Assignment history

Inventors

• Nobuo Masuoka (Maxell Ltd)
• Yasunobu Hashimoto (Maxell Ltd)
• Kazuhiko Yoshizawa (Maxell Ltd)
• Motoyuki Suzuki (Maxell Ltd)

No unusual patterns noted regarding inventors' departure from the original assignee.

Original assignee

Maxell Ltd. is the entity named on the issued patent. Maxell Ltd. is a Japanese company known for manufacturing various products, including batteries, optical media, and functional materials. It is highly probable they shipped products embodying the claims, especially given the patent's focus on communication systems for projectors and other display devices, which aligns with their product lines. Maxell Ltd. is currently operating.

Assignment timeline

• 2017-02-17 (executed) / recorded 2017-02-17 — Reel 039401/0578

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: HITACHI MAXELL, LTD.
  • Assignee: HITACHI MAXELL, LTD.
  • Correspondent: Bjoern E. Ekmark, Guntin & McClammy, P.C., 2000 Town Center, Suite 1950, Southfield, MI 48075
  • Context: Internal reorg (assignor and assignee are the same legal entity, likely a recordkeeping update or a prior unrecorded assignment)

• 2018-01-25 (executed) / recorded 2018-01-25 — Reel 041793/0890

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: HITACHI MAXELL, LTD.
  • Assignee: MAXELL, LTD.
  • Correspondent: Bjoern E. Ekmark, Guntin & McClammy, P.C., 2000 Town Center, Suite 1950, Southfield, MI 48075. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Internal reorg (change of name / entity, from Hitachi Maxell to Maxell Ltd.)

• 2021-11-29 (executed) / recorded 2021-12-01 — Reel 055106/0772

  • Conveyance: Merger
  • Assignor: MAXELL, LTD.
  • Assignee: MAXELL HOLDINGS, LTD.
  • Correspondent: Bjoern E. Ekmark, Guntin & McClammy, P.C., 2000 Town Center, Suite 1950, Southfield, MI 48075. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Internal reorg (merger, Maxell Ltd. into Maxell Holdings, Ltd.)

• 2021-12-03 (executed) / recorded 2021-12-03 — Reel 055106/0774

  • Conveyance: Change of Name
  • Assignor: MAXELL HOLDINGS, LTD.
  • Assignee: MAXELL, LTD.
  • Correspondent: Bjoern E. Ekmark, Guntin & McClammy, P.C., 2000 Town Center, Suite 1950, Southfield, MI 48075. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Internal reorg (change of name, from Maxell Holdings, Ltd. back to Maxell, Ltd.)

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 11026088
    2014 : Application filed by Maxell Ltd
    2017 : Assigned to HITACHI MAXELL, LTD.
    2018 : Assigned to MAXELL, LTD.
    2021 : Issued
         : Assigned to MAXELL HOLDINGS, LTD.
         : Assigned to MAXELL, LTD.

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — not present. All transfers appear to be between entities within the Maxell corporate structure.
2. Known asserter in the chain — not present. None of the assignees (Hitachi Maxell, Maxell Ltd., Maxell Holdings, Ltd.) are recognized as known NPEs.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — present. Bjoern E. Ekmark of Guntin & McClammy, P.C. is listed as the correspondent for all four recorded assignments: 039401/0578, 041793/0890, 055106/0772, and 055106/0774. This indicates consistency in legal representation for Maxell's patent assignments.
4. Cascading transfers — not present. While there are two transfers in quick succession in late 2021, these are "Merger" and "Change of Name" within the same corporate family, not transfers through chained LLCs.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — unclear. The patent family has litigation, with an IPR filed in 2025 and a US case filed in the Texas Eastern District Court in 2025. However, the last recorded assignment (2021-12-03, Reel 055106/0774) is too distant from the 2025 litigation dates to suggest a pre-litigation transfer as defined (within 6 months).
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. No indication of Maxell Ltd. or related entities undergoing bankruptcy proceedings.
7. Privateering — not present. No evidence of Maxell transferring the patent to an NPE for assertion against competitors.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The chain ends with Maxell Ltd.

Verdict

Operating-company assertion. The assignment record clearly shows the patent remaining within the Maxell corporate structure through several internal reorganization events. The recurring correspondent attorney further supports this, indicating consistent legal representation for an operating company. While there is litigation associated with the patent family, it's not preceded by any transfers to shell entities or known NPEs, suggesting direct assertion by Maxell Ltd. or a related operating entity.

USPTO Assignment Center search page for verification: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/