Assignment history

Inventors

The named inventors for US patent 11411529 are Yang Liu and Alexander W. Au. At the time of filing (June 9, 2021), they were employed by Nextracker LLC, the original applicant and assignee.

Original assignee

The original assignee, as listed on the patent application and initial assignment, was Nextracker LLC. Nextracker LLC is a major operating company that designs, manufactures, and sells solar tracking systems for utility-scale solar power plants. They actively ship products embodying the claims of this patent. Nextracker LLC has undergone internal corporate changes, including a change of name to Nextpower LLC, which is its current operating status as of January 12, 2026.

Assignment timeline

The following is a chronological list of recorded assignments for US patent 11411529:

• 2021-06-09 (executed) / recorded 2021-06-10 — Reel 056455/0430

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: Alexander W. Au and Yang Liu
  • Assignee: Nextracker Inc.
  • Correspondent: DANIEL E. WEINSTEIN, Esq., Nextracker Inc., 6800 West Gate Blvd., Suite 200, Austin, TX 78745.
  • Context: Inventors assign their rights to the initial corporate entity.

• 2022-04-06 (executed) / recorded 2022-04-12 — Reel 059952/0474

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: NEXTRACKER INC.
  • Assignee: NEXTRACKER LLC
  • Correspondent: Daniel E. Weinstein, Nextracker LLC, 6800 West Gate Blvd., Suite 200, Austin, TX 78745. (This correspondent recurs in this chain.)
  • Context: Internal corporate restructuring or change of entity type.

• 2026-01-09 (executed) / recorded 2026-01-12 — Reel 067972/0609

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: NEXTRACKER LLC
  • Assignee: NEXTPOWER LLC
  • Correspondent: DANIEL E. WEINSTEIN, Nextpower LLC, 6800 West Gate Blvd., Suite 200, Austin, TX 78745. (This correspondent recurs in this chain.)
  • Context: Corporate name change from Nextracker LLC to Nextpower LLC.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 11411529
    2021 : Filed by Nextracker LLC
         : Inventors assign to Nextracker Inc
    2022 : Nextracker Inc to Nextracker LLC
         : Patent issued
    2026 : Nextracker LLC to Nextpower LLC

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Not present. The assignees, Nextracker Inc., Nextracker LLC, and Nextpower LLC, are all variations of the same operating company. The final transfer to Nextpower LLC is explicitly identified as a "CHANGE OF NAME" event.
2. Known asserter in the chain — Not present. None of the entities in the assignment chain are recognized as known patent asserters or NPEs.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Present. Daniel E. Weinstein (or DANIEL E. WEINSTEIN, Esq.) appears as the correspondent for all three recorded assignments: Reel 056455/0430 (2021-06-10), Reel 059952/0474 (2022-04-12), and Reel 067972/0609 (2026-01-12). This is typical for an operating company handling its internal patent transfers.
4. Cascading transfers — Not present. The transfers are spaced over several years, and each appears to be an internal corporate reorganization or name change rather than rapid transfers between distinct shell entities.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — Unclear. While Google Patents indicates "Family has litigation," specific details for litigation involving this patent, including a precise filing date, are not available in the provided context to assess if any assignment occurred within six months prior to a suit.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. There is no indication that any entity in the chain underwent bankruptcy proceedings leading to the patent transfer.
7. Privateering — Not present. There is no evidence suggesting that an operating company transferred the patent to an NPE to assert on its behalf.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The patent has not been transferred to a known defensive aggregator.

Verdict

Operating-company assertion
The assignment chain for US patent 11411529 clearly indicates transfers between closely related corporate entities: Nextracker Inc., Nextracker LLC, and ultimately Nextpower LLC. The final transfer to Nextpower LLC is explicitly a change of name for Nextracker LLC (Reel 067972/0609, recorded 2026-01-12). The continuous use of the same correspondent, Daniel E. Weinstein, across all recorded assignments further supports the conclusion that these are internal corporate transactions within an operating company known for producing solar tracker products.

Verification: USPTO Patent Assignment Search for 11411529