Assignment history

Inventors

• Kendall J. Collie (Employer: Champion Engine Technology, LLC, at time of assignment)
• Mark J. Sarder (Employer: Champion Engine Technology, LLC, at time of assignment)
• Aleko D. Sotiriades (Employer: Champion Engine Technology, LLC, at time of assignment)
• James J. Dehn (Employer: Champion Engine Technology, LLC, at time of assignment)
• Leigh A. Jenison (Employer: Champion Engine Technology, LLC, at time of assignment)

All named inventors assigned their interest to Champion Engine Technology, LLC on the same date (June 22, 2020) that Champion Engine Technology, LLC assigned to Champion Power Equipment, Inc. This indicates a standard employee assignment process at the time the patent application (US16/946,439) was filed.

Original assignee

The original assignee, as listed on the issued patent US11143120, is Champion Power Equipment Inc. Champion Power Equipment Inc. is an operating company known for manufacturing power equipment, including multi-fuel generators, which embody the claims of this patent. The company is currently operating.

Assignment timeline

• 2020-06-22 (executed) / recorded 2020-06-22 — Reel 060195/0301

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
  • Assignor: SARDER, MARK J; COLLIE, KENDALL J; JENISON, LEIGH A; DEHN, JAMES J; SOTIRIADES, ALEKO D
  • Assignee: CHAMPION ENGINE TECHNOLOGY, LLC
  • Correspondent: KENNETH L TULLIS, 4615 SO. FORT APACHE ROAD, SUITE 100, LAS VEGAS NV 89147. This correspondent also appears on other assignments in this chain.
  • Context: Internal reorg

• 2020-06-22 (executed) / recorded 2020-06-22 — Reel 060195/0304

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT
  • Assignor: CHAMPION ENGINE TECHNOLOGY, LLC
  • Assignee: CHAMPION POWER EQUIPMENT, INC.
  • Correspondent: KENNETH L TULLIS, 4615 SO. FORT APACHE ROAD, SUITE 100, LAS VEGAS NV 89147. This correspondent also appears on other assignments in this chain.
  • Context: Internal reorg

• 2020-06-22 (executed) / recorded 2023-09-21 — Reel 063852/0388

  • Conveyance: NUNC PRO TUNC ASSIGNMENT
  • Assignor: CHAMPION ENGINE TECHNOLOGY, LLC
  • Assignee: CHAMPION POWER EQUIPMENT, INC.
  • Correspondent: KENNETH L TULLIS, 4615 S. FT. APACHE ROAD, SUITE 100, LAS VEGAS NV 89147. This correspondent also appears on other assignments in this chain.
  • Context: Correction of prior internal transfer

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 11143120
    2020 : Inventors assigned to Champion Engine Technology LLC
         : Champion Engine Technology assigned to Champion Power Equipment Inc
    2021 : Patent issued to Champion Power Equipment Inc
    2023 : Nunc Pro Tunc assignment recorded

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Not present. The transfers are between Champion Engine Technology, LLC and Champion Power Equipment, Inc., both of which appear to be related entities within an operating company structure. Champion Power Equipment, Inc. is a known operating company.
2. Known asserter in the chain — Not present. Champion Power Equipment Inc. is an operating company.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Present. Kenneth L Tullis of 4615 S. Ft. Apache Road, Suite 100, Las Vegas, NV 89147, appears as the correspondent for all three recorded assignments (Reel 060195/0301, Reel 060195/0304, and Reel 063852/0388). This indicates a consistent legal representative for the assigning entities, typical of an internal transfer within a corporate family.
4. Cascading transfers — Not present. While there are two assignments on the same day in 2020, they represent a direct chain from inventors to an intermediate entity and then to the operating company, which is a standard patent prosecution practice. The third entry is a Nunc Pro Tunc assignment, a correction for the 2020 transfer.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — Not present. The assignments occurred in 2020, and the earliest noted litigation (2:23-cv-02371 in Arizona) was filed in 2023.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. There is no indication of bankruptcy in the assignment records.
7. Privateering — Unclear. Without further information such as SEC filings or specific legal reporting, it's impossible to determine if this is a privateering arrangement. However, given that the patent is held by an operating company that likely makes products embodying the claims, it is less probable.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The chain terminates with Champion Power Equipment Inc., an operating company, not a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

Operating-company assertion. The assignment chain clearly shows the patent moving from the individual inventors through an intermediate entity (Champion Engine Technology, LLC) to Champion Power Equipment, Inc. (Reel 060195/0301, Reel 060195/0304). Champion Power Equipment, Inc. is a known manufacturer of multi-fuel generators, indicating they ship products embodying the claims. The Nunc Pro Tunc assignment (Reel 063852/0388) is a corrective action, not a change in ownership, maintaining the patent within the operating company's control.

USPTO Assignment Center search for US11143120: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/