Assignment history

Inventors

The named inventor for US patent 11192689 is Shujun CAI. The patent lists Meridian International Co Ltd as the original assignee. The patent document does not explicitly state the inventor's employer at the time of filing, but the assignment record indicates that Shujun CAI assigned their interest to Meridian International Co Ltd on the filing date.

Original assignee

The original assignee named on the issued patent is Meridian International Co Ltd. The patent describes a "Stacked storage container latch," suggesting their primary line of business likely involves manufacturing or distributing storage solutions. Based on the information available, Meridian International Co Ltd appears to be an active operating company, as it is listed as the current assignee and is involved in ongoing litigation related to the patent. There is no information to suggest they are dissolved, in bankruptcy, or acquired.

Assignment timeline

The USPTO Assignment Center (https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/) shows the following record for US11192689:

• 2020-03-20 (executed) / recorded 2020-04-13 — Reel 052382/0500
  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
  • Assignor: CAI, SHUJUN
  • Assignee: MERIDIAN INTERNATIONAL CO. LTD., CHINA
  • Correspondent: BROWNING, MARK E., 5733 WESTHEIMER ROAD, SUITE 1800, HOUSTON, TEXAS 77057
  • Context: Original assignment from inventor to assignee.

This is the only assignment record found for US Patent 11192689.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 11192689
    2020 : Filed by Meridian International Co Ltd (via inventor assignment)
    2021 : Issued

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — not present. The sole recorded assignee, Meridian International Co Ltd, appears to be an active operating company manufacturing tools and storage solutions.
2. Known asserter in the chain — not present. Meridian International Co Ltd does not appear on public NPE lists.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — not applicable. There is only one assignment in the chain, so recurrence cannot be observed.
4. Cascading transfers — not present. There is only one assignment.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — not present. The single assignment from the inventor to Meridian International Co Ltd occurred on March 20, 2020, well before the earliest identified litigation filing date of August 28, 2025 (for IPR2025-01462).
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. No indication of bankruptcy for Meridian International Co Ltd.
7. Privateering — unclear. While Meridian International Co Ltd appears to be an operating company, the nature of the ongoing litigation would need further investigation to determine if it involves assertion on behalf of another entity.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The patent is not currently assigned to a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

Operating-company assertion

The patent is currently assigned to Meridian International Co Ltd, which is an active operating company involved in the manufacturing and distribution of hand tools, storage tools, garden tools, and power tool accessories. There is no evidence of transfer to a shell entity or a known NPE, and the litigation records suggest Meridian International Co Ltd is asserting the patent in district court and defending it at the PTAB.

For verification, see the USPTO Assignment Center by searching patent number 11192689: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/