Assignment history

Inventors

• Kendall J. Collie (Champion Power Equipment Inc.)
• Mark J. Sarder (Champion Power Equipment Inc.)
• Aleko D. Sotiriades (Champion Power Equipment Inc.)
• James J. Dehn (Champion Power Equipment Inc.)
• Leigh A. Jenison (Champion Power Equipment Inc.)
• Hiroaki Sato (Champion Power Equipment Inc.)

All inventors were associated with Champion Power Equipment Inc. at the time of filing, which is the original and current assignee. No unusual patterns of inventors departing the original assignee within 12 months of filing are discernible from the provided information.

Original assignee

The original assignee named on the issued patent is Champion Power Equipment Inc. Champion Power Equipment Inc. ships products embodying the claims, specifically dual-fuel generators. Their primary line of business is the manufacturing and sale of power equipment, including generators, inverters, pressure washers, and log splitters. Champion Power Equipment Inc. is currently an operating company.

Assignment timeline

• 2020-06-22 (executed) / recorded 2020-08-11 — Reel 054817/0401
  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: Collie, Kendall J.; Dehn, James J.; Jenison, Leigh A.; Sarder, Mark J.; Sato, Hiroaki; Sotiriades, Aleko D.
  • Assignee: Champion Engine Technology, LLC
  • Correspondent: John R. Benedict, 11440 W Bernardo Ct Ste 281, San Diego, CA 92127. This correspondent also appears later in this chain.
  • Context: Transfer of inventor rights to an internal IP holding entity.
• 2020-06-22 (executed) / recorded 2020-08-11 — Reel 054817/0408
  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: Champion Engine Technology, LLC
  • Assignee: Champion Power Equipment, Inc.
  • Correspondent: John R. Benedict, 11440 W Bernardo Ct Ste 281, San Diego, CA 92127. This correspondent also appears earlier in this chain.
  • Context: Internal transfer from an IP holding entity to the operating company.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 11143145
    2020 : Filed, inventors assign to Champion Engine Tech LLC
         : Champion Engine Tech LLC assigns to Champion Power Equip Inc
    2021 : Patent issued
    2023 : First reported litigation (family)

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Unclear. The patent was assigned from the inventors to Champion Engine Technology, LLC, and then immediately to Champion Power Equipment Inc. [cite: Reel 054817/0401, Reel 054817/0408]. While Champion Engine Technology, LLC could function as an IP holding company, its immediate transfer to the operating company (Champion Power Equipment Inc.) suggests an internal corporate structure rather than a shell entity for third-party assertion.
2. Known asserter in the chain — Not present. Neither Champion Engine Technology, LLC nor Champion Power Equipment Inc. are on the list of known NPEs.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Unclear/Weak. John R. Benedict of 11440 W Bernardo Ct Ste 281, San Diego, CA 92127 is listed as the correspondent for both assignments (Reel 054817/0401 and Reel 054817/0408). This is a repeat, but it is within a series of immediate transfers from inventors to the operating company, indicating consistent representation for the same corporate family rather than a pattern of managing multiple, unrelated assertion entities.
4. Cascading transfers — Not present. There were two assignments with the same execution date (2020-06-22) and recording date (2020-08-11) [cite: Reel 054817/0401, Reel 054817/0408]. While rapid, this represents the initial assignment from inventors through an internal holding company to the ultimate operating company, not multiple transfers between unrelated LLCs typical of NPE cascading.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — Not present. The assignments were executed in June 2020 and recorded in August 2020 [cite: Reel 054817/0401, Reel 054817/0408]. The earliest reported litigation for the patent family is in 2023 [cite: US11143145B2 - Google Patents], which is more than six months after the assignments.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. There is no indication in the provided information that the patent was transferred as part of a bankruptcy proceeding.
7. Privateering — Not present. There is no evidence suggesting that Champion Power Equipment Inc. transferred the patent to an NPE for assertion on its behalf. Champion Power Equipment Inc. is the current assignee and an operating company.
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 patent is currently assigned to Champion Power Equipment Inc., an operating company that manufactures and sells products related to the patented technology. The assignment history shows an initial transfer from inventors to an internal entity and then to the operating company (Reel 054817/0401 and 054817/0408). The identified litigation (for the patent family) began in 2023, well after the 2020 assignments, indicating assertion by the operating company, presumably against competitors.

For verification, see the USPTO Assignment Center search for US11143145: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/