Assignment history

Inventors

• Yaron Brunner
• Grant T. Squiers
• Christopher S. Hoppe
• Steven W. Hyma

Employers at the time of filing are not explicitly stated in the provided patent text. However, based on the assignment records, Yaron Brunner's interest was assigned to Keter Plastic Ltd., while Grant T. Squiers, Christopher S. Hoppe, and Steven W. Hyma's interests were assigned to Milwaukee Electric Tool Corp. This suggests their respective employers at the time of filing.

Original assignee

The patent US11952167B2 lists "Keter Home and Garden Products Ltd" and "Milwaukee Electric Tool Corp" as current assignees, and "Keter Plastic Ltd" and "Milwaukee Electric Tool Corp" as original assignees.

• Keter Plastic Ltd / Keter Home and Garden Products Ltd: Keter is a global manufacturer of resin-based home and garden products, including storage solutions, outdoor furniture, and sheds. They ship products embodying claims similar to the utility modules and container assemblies described in the patent. Keter Home and Garden Products Ltd. appears to be a name change from Keter Plastic Ltd..
• Milwaukee Electric Tool Corp: Milwaukee Tool is a manufacturer of power tools, hand tools, and accessories for professional users. They ship products embodying the claims, particularly in their PACKOUT modular storage system.

Both entities are currently operating.

Assignment timeline

• 2023-06-13 (executed) / recorded 2023-06-13 — Reel 006232/0261
  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
  • Assignor: HYMA, STEVEN W., SQUIERS, GRANT T., HOPPE, CHRISTOPHER S.
  • Assignee: MILWAUKEE ELECTRIC TOOL CORPORATION
  • Correspondent: MICHAEL BEST & FRIEDRICH LLP
  • Context: Internal transfer of inventor's interest to employer
• 2023-06-13 (executed) / recorded 2023-06-13 — Reel 006232/0262
  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
  • Assignor: BRUNNER, YARON
  • Assignee: KETER PLASTIC LTD.
  • Correspondent: MICHAEL BEST & FRIEDRICH LLP. This correspondent also appears on reel 006232/0261.
  • Context: Internal transfer of inventor's interest to employer
• 2024-04-12 (executed) / recorded 2024-04-12 — Reel 006398/0878
  • Conveyance: Change of Name
  • Assignor: KETER PLASTIC LTD
  • Assignee: Keter Home and Garden Products Ltd.
  • Correspondent: MICHAEL BEST & FRIEDRICH LLP. This correspondent also appears on reels 006232/0261 and 006232/0262.
  • Context: Change of assignee's legal name

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 11952167
    2016 : Priority date
    2023 : Application filed
         : Inventors assign to Milwaukee/Keter
    2024 : Patent issued
         : Keter Plastic changes name

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — not present. The assignees, Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation and Keter Plastic Ltd. (now Keter Home and Garden Products Ltd.), are both established operating companies with known product lines.
2. Known asserter in the chain — not present. Neither Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation nor Keter (Plastic/Home and Garden Products) Ltd. appear on public NPE lists.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — present. MICHAEL BEST & FRIEDRICH LLP is listed as the correspondent for all three recorded assignments (Reel 006232/0261, Reel 006232/0262, Reel 006398/0878).
4. Cascading transfers — not present. There are no multiple consecutive assignments through chained LLCs in a short timeframe. The assignments are inventor-to-company and a company name change.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — unclear. The patent was granted on 2024-04-09. Litigation events are noted in Google Patents as occurring in 2024, specifically a US case filed in Illinois Northern District Court on 1:24-cv-04928 and 1:24-cv-04284, and a US case filed in International Trade Commission on 337-TA-3749. The earliest assignment after the priority date and before issuance are the inventor assignments on 2023-06-13, which is more than 6 months prior to the first reported litigation. The name change occurred on 2024-04-12, after the grant date and potentially shortly before or after the litigation filings; however, it's a name change, not a transfer of ownership to a new entity.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. There is no indication in the assignment records or Google Patents legal events that either original assignee has filed for bankruptcy.
7. Privateering — not present. There is no public information or SEC filings mentioned that suggest a privateering arrangement.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The chain does not terminate at a known defensive aggregator.

Verdict

Operating-company assertion. The primary assignees, Milwaukee Electric Tool Corp and Keter Home and Garden Products Ltd., are operating companies that manufacture and sell products directly relevant to the patent's claims. The recorded assignments (Reel 006232/0261, Reel 006232/0262) represent standard inventor assignments to their respective employers, and Reel 006398/0878 is a simple name change for Keter. There is no evidence of transfer to a shell entity or a known NPE.

Verification: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/