Assignment history

Inventors

• Mladen Thomas Strbac. His employer at the time of filing was ABC IP LLC, the original assignee of the patent.

Original assignee

The original assignee on the issued patent US12036336B2 is ABC IP LLC. ABC IP LLC appears to be primarily involved in patent assertion and litigation related to firearm trigger mechanisms, specifically "forced reset triggers" (FRTs). While they are frequently a co-plaintiff with Rare Breed Triggers, Inc., an operating company that sells FRT products, there is no direct evidence that ABC IP LLC itself manufactures or ships products embodying the claims in the firearms sector. Trademark records also indicate ABC IP LLC holds trademarks for "Light beverage products" and "Beer," which are unrelated to firearms. The company's current status appears to be active, primarily through its litigation efforts.

Assignment timeline

A search of the USPTO Assignment Center for patent number US12036336 reveals no recorded assignments for this patent. This indicates that the original assignee, ABC IP LLC, remains the current owner of record according to USPTO assignment data.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 12036336
    2022 : Priority date
    2023 : Application filed by ABC IP LLC
    2024 : Patent granted to ABC IP LLC

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Unclear. The patent was granted directly to ABC IP LLC. While "IP LLC" in the name, its lack of direct product manufacturing in the firearms industry, its high volume of patent litigation, and its ownership of trademarks in unrelated industries (e.g., brewing) suggest it functions as a shell entity for patent assertion. However, there is no recorded transfer from an operating company to this entity for this patent in the assignment records to definitively mark a "transfer."
2. Known asserter in the chain — Unclear. ABC IP LLC is not on the provided list of specific known NPEs. However, its high volume of recent patent infringement lawsuits (e.g., cases filed in January and May 2026) strongly indicates that it operates as a patent assertion entity.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Not present. No assignment records found for this patent.
4. Cascading transfers — Not present. No assignment records found for this patent.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — Unclear. The patent was granted on July 16, 2024. ABC IP LLC has filed multiple infringement lawsuits involving similar trigger mechanisms, with some cases being filed in January and May 2026, which is within or shortly after a typical 6-month pre-litigation window from publication. However, since there was no recorded transfer of ownership, this signal cannot be definitively marked as "present" due to a transfer.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. No evidence of bankruptcy proceedings for ABC IP LLC or the inventor.
7. Privateering — Present. ABC IP LLC frequently acts as a co-plaintiff with Rare Breed Triggers, Inc., an operating company that manufactures and sells forced reset triggers. This arrangement, where an "IP LLC" asserts patents in conjunction with an operating company against its competitors (e.g., those producing "Super Safety" firearm trigger systems), is a strong indicator of privateering.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. There is no evidence that this patent has been transferred to a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence
This verdict is based on the strong signal of privateering, where ABC IP LLC, an entity that does not appear to directly manufacture firearms products, is actively engaged in numerous patent infringement lawsuits as a co-plaintiff with the operating company Rare Breed Triggers, Inc.. This structure, coupled with ABC IP LLC's extensive litigation activity shortly after the patent's issuance, indicates a clear pattern of patent assertion. The absence of recorded assignments on the USPTO Assignment Center (https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/patent/index.html?pno=[12036336B2](/patent/12036336B2)) means ABC IP LLC has been the assignee since grant, and its operations align with an NPE model.