Assignment history

Inventors

The named inventors are Mark J. Sarder, Aleko D. Sotiriades, James J. Dehn, and Leigh Jenison. Based on the initial assignment records, their employer at the time of invention was Champion Power Equipment, Inc. or an affiliated entity. There are no unusual patterns, such as mass departures, noted in the public record.

Original assignee

The original assignee of record is Champion Power Equipment, Inc. The company is a well-known manufacturer and seller of power generation equipment, including portable generators, inverters, and log splitters. They actively ship products, some of which appear to embody the claims of the patent related to dual-fuel generator technology. The company is an active operating entity.

Assignment timeline

A search of the USPTO Patent Assignment Search database reveals the following recorded assignments for US patent 11,840,970.

• 2022-09-30 (executed) / recorded 2022-10-03 — Reel 063615/0504

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: Mark J. Sarder; Aleko D. Sotiriades; James J. Dehn; Leigh Jenison
  • Assignee: Champion Engine Technology, LLC
  • Correspondent: David R. D'Zurilla; SCHWEGMAN LUNDBERG & WOESSNER, P.A.; P.O. BOX 2938, MINNEAPOLIS, MN, 55402
  • Context: Initial assignment of interest from the inventors to a holding company affiliated with their employer.

• 2022-09-30 (executed) / recorded 2022-10-03 — Reel 063615/0511

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: Champion Engine Technology, LLC
  • Assignee: Champion Power Equipment, Inc.
  • Correspondent: David R. D'Zurilla; SCHWEGMAN LUNDBERG & WOESSNER, P.A.; P.O. BOX 2938, MINNEAPOLIS, MN, 55402. This is the same correspondent as the preceding entry.
  • Context: Internal reorganization, transferring the patent from a holding company to the primary operating company on the same day it was received from the inventors.

• 2022-10-25 (executed) / recorded 2022-10-26 — Reel 063810/0177

  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: Champion Engine Technology, LLC
  • Assignee: Champion Power Equipment, Inc.
  • Correspondent: David R. D'Zurilla; SCHWEGMAN LUNDBERG & WOESSNER, P.A.; P.O. BOX 2938, MINNEAPOLIS, MN, 55402. This is the same correspondent as the preceding entries.
  • Context: A follow-up or corrective assignment, again transferring the patent from the holding company to the operating company.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 11840970
    2015 : Priority date
    2022 : Application filed
         : Inventors assign to Champion Engine Tech LLC
         : Champion Engine Tech LLC assigns to Champion Power Equipment Inc
    2023 : Patent issues to Champion Power Equipment
         : First infringement suits filed

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer: Not present. The patent was briefly held by Champion Engine Technology, LLC, but this appears to be a standard internal holding company, and the asset was immediately transferred on the same day to the primary operating company, Champion Power Equipment, Inc. (see reel 063615/0511).

2. Known asserter in the chain: Not present. Champion Power Equipment, Inc. is an operating company and manufacturer, not a known non-practicing entity.

3. Repeat correspondent across the chain: Present. The same correspondent, David R. D'Zurilla of Schwegman Lundberg & Woessner, P.A., handled all three recorded assignments (reels 063615/0504, 063615/0511, and 063810/0177). However, this is not a strong signal in this context, as the assignments were part of a single internal transfer process executed over a short period. The firm and attorney are not widely associated with high-volume NPEs.

4. Cascading transfers: Not present. The transfers occurred on the same day and represent a two-step internal reorganization (Inventors → Holding Co. → Operating Co.), not a chain of unrelated LLCs designed to obscure ownership.

5. Pre-litigation transfer: Not present. The patent was assigned to the ultimate owner and plaintiff, Champion Power Equipment, Inc., on 2022-09-30. The earliest infringement suits listed occurred in late 2023, well over six months after the transfer. The assignment appears to be a standard part of prosecution and portfolio management, not a setup for immediate litigation.

6. Bankruptcy fire-sale: Not present. The assignor is an active operating company.

7. Privateering: Not present. The entity asserting the patent is the original operating company, not a third-party NPE.

8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE): Not present. The patent remains with the operating company and has not been transferred to a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

Operating-company assertion

The ownership chain is straightforward, showing a standard assignment from inventors to their employer's operating company (Champion Power Equipment, Inc.) via a holding company in same-day transactions (Reels 063615/0504 and 063615/0511). Champion Power Equipment is a manufacturer and seller of products in the power generator market. The subsequent litigation is being conducted by the operating company itself against alleged infringers, which is characteristic of a direct competitor dispute, not NPE activity.

Verify records at: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/ (search for patent number 11840970).