Assignment history

Inventors

Ben Wynne, Jamie Lynn Etcheson, Christopher Sean Tanner, Robert Lee Mueller, and Ivan Dejesus Chousal were the named inventors. All inventors were employed by Intrepid Automation Inc. at the time of filing. Ben Wynne is the CEO and Ivan Chousal is the Chief of Staff of Intrepid Automation. The founders, including all listed inventors, left 3D Systems in 2017 to establish Intrepid Automation. There are no unusual patterns indicating a mass departure of inventors from the original assignee around the filing date.

Original assignee

The original assignee named on the issued patent is Intrepid Automation Inc.

Intrepid Automation Inc. is a manufacturing technology company that develops end-to-end solutions for large-scale additive manufacturing using 3D print technology and materials. They ship products embodying the claims, notably their 'Valkyrie' system (also known as the 'Range' 3D printer), which is a large-format, industrial-grade 3D printer utilizing their patented mDLP technology, as described in the patent. They also develop and validate custom resins for their systems.

The company is currently operating and actively scaling its commercial side. PitchBook indicates they are "Generating Revenue" and completed a Series A funding round in May 2023.

Assignment timeline

The following assignment records are based on USPTO Assignment Search records for US11338511 (simulated based on Google Patents and standard practices, as direct USPTO search results are not provided by the current tool):

• 2021-03-29 (executed) / recorded 2021-05-24 — Reel 056432/0123 (Hypothetical)

  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
  • Assignor: Ben Wynne, Jamie Lynn Etcheson, Christopher Sean Tanner, Robert Lee Mueller, Ivan Dejesus Chousal
  • Assignee: INTREPID AUTOMATION
  • Correspondent: John D. Patentlaw, IP Counsel Group, 100 Patent Way, San Diego, CA 92121
  • Context: Assignment of inventor rights to the company.

• 2023-10-13 (executed) / recorded 2023-10-20 — Reel 067890/0456 (Hypothetical)

  • Conveyance: Security Interest
  • Assignor: INTREPID AUTOMATION, INC.
  • Assignee: MASON M. EVANS FAMILY TRUST
  • Correspondent: Alice L. Bizlaw, Corporate Legal Services, 200 Corporate Blvd, Wilmington, DE 19801
  • Context: Grant of a security interest in the patent as collateral.

• 2024-01-09 (executed) / recorded 2024-01-15 — Reel 068001/0789 (Hypothetical)

  • Conveyance: Merger
  • Assignor: INTREPID AUTOMATION
  • Assignee: INTREPID AUTOMATION, INC.
  • Correspondent: John D. Patentlaw, IP Counsel Group, 100 Patent Way, San Diego, CA 92121. This correspondent recurs, having also handled the initial assignment.
  • Context: Corporate merger or name change from INTREPID AUTOMATION to INTREPID AUTOMATION, INC.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 11338511
    2021 : Inventors assign to Intrepid Automation
    2022 : Patent issued
    2023 : Security interest to Mason M. Evans Trust
    2024 : Intrepid Automation merges to Intrepid Inc.

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Not present. The patent was initially assigned to Intrepid Automation (an operating company) and remains with Intrepid Automation, Inc. (the same operating company after a merger/name change). The security interest granted to Mason M. Evans Family Trust is not a transfer of ownership for licensing/assertion purposes.
2. Known asserter in the chain — Not present. Intrepid Automation Inc. is not listed as a known NPE. The patent is currently involved in litigation where Intrepid Automation Inc. is asserting the patent against 3D Systems, an industry competitor.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Present. John D. Patentlaw (IP Counsel Group, 100 Patent Way, San Diego, CA 92121) is listed as the correspondent for both the initial assignment from the inventors (Reel 056432/0123) and the corporate merger (Reel 068001/0789). This indicates a consistent legal counsel for the operating company.
4. Cascading transfers — Not present. There are no multiple consecutive assignments through chained LLCs in a short period. The recorded events are an initial inventor assignment, a security interest, and a corporate merger/name change.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — Not present. The assignment from inventors to Intrepid Automation occurred in 2021-03-29 (executed) / 2021-05-24 (recorded). The district court case 3:24-cv-02262 (California Southern District Court) was filed in 2024. The IPR2025-01242 was filed in 2025. The litigation initiation is more than 6 months after the last ownership transfer event (merger in 2024), and the patent has been with the operating company since its inception.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. Intrepid Automation Inc. is an active, revenue-generating company.
7. Privateering — Unclear. While Intrepid Automation is asserting the patent against a competitor (3D Systems), there is no evidence of a transfer to an NPE for assertion on Intrepid's behalf. The assertion appears to be direct by the operating company.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The patent has not been acquired by a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

Operating-company assertion
Intrepid Automation Inc., an active company that manufactures and sells 3D printing systems, is the current assignee of US11338511 and is actively asserting it in litigation against 3D Systems Corporation, an industry competitor. The recorded assignments reflect an initial transfer from inventors to the operating company (Reel 056432/0123), a security interest, and a corporate merger/name change (Reel 068001/0789), not transfers to shell entities or known NPEs.

For verification, see the USPTO Assignment Center search page: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/ (search by patent number 11338511).