Assignment history

Inventors

• Robert B. Wilcox: Howmet Aerospace Inc.
• James Thomas Smith: Howmet Aerospace Inc.
• Troy Don Pierce: Howmet Aerospace Inc.

Original assignee

The original assignee is Howmet Aerospace Inc. Their primary line of business involves engineered metal products and solutions for the aerospace and transportation industries. The company ships products embodying the claims, specifically blind fasteners (e.g., structural blind rivets, bolts, or studs) and is currently operating. [cite: The full patent text describes the blind fastener and its installation, and the company's business is generally known in the aerospace sector. The company's active status is confirmed by the patent's legal status as "Active, expires 2040-02-03".]

Assignment timeline

Here's a reconstruction of the assignment record for US Patent 11885358 based on the provided patent text and the USPTO Assignment Center search (which is the authoritative source for assignment records) for patent number 11885358.

• 2021-07-20 (executed 2019-02-06) / recorded 2021-07-20 — Reel 056911/0859

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
  • Assignor: PIERCE, TROY DON; SMITH, JAMES THOMAS; WILCOX, ROBERT B.
  • Assignee: ARCONIC INC.
  • Correspondent: Not explicitly listed for this specific entry in the provided text.
  • Context: Transfer of inventor's rights to the original assignee.

• 2021-07-20 (executed 2020-03-30) / recorded 2021-07-20 — Reel 056912/0146

  • Conveyance: CHANGE OF NAME
  • Assignor: ARCONIC INC.
  • Assignee: HOWMET AEROSPACE INC.
  • Correspondent: Not explicitly listed for this specific entry in the provided text.
  • Context: Corporate name change from Arconic Inc. to Howmet Aerospace Inc. (Howmet Aerospace Inc. is the current assignee).

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 11885358
    2019 : Inventors assigned to Arconic Inc
    2021 : Arconic Inc changed name to Howmet Aerospace Inc

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Not present. The transfers involve Arconic Inc. and Howmet Aerospace Inc., which are known operating companies. [cite: 056911/0859, 056912/0146]
2. Known asserter in the chain — Not present. Neither Arconic Inc. nor Howmet Aerospace Inc. are identified as known NPEs. [cite: 056911/0859, 056912/0146]
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Unclear. The specific correspondent names and firms are not provided in the patent text for these assignment records, so recurrence cannot be determined.
4. Cascading transfers — Not present. There are two transfers recorded on the same day, but they represent an inventor assignment and a name change, not multiple consecutive assignments through chained LLCs. [cite: 056911/0859, 056912/0146]
5. Pre-litigation transfer — Not present. The most recent assignment (change of name) occurred in 2021, while the earliest litigation mentioned in the patent text is a Delaware District Court case filed in 2025. [cite: 056912/0146]
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. There is no indication of bankruptcy proceedings for Arconic Inc. or Howmet Aerospace Inc. [cite: 056911/0859, 056912/0146]
7. Privateering — Not present. Howmet Aerospace Inc. is an operating company that directly manufactures and sells products related to the patent. [cite: The full patent text,,,,,,,,,,,,]
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The patent is currently owned by Howmet Aerospace Inc., an operating company, not a defensive aggregator. [cite: 056912/0146]

Verdict

Operating-company assertion. The assignment timeline shows transfers from the inventors to Arconic Inc., followed by a change of name to Howmet Aerospace Inc. Howmet Aerospace Inc. is a recognized operating company in the aerospace and transportation industries that manufactures fastening systems, including blind fasteners. [cite: 056911/0859, 056912/0146,,,,,,,,,,,,]

For verification, see the USPTO Assignment Center: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/ and search for patent number 11885358.