Assignment history

Inventors

The named inventors are Ge Wei, H. Michael Shepard, Qiping Zhao, and Robert James Connor. All inventors were employees of Halozyme Inc. or its related entity, Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc., at the time of filing. This is indicated by the assignments of their interest to these corporate entities around the application filing date. Robert J. Connor is also listed as the correspondent on all assignment records, suggesting an in-house counsel role. There are no unusual patterns, such as inventors departing the original assignee within 12 months of filing.

Original assignee

The entity named on the issued patent, and the applicant at the time of filing, is Halozyme Inc. Halozyme Inc. (NASDAQ: HALO) is a publicly traded biotechnology company that develops and commercializes drug delivery technologies, notably its ENHANZE® platform which utilizes recombinant human hyaluronidase (rHuPH20). This patent, covering PH20 polypeptide variants, directly relates to their core business. Halozyme Inc. ships products embodying the claims and is currently operating.

Assignment timeline

• 2020-03-17 (executed) / recorded 2020-03-26 — Reel 055819/0719

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
  • Assignor: CONNOR, ROBERT JAMES; WEI, GE; ZHAO, QIPING
  • Assignee: HALOZYME THERAPEUTICS, INC.
  • Correspondent: ROBERT J. CONNOR, HALOZYME THERAPEUTICS, INC., 11388 SORRENTO VALLEY ROAD, SAN DIEGO, CA 92121. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Initial assignment from individual inventors to a corporate entity, likely a standard employment agreement.

• 2020-03-17 (executed) / recorded 2020-03-26 — Reel 055819/0727

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
  • Assignor: HALOZYME THERAPEUTICS, INC.
  • Assignee: HALOZYME, INC.
  • Correspondent: ROBERT J. CONNOR, HALOZYME THERAPEUTICS, INC., 11388 SORRENTO VALLEY ROAD, SAN DIEGO, CA 92121. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Internal corporate restructuring or transfer between related entities.

• 2020-03-17 (executed) / recorded 2020-03-26 — Reel 055819/0735

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
  • Assignor: SHEPARD, H. MICHAEL
  • Assignee: HALOZYME, INC.
  • Correspondent: ROBERT J. CONNOR, HALOZYME THERAPEUTICS, INC., 11388 SORRENTO VALLEY ROAD, SAN DIEGO, CA 92121. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Initial assignment from an individual inventor to a corporate entity, likely a standard employment agreement.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 11041149
    2020 : Inventors assign to Halozyme Therapeutics
         : Halozyme Therapeutics assigns to Halozyme Inc
         : Inventor Shepard assigns to Halozyme Inc
    2021 : Issued to Halozyme Inc

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — not present. The transfers involve Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc. and Halozyme, Inc., which are clearly identifiable operating companies in the biotechnology sector, not shell entities.
2. Known asserter in the chain — not present. Halozyme Inc. is an operating company and is not listed as a known Non-Practicing Entity (NPE).
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — present. Robert J. Connor, affiliated with Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc., is listed as the correspondent for all three recorded assignments on Reel 055819/0719, Reel 055819/0727, and Reel 055819/0735. This indicates internal legal handling for the Halozyme corporate family.
4. Cascading transfers — not present. Although multiple assignments were recorded on the same date (2020-03-26) with the same execution date (2020-03-17), they represent initial inventor assignments and a subsequent intra-company transfer to consolidate ownership within the Halozyme corporate structure, not a rapid series of transfers through unrelated shell entities.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — not present. The assignments were executed on March 17, 2020, and recorded on March 26, 2020. The identified PTAB IPR case (IPR2026-00313) and District Court litigation (2:25-cv-03179) were filed significantly later in 2025 and 2026, respectively.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. There is no public record or indication that Halozyme Inc. or Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc. has undergone bankruptcy proceedings.
7. Privateering — not present. The patent remains with Halozyme Inc., which directly practices the technology described in the patent.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The patent is held by an operating company, not a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

Operating-company assertion
The patent remains with Halozyme Inc., an operating biotechnology company that commercializes products directly embodying the claims. The assignment records (Reel 055819/0719, 055819/0727, 055819/0735) reflect a standard process of transferring inventorship rights from employees to the corporate entity prior to patent filing, and an internal transfer between related Halozyme entities. These actions are typical for an operating company securing its intellectual property.

USPTO Assignment Center search for US11041149: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/patent/index.html?#patentNumber=11041149&type=patentNumber