Assignment history

Inventors

• Mark J. Sarder: Employed by Champion Power Equipment Inc. (inferred, as rights were assigned to an affiliated entity on the filing date).
• Aleko D. Sotiriades: Employed by Champion Power Equipment Inc. (inferred, as rights were assigned to an affiliated entity on the filing date).
• James J. Dehn: Employed by Champion Power Equipment Inc. (inferred, as rights were assigned to an affiliated entity on the filing date).
• Leigh Jenison: Employed by Champion Power Equipment Inc. (inferred, as rights were assigned to an affiliated entity on the filing date).

There are no unusual patterns indicating all inventors departing the original assignee within 12 months of filing, as the assignments show an immediate transfer to Champion-affiliated entities.

Original assignee

Champion Power Equipment Inc. is the entity named as the original and current assignee on the issued patent.

• Products: Champion Power Equipment Inc. ships products embodying the claims, specifically dual-fuel generators and related fuel delivery systems.
• Primary line of business: Manufacturing and selling power equipment, including generators, inverters, and engines.
• Current status: Operating.

Assignment timeline

• 2018-11-15 (executed) / recorded 2018-11-20 — Reel 050186/0302
  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
  • Assignor: DEHN, JAMES J.; JENISON, LEIGH; SARDER, MARK J.; SOTIRIADES, ALEKO D.
  • Assignee: CHAMPION ENGINE TECHNOLOGY, LLC
  • Correspondent: RUTH A. BARLOW; LAW OFFICE OF RUTH A. BARLOW P.C.; 3037 WOODCREST LANE; CHIPPEWA FALLS, WI 54729. This correspondent also appears on reel 050212/0971.
  • Context: Transfer of inventor rights to an affiliated entity.
• 2018-11-15 (executed) / recorded 2018-11-29 — Reel 050212/0971
  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
  • Assignor: CHAMPION ENGINE TECHNOLOGY, LLC
  • Assignee: CHAMPION POWER EQUIPMENT, INC.
  • Correspondent: RUTH A. BARLOW; LAW OFFICE OF RUTH A. BARLOW P.C.; 3037 WOODCREST LANE; CHIPPEWA FALLS, WI 54729. This correspondent also appears on reel 050186/0302.
  • Context: Internal transfer within the Champion corporate family.
• 2022-12-19 (executed) / recorded 2022-12-20 — Reel 062638/0333
  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT
  • Assignor: CHAMPION POWER EQUIPMENT, INC.
  • Assignee: CHAMPION ENGINE TECHNOLOGY, LLC
  • Correspondent: JOSEPH A. COY; COY LAW FIRM LLC; 1000 N WEST STREET, SUITE 1200; WILMINGTON, DE 19801. This correspondent also appears on reel 062638/0334.
  • Context: Internal reorg/clarification within the Champion corporate family, occurring on the day of patent issuance.
• 2022-12-19 (executed) / recorded 2022-12-20 — Reel 062638/0334
  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT
  • Assignor: CHAMPION ENGINE TECHNOLOGY, LLC
  • Assignee: CHAMPION POWER EQUIPMENT, INC.
  • Correspondent: JOSEPH A. COY; COY LAW FIRM LLC; 1000 N WEST STREET, SUITE 1200; WILMINGTON, DE 19801. This correspondent also appears on reel 062638/0333.
  • Context: Internal reorg/clarification within the Champion corporate family, immediately restoring ownership to Champion Power Equipment, Inc. on the day of patent issuance.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 11530654
    2018 : Inventors assign to Champion Engine Tech LLC
         : Champion Engine Tech to Champion Power Equip Inc
    2022 : Issued
         : Champion Power Equip to Champion Engine Tech LLC
         : Champion Engine Tech to Champion Power Equip Inc

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — not present. The transfers are between "Champion Engine Technology, LLC" and "Champion Power Equipment, Inc.", both appear to be operating entities or direct affiliates of the operating company. There is no evidence of a transfer to a licensing-only shell entity with a generic name, registered-agent address, or single-purpose LLC.
2. Known asserter in the chain — not present. None of the assignees (Champion Engine Technology, LLC, Champion Power Equipment, Inc.) match known public NPE lists.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — present.
   • Ruth A. Barlow of Law Office of Ruth A. Barlow P.C. appears as the correspondent for the initial assignments (Reel 050186/0302 and 050212/0971).
   • Joseph A. Coy of Coy Law Firm LLC appears as the correspondent for the assignments executed on the day of issuance (Reel 062638/0333 and 062638/0334).
     While there are repeat correspondents for different segments of the chain, this typically indicates consistent legal counsel for the Champion family rather than an NPE pattern, as the assignees are operating companies/affiliates.
4. Cascading transfers — not present. The transfers are either immediate (inventors to CETECH to CPEI on the same day in 2018) or two transfers on the same day in 2022. These are not multiple consecutive transfers through chained LLCs suggestive of an NPE, but rather internal corporate movements.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — unclear. While the patent is currently in litigation, the most recent internal assignments occurred on 2022-12-19/2022-12-20, coinciding with the patent's issuance. The first district court cases were filed in Arizona (2:23-cv-02371) in late 2023, and Wisconsin/California cases in 2024. This is more than 6 months after the last recorded assignment, suggesting the assignments were not immediately pre-litigation but rather part of ongoing corporate structure.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. There is no indication that Champion Power Equipment Inc. or Champion Engine Technology, LLC filed for bankruptcy or that the patent was sold in bankruptcy proceedings.
7. Privateering — not present. There is no evidence from the assignment records or the provided patent details to suggest an operating company transferred the patent to an NPE to assert on its behalf.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The chain does not terminate at any known defensive aggregators like RPX, AST, LOT Network, Unified Patents, or OIN.

Verdict

Operating-company assertion

The patent ownership chain indicates consistent ownership by Champion Power Equipment Inc. and its affiliate Champion Engine Technology, LLC. The assignments recorded on reels 050186/0302, 050212/0971, 062638/0333, and 062638/0334 reflect internal transfers within the Champion corporate family, common for managing intellectual property within an operating company. Champion Power Equipment Inc. is known to manufacture and sell generators embodying the claims, and the ongoing litigation appears to be assertion by the operating company rather than an NPE.

https://patents.google.com/patent/[US11530654](/patent/US11530654)/en