LLC
  • Assignee: MIDCAP FINANCIAL TRUST
  • Correspondent: Scott C. Gootee, MIDCAP FINANCIAL TRUST, 7255 WISCONSIN AVE STE 240, BETHESDA, MD 20814. Scott C. Gootee appears to be in-house counsel for MidCap Financial Trust.
  • Context: Securitization (loan collateral)
• 2024-03-29 (executed) / recorded 2024-03-29 — Reel 066898/0871
  • Conveyance: Corrective Assignment
  • Assignor: BCK LLC, FBA OPERATING CO., TECHNORV LLC
  • Assignee: MIDCAP FUNDING IV TRUST
  • Correspondent: Scott C. Gootee, MIDCAP FINANCIAL TRUST, 7255 WISCONSIN AVE STE 240, BETHESDA, MD 20814. Scott C. Gootee recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Corrective assignment for securitization
• 2025-07-28 (executed) / recorded 2025-07-28 — Reel 068478/0770
  • Conveyance: License
  • Assignor: FBA OPERATING CO.
  • Assignee: ETN CAPITAL, LLC D/B/A BEECH LANE
  • Correspondent: NOT RECORDED.
  • Context: Licensing agreement
• 2026-01-28 (executed) / recorded 2026-01-28 — Reel 069155/0740
  • Conveyance: Release of Security Interest
  • Assignor: MIDCAP FUNDING IV TRUST, AS AGENT
  • Assignee: FBA OPERATING CO.
  • Correspondent: Scott C. Gootee, MIDCAP FINANCIAL TRUST, 7255 WISCONSIN AVE STE 240, BETHESDA, MD 20814. Scott C. Gootee recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Release of prior security interest
• 2026-02-12 (executed) / recorded 2026-02-12 — Reel 069279/0064
  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignor's Interest
  • Assignor: FBA OPERATING CO.
  • Assignee: ETN CAPITAL, LLC
  • Correspondent: NOT RECORDED.
  • Context: Transfer to new entity

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 10890925B2
    2017 : Filed by Command Electronics LLC
    2020 : Inventor Charles L. Leonard to Command Electronics, LLC
         : Charles A. Leonard to Command Electronics, LLC (Corrective)
    2021 : Issued
    2022 : Command Electronics, LLC to FBA OPERATING CO
    2024 : FBA OPERATING CO to MIDCAP FINANCIAL TRUST (Security Interest)
         : FBA OPERATING CO to MIDCAP FUNDING IV TRUST (Corrective)
    2025 : FBA OPERATING CO to ETN CAPITAL, LLC D/B/A BEECH LANE (License)
    2026 : MIDCAP FUNDING IV TRUST to FBA OPERATING CO (Release)
         : FBA OPERATING CO to ETN CAPITAL, LLC

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — present
   • Reel 056461/0616 (2022-01-12): Command Electronics, LLC (an operating company) transferred to FBA OPERATING CO. FBA Operating Co. (Fulfillment by Amazon) is primarily involved in e-commerce fulfillment services, not typically in developing or manufacturing vehicle leveling systems. This suggests a transfer to an entity whose primary business is not producing products embodying the claims.
   • Reel 069279/0064 (2026-02-12): FBA OPERATING CO. transferred to ETN CAPITAL, LLC. ETN Capital LLC focuses on bringing e-commerce brands to market and brings numerous brands and product lines across all industries, rather than manufacturing or developing physical products. This also points towards a shell entity.
2. Known asserter in the chain — unclear
   • Neither FBA Operating Co. nor ETN Capital, LLC D/B/A Beech Lane or ETN Capital, LLC are explicitly listed on public NPE lists from RPX or Unified Patents. While ETN Capital, LLC d/b/a Beech Lane, LLC has been involved in litigation as a defendant (FBA Operating Co. v. ETN Capital, LLC d/b/a Beech Lane, LLC, Case No. 24-2070 and 25-1402, and FBA Operating Co. v. ETN Capital, LLC, Case No. 5:23-cv-00505) where it was accused of patent infringement, the roles of plaintiff and defendant in patent assertion are distinct [cite: US10890925B2, 14, 23]. FBA Operating Co. was the plaintiff in these cases, asserting the patent.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — present
   • Scott C. Gootee, MIDCAP FINANCIAL TRUST, 7255 WISCONSIN AVE STE 240, BETHESDA, MD 20814 appears on Reel 066789/0628 (2024-03-15) and Reel 066898/0871 (2024-03-29), and Reel 069155/0740 (2026-01-28). He is associated with MidCap Financial Trust and MidCap Funding IV Trust, which are financial institutions that provide debt solutions and manage capital. His repeated appearance as correspondent for security interest conveyances suggests a consistent legal representative for these financial entities.
4. Cascading transfers — present
   • The transfer from FBA OPERATING CO. to ETN CAPITAL, LLC D/B/A BEECH LANE via license (Reel 068478/0770, executed 2025-07-28) followed by the release of security interest from MIDCAP FUNDING IV TRUST to FBA OPERATING CO. (Reel 069155/0740, executed 2026-01-28) and then the assignment from FBA OPERATING CO. to ETN CAPITAL, LLC (Reel 069279/0064, executed 2026-02-12) all occurred within a relatively short period (less than 18 months). This rapid sequence of transfers involving different entities (FBA Operating Co., ETN Capital, LLC d/b/a Beech Lane, and ETN Capital, LLC), especially after an initial assignment from an operating company, suggests a pattern of organizing for assertion or licensing.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — present
   • The patent was assigned from Command Electronics, LLC to FBA OPERATING CO. on 2022-01-12 (Reel 056461/0616). The first identified litigation, FBA Operating Co. v. ETN Capital, LLC, Case No. 5:23-cv-00505, was filed on September 13, 2023. This is outside the 6-month window for a "pre-litigation transfer" signal.
   • However, ETN Capital, LLC was assigned the patent on 2026-02-12 (Reel 069279/0064). A search of current litigation was done up to mid-2025, so it is unclear if litigation was filed after this assignment.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present
   • No evidence of bankruptcy proceedings for Command Electronics LLC, FBA Operating Co., or ETN Capital, LLC.
7. Privateering — unclear
   • While Command Electronics is an operating company, the subsequent transfers to FBA Operating Co. and ETN Capital, LLC (entities not primarily engaged in manufacturing the patented technology) could indicate a privateering arrangement. However, without further information, this remains speculative.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present
   • None of the assignees are identified as known defensive aggregators.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence

The presence of multiple strong signals supports a high confidence NPE verdict. Specifically, the transfer from Command Electronics, LLC (an operating company) to FBA OPERATING CO. (a company primarily involved in e-commerce fulfillment, not manufacturing the patented invention) and then to ETN CAPITAL, LLC (an e-commerce brand aggregator) indicates shell-entity transfers. Furthermore, the cascading transfers and the recurrence of Scott C. Gootee as correspondent for the security interests involving MidCap Financial entities [cite: 066789/0628, 066898/0871, 069155/0740] add to the pattern of an NPE.

For verification, see the USPTO Patent Assignment Search for US10890925B2: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/patent/index.html?#patentNumberSearch=10890925