Assignment history

Inventors

• Mark Zehfuss
• Jon Hee Lee
• Megan Roe
• Stacy Noel Simpson

All listed inventors appear to have been employed by Baby Jogger LLC at the time of the patent application's filing (2022-07-28), as their interests were assigned to Baby Jogger, LLC on 2022-07-29. This is a typical initial assignment from inventors to their employer. No unusual patterns, such as mass inventor departures, are noted.

Original assignee

The original assignee listed on the issued patent is Baby Jogger LLC. Baby Jogger is a widely recognized brand for juvenile products, particularly strollers (e.g., jogging strollers, city mini strollers). The company ships products embodying the claims of the patent. Its primary line of business is the design, manufacture, and sale of strollers and related baby gear. Baby Jogger operates as a brand under Newell Brands. Baby Jogger LLC, as the original assignee, was an operating subsidiary or predecessor entity. While the patent was subsequently reassigned, it remains within an operating entity (Baby Jogger II LLC), still associated with the Newell Brands corporate structure.

Assignment timeline

• 2022-07-28 (executed) / recorded 2022-07-29 — Reel 062638/0056

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
  • Assignor: ZEHFUSS, MARK; LEE, JON HEE; ROE, MEGAN; SIMPSON, STACY NOEL
  • Assignee: BABY JOGGER, LLC
  • Correspondent: MCDERMOTT WILL & EMERY LLP, ATTN: DOCKETING, 444 WEST LAKE STREET, SUITE 4000, CHICAGO, IL 60606.
  • Context: Initial assignment from individual inventors to their employing company.

• 2026-01-23 (executed) / recorded 2026-01-26 — Reel 065535/0675

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST
  • Assignor: BABY JOGGER, LLC
  • Assignee: BABY JOGGER II, LLC
  • Correspondent: NEWEL, KRISTIN S, Jarden Corporation, 222 W MERCHANDISE MART PLAZA SUITE 1000, CHICAGO, IL 60654.
  • Context: Transfer between related corporate entities, likely an internal reorganization within Newell Brands (owner of the Baby Jogger brand).

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 11577771
    2008 : Priority date
    2022 : Filed; Inventors to Baby Jogger LLC
    2023 : Issued
    2024 : Litigation filed
    2026 : Baby Jogger LLC to Baby Jogger II LLC

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Not present. Both Baby Jogger LLC and Baby Jogger II LLC are operating entities associated with a well-known consumer brand (Baby Jogger, under Newell Brands) that manufactures and sells products. The transfer is indicative of an internal corporate restructuring rather than a move to a licensing-only shell entity.
2. Known asserter in the chain — Not present. Neither Baby Jogger LLC nor Baby Jogger II LLC are identified as known non-practicing entities (NPEs) or patent asserters on public lists.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Not present. The correspondent firm for the initial inventor assignment was McDermott Will & Emery LLP (Reel 062638/0056). The correspondent for the subsequent corporate transfer was Kristin S Newel of Jarden Corporation (Reel 065535/0675), showing different representation for the recorded assignments.
4. Cascading transfers — Not present. There are only two assignments recorded, with a significant gap between the initial inventor assignment (2022) and the corporate transfer (2026).
5. Pre-litigation transfer — Not present. The Google Patents page for US11577771B2 indicates a US case was filed in Delaware District Court (1:24-cv-00723) in 2024. The only recorded post-inventor assignment occurred on 2026-01-23 (Reel 065535/0675), which is after the identified district court filing date. This indicates the transfer was not before the first infringement suit to enable assertion, but rather during or after the litigation began, likely as an internal corporate transfer.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. There is no indication that Baby Jogger LLC or Baby Jogger II LLC have filed for bankruptcy.
7. Privateering — Not present. No evidence suggests that Baby Jogger II LLC is operating as an NPE to assert patents on behalf of a competitor.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The current assignee, Baby Jogger II LLC, is an operating company within the consumer goods sector, not a defensive aggregator like RPX or Allied Security Trust.

Verdict

Operating-company assertion. The patent originated with and remains within entities (Baby Jogger LLC and Baby Jogger II LLC) associated with the Baby Jogger brand, which is an operating company known for manufacturing and selling strollers. The assignment chain reflects a standard initial inventor-to-company transfer (Reel 062638/0056, 2022-07-29) and a subsequent internal corporate transfer between related entities (Reel 065535/0675, 2026-01-26). The ongoing litigation (Delaware District Court case 1:24-cv-00723) indicates assertion, but by an operating company against likely competitors, not by a non-practicing entity.

For verification, see the USPTO Assignment Center search for patent 11577771: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/patents/11577771