Assignment history

Inventors

• Jon Hee Lee (Employer at filing: Baby Jogger LLC)
• Megan Roe (Employer at filing: Baby Jogger LLC)
• Stacy Noel Simpson (Employer at filing: Baby Jogger LLC)
• Mark Zehfuss (Employer at filing: Baby Jogger LLC)
  All inventors assigned their rights to Baby Jogger, LLC the day after the patent application was filed, which is a common practice for employee-inventors transferring intellectual property to their employer.

Original assignee

The original assignee named on the application is Baby Jogger LLC.
Baby Jogger is a well-known brand that designs, manufactures, and sells juvenile products, primarily strollers and related accessories, which embody the claims of the patent. They are an operating company. Baby Jogger is a brand under Newell Brands. The company is currently operating.

Assignment timeline

1. 2020-06-17 (executed) / recorded 2020-07-28 — Reel 054238/0055
   • Conveyance: Assignment
   • Assignor: ZEHFUSS, MARK; LEE, JOHN HEE; ROE, MEGAN; SIMPSON, STACY NOEL
   • Assignee: BABY JOGGER, LLC
   • Correspondent: BRENT HAGER, NEWELL BRANDS INC., 6655 PEACHTREE DUNWOODY ROAD, N.E., ATLANTA, GA 30328. This correspondent is associated with Newell Brands, a large operating company.
   • Context: Internal transfer from inventors to employer.
2. 2026-01-16 (executed) / recorded 2026-02-14 — Reel 058863/0628
   • Conveyance: Assignment
   • Assignor: BABY JOGGER, LLC
   • Assignee: BABY JOGGER II, LLC
   • Correspondent: BRENT HAGER, NEWELL BRANDS INC., 6655 PEACHTREE DUNWOODY ROAD, N.E., ATLANTA, GA 30328. This is the same correspondent as the previous assignment.
   • Context: Internal corporate restructuring/transfer.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 11731682
    2008 : Priority claimed
    2020 : Application filed
         : Inventors assign to Baby Jogger LLC
    2023 : Patent granted
    2026 : Baby Jogger LLC assigns to Baby Jogger II LLC

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Not present. The transfer from Baby Jogger LLC to Baby Jogger II, LLC (Reel 058863/0628) appears to be an internal corporate restructuring, consistent with an operating company managing its IP within its corporate structure. Neither entity exhibits characteristics of a shell entity.
2. Known asserter in the chain — Not present. None of the assignees (Baby Jogger LLC, Baby Jogger II, LLC) are identified as known Non-Practicing Entities (NPEs). While the patent is currently involved in litigation, indicating assertion, the current owner is a subsidiary of an operating company.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Present. Brent Hager of Newell Brands Inc. is the correspondent for both recorded assignments (Reel 054238/0055 and Reel 058863/0628). This indicates consistent legal representation by in-house counsel or a dedicated firm for an operating company.
4. Cascading transfers — Not present. There are only two assignments, separated by several years, and both appear to be internal corporate transactions.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — Not present. The identified litigation in Delaware District Court (1:24-cv-00723) began in 2024. The most recent assignment to Baby Jogger II, LLC was executed on 2026-01-16 and recorded on 2026-02-14 (Reel 058863/0628), which post-dates the commencement of the litigation. The initial assignment from inventors in 2020 occurred years before the patent granted (2023) or any known litigation.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. There is no indication of bankruptcy filings by the assignors in the chain.
7. Privateering — Unclear. While the patent is being asserted, there is no public information or specific evidence in the assignment records to indicate that Baby Jogger II, LLC is operating as a privateer for a third party.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The patent is not currently owned by any known defensive aggregators.

Verdict

Operating-company assertion. The patent originates from an operating company, Baby Jogger LLC (part of Newell Brands), and subsequent transfers are internal to this corporate structure, as evidenced by the consistent correspondent from Newell Brands Inc. (Reel 054238/0055, Reel 058863/0628). The company manufactures products embodying the claims, and the ongoing litigation suggests assertion by this operating entity against competitors.

For verification, see the USPTO Assignment Center search page: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/ and search for patent number 11731682.