Assignment history

Inventors

The sole named inventor is Dieter Suess. The patent was filed by "Individual" and lists "Individual" as the Original Assignee on Google Patents, suggesting Dieter Suess was an independent inventor or applicant at the time of filing (March 19, 2018). His employer at that specific time is not explicitly stated in the patent text or its associated Google Patents information.

Original assignee

The patent was originally filed by an "Individual," referring to the inventor, Dieter Suess. The first corporate entity to acquire the patent, as recorded by the USPTO, is MR Technologies GmbH. Based on its name and the patent's subject matter ("Multilayer exchange spring recording media"), MR Technologies GmbH is likely involved in the development or supply of components for magnetic recording technologies. Its current status, according to Google Patents, is "Active." However, without direct evidence (e.g., from company websites or SEC filings) that MR Technologies GmbH manufactures and ships products embodying the specific claims of US11138997, its primary line of business for this patent cannot be definitively confirmed as product-shipping.

Assignment timeline

• 2022-06-02 (executed) / recorded 2022-06-13 — Reel 062071/0177
  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: SUESS, DIETER
  • Assignee: MR TECHNOLOGIES, GMBH
  • Correspondent: POLSINELLI PC (ATTN: DIANA R. KASTNER; 1100 PENNSYLVANIA AVE NW, WASHINGTON, DC 20004).
  • Context: Transfer of patent ownership from the individual inventor to a corporate entity.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 11138997
    2018 : Filed by Individual Inventor
    2021 : Issued (owned by individual)
    2022 : Assigned to MR Technologies GmbH
         : First litigation filed

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — unclear. The patent was transferred from an individual to MR Technologies GmbH (Reel 062071/0177). While the name does not overtly suggest a shell entity, without more detailed information about MR Technologies GmbH's business activities (e.g., manufacturing products versus primarily licensing IP), it cannot be definitively classified as a shell entity.
2. Known asserter in the chain — not present. MR Technologies GmbH is not identified on commonly known public lists of high-frequency NPEs.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — not present. There is only one recorded assignment for this patent, therefore, a pattern of recurring correspondents cannot be observed. The correspondent for the single assignment is Polsinelli PC (Attn: Diana R. Kastner).
4. Cascading transfers — not present. There is only one assignment recorded, not multiple consecutive transfers.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — present. The assignment from Dieter Suess to MR Technologies GmbH was executed on 2022-06-02 and recorded on 2022-06-13 (Reel 062071/0177). The Google Patents legal events section indicates that the first litigation involving this patent was filed in 2022 (e.g., US case 6:22-cv-00612 in the Texas Western District Court). This timing suggests the transfer occurred in close proximity to, or to facilitate, the commencement of litigation.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. There is no indication that the assignor, Dieter Suess, transferred the patent as part of bankruptcy proceedings.
7. Privateering — unclear. No public information is available to suggest that MR Technologies GmbH is asserting this patent on behalf of another operating company.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The ownership chain does not terminate with a known defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — moderate confidence

This verdict is based primarily on the strong signal of a pre-litigation transfer. The assignment of US11138997 from the individual inventor Dieter Suess to MR Technologies GmbH (Reel 062071/0177, recorded 2022-06-13) coincides directly with the initiation of multiple infringement lawsuits involving this patent in 2022, as indicated by the litigation records on Google Patents. While there is no conclusive evidence that MR Technologies GmbH is a shell entity or a recognized high-frequency NPE, the timing strongly suggests the transfer was made to enable or precede patent assertion.

For verification, see the USPTO Patent Assignment Search for US11138997: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/