Assignment history

Inventors

• Yang Liu: Employed by Nextracker LLC at the time of filing (August 9, 2022).
• Alexander W. Au: Employed by Nextracker LLC at the time of filing (August 9, 2022).

No unusual patterns (e.g., inventor departures) are apparent from the provided information.

Original assignee

The entity named on the issued patent is Nextracker LLC.

Nextracker Inc. (which Nextracker LLC became, then later assigned to a different Nextracker LLC for IP holding purposes) is a major operating company specializing in the design and manufacture of solar tracker systems for utility-scale solar power plants. They ship products embodying the claims of US11967921, specifically self-powered solar tracker apparatuses.

Nextracker Inc. is currently operating.

Assignment timeline

• 2022-08-09 (executed) / recorded 2022-09-30 — Reel 062638/0971

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
  • Assignor: AU, ALEXANDER W.; LIU, YANG
  • Assignee: NEXTRACKER LLC
  • Correspondent: BAKER BOTTS L.L.P.; 2001 ROSS AVENUE, SUITE 900; DALLAS, TEXAS 75201-2980. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Initial assignment of patent rights from the inventors to the company.

• 2022-09-29 (executed) / recorded 2022-09-30 — Reel 062638/0972

  • Conveyance: CHANGE OF NAME
  • Assignor: NEXTRACKER LLC
  • Assignee: NEXTRACKER INC.
  • Correspondent: BAKER BOTTS L.L.P.; 2001 ROSS AVENUE, SUITE 900; DALLAS, TEXAS 75201-2980. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Corporate name change of the original assignee from an LLC to an Inc. entity.

• 2022-09-29 (executed) / recorded 2022-09-30 — Reel 062638/0973

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
  • Assignor: NEXTRACKER INC.
  • Assignee: NEXTRACKER LLC
  • Correspondent: BAKER BOTTS L.L.P.; 2001 ROSS AVENUE, SUITE 900; DALLAS, TEXAS 75201-2980. This correspondent recurs in this chain.
  • Context: Internal corporate reorganization, transferring the patent from the operating entity (Nextracker Inc.) to a distinct IP holding entity (Nextracker LLC).

• 2026-01-12 (executed) / recorded 2026-01-12 — Reel 066373/0675

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT
  • Assignor: NEXTRACKER LLC
  • Assignee: NEXTPOWER LLC
  • Correspondent: BLANK ROME LLP; ONE LOGAN SQUARE, 130 N. 18TH STREET; PHILADELPHIA, PA 19103-6998.
  • Context: Transfer of patent from a previous IP holding entity to a new entity.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 11967921
    2022-08-09 : Application filed by Nextracker LLC
    2022-09-30 : Inventors assign to Nextracker LLC
               : Nextracker LLC changes to Nextracker Inc
               : Nextracker Inc assigns to Nextracker LLC
    2024-04-23 : Patent Issued
    2026-01-12 : Assigned to Nextpower LLC

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer: Present. The patent was transferred from Nextracker Inc. (an operating company) to "Nextracker LLC" on 2022-09-29 (Reel 062638/0973), which is indicative of an IP carve-out to a licensing-focused entity. The subsequent transfer to "Nextpower LLC" on 2026-01-12 (Reel 066373/0675) further suggests a shell or holding company, given the "LLC" suffix and common practice in patent assertion.
2. Known asserter in the chain: Not present. None of the named assignees (Nextracker LLC, Nextracker Inc., Nextpower LLC) match the provided list of known NPEs.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain: Present. BAKER BOTTS L.L.P. (2001 ROSS AVENUE, SUITE 900; DALLAS, TEXAS 75201-2980) acted as the correspondent for three consecutive recordings (Reel 062638/0971, 062638/0972, and 062638/0973), which include the initial inventor assignment, a corporate name change, and the transfer of the patent to an IP holding LLC.
4. Cascading transfers: Present. Three related transfers (Reel 062638/0971, 062638/0972, 062638/0973) were executed around 2022-09-29 and recorded on 2022-09-30. This rapid sequence of internal transfers, particularly the name change and immediate assignment to an LLC, signals a deliberate IP restructuring.
5. Pre-litigation transfer: Unclear. While the Google Patents record mentions "Family has litigation" and "First worldwide family litigation filed," it does not specify if US11967921B2 itself has been asserted or provide a date for such assertion. Therefore, it's not possible to determine if the 2026-01-12 transfer to Nextpower LLC was pre-litigation.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale: Not present. There is no indication of bankruptcy for Nextracker LLC or Nextracker Inc. in the provided information.
7. Privateering: Unclear. The available information does not provide details to ascertain if the transfer to Nextpower LLC is a privateering arrangement.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE): Not present. The current assignee, Nextpower LLC, is not a recognized defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence. The chain exhibits multiple strong signals: a clear shell-entity transfer from an operating company (Nextracker Inc.) to an IP holding LLC (Nextracker LLC) on 2022-09-29 (Reel 062638/0973), followed by a further transfer to Nextpower LLC on 2026-01-12 (Reel 066373/0675). These transfers are accompanied by cascading transfers and the same repeat correspondent (Baker Botts L.L.P.) handling the initial internal IP restructuring. This pattern strongly suggests the patent has been strategically moved to an entity likely intended for licensing or assertion.

USPTO Patent Assignment Search for US11967921