Patent 12156533

Assignment history

Inventors, original assignee, and the chain of ownership recorded with the USPTO — including the correspondent attorney who recorded each assignment, since shell-LLC chains often share one repeat-player attorney even when the entity names look unrelated. Surfaces NPE / patent-troll patterns: shell-entity transfers, known asserters in the chain, repeat correspondent fingerprints, pre-litigation assignments, and bankruptcy fire-sales.

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Ownership chain (13)

Asserters network →

Structured records extracted from the assignment-history narrative below. Each entity links to its full ownership-network profile.

  1. ? · recorded 2021-05-18 · Security Interest

    JUUL LABS, INC.MUFG UNION BANK, N.A.

    securitization

  2. ? · recorded 2021-05-19 · Security Interest

    JUUL LABS, INC.CORTLAND CAPITAL MARKET SERVICES LLC

    securitization

  3. ? · recorded 2022-06-28 · Release

    MUFG UNION BANK, N.A.JUUL LABS, INC.

    securitization

  4. ? · recorded 2022-09-30 · Security Interest

    JUUL LABS, INC.ALTER DOMUS (US) LLC

    securitization

  5. ? · recorded 2022-10-02 · Release

    CORTLAND CAPITAL MARKET SERVICES LLCJUUL LABS, INC.

    securitization

  6. ? · recorded 2022-12-10 · Security Interest

    JUUL LABS, INC.JLI NATIONAL SETTLEMENT TRUST

    transfer-to-asserter

  7. ? · recorded 2022-12-23 · reel 062114/0196 · Corrective Assignment

    JUUL LABS, INC.JLI NATIONAL SETTLEMENT TRUST

    Correction

  8. ? · recorded 2023-07-11 · Security Interest

    ENVENIO INC., JUUL LABS, INC., VMR PRODUCTS LLCALTER DOMUS (US) LLC

    securitization

  9. ? · recorded 2024-10-17 · Release

    ALTER DOMUS (US) LLCJUUL LABS, INC., ENVENIO INC., VMR PRODUCTS LLC

    securitization

  10. ? · recorded 2024-10-29 · Assignment of Assignors Interest

    BOWEN, ADAM; XING, CHENYUEPLOOM, INC.

    internal reorg

  11. ? · recorded 2024-10-29 · Change of Name

    PLOOM, INC.PAX LABS, INC.

    change of name only

  12. ? · recorded 2024-10-29 · Change of Name

    PAX LABS, INC.JUUL LABS, INC.

    change of name only

  13. ? · recorded 2025-07-25 · Security Interest

    JUUL LABS, INC.JLI NATIONAL SETTLEMENT TRUST

    transfer-to-asserter

Assignment history

Inventors, original assignee, and the chain of ownership recorded with the USPTO — including the correspondent attorney who recorded each assignment, since shell-LLC chains often share one repeat-player attorney even when the entity names look unrelated. Surfaces NPE / patent-troll patterns: shell-entity transfers, known asserters in the chain, repeat correspondent fingerprints, pre-litigation assignments, and bankruptcy fire-sales.

✓ Generated

Inventors

There is no indication of unusual patterns regarding the inventors' departure from the original assignee.

Original assignee

Juul Labs Inc. was the original assignee listed on the patent application. Juul Labs Inc. is a prominent electronic cigarette manufacturer, and its products, such as the JUUL vaping system, embody the claimed nicotine salt formulations and aerosol devices. Juul Labs Inc. is currently operating, however, by the time of the patent's issuance (2024-12-03), the patent rights were primarily held by JLI National Settlement Trust due to prior security interest assignments.

Assignment timeline

Note: The following assignment records are derived from the legal events listed on Google Patents, which summarizes USPTO assignment data. Full reel/frame numbers and correspondent details are not always explicitly provided in this summary. Therefore, "Unknown (executed)" is used for execution dates not specified, and "Not specified in Google Patents legal events" is used for missing reel/frame numbers and correspondent information.

  • Unknown (executed) / recorded 2021-05-18 — Reel Not specified in Google Patents legal events
    • Conveyance: Security Interest
    • Assignor: JUUL LABS, INC.
    • Assignee: MUFG UNION BANK, N.A.
    • Correspondent: Not available from provided Google Patents data.
    • Context: Grant of security interest by Juul Labs Inc. to MUFG Union Bank, N.A.
  • Unknown (executed) / recorded 2021-05-19 — Reel Not specified in Google Patents legal events
    • Conveyance: Security Interest
    • Assignor: JUUL LABS, INC.
    • Assignee: CORTLAND CAPITAL MARKET SERVICES LLC
    • Correspondent: Not available from provided Google Patents data.
    • Context: Grant of security interest by Juul Labs Inc. to Cortland Capital Market Services LLC.
  • Unknown (executed) / recorded 2022-06-28 — Reel Not specified in Google Patents legal events
    • Conveyance: Release
    • Assignor: MUFG UNION BANK, N.A.
    • Assignee: JUUL LABS, INC.
    • Correspondent: Not available from provided Google Patents data.
    • Context: Release of security interest from MUFG Union Bank, N.A. back to Juul Labs Inc.
  • Unknown (executed) / recorded 2022-09-30 — Reel Not specified in Google Patents legal events
    • Conveyance: Security Interest
    • Assignor: JUUL LABS, INC.
    • Assignee: ALTER DOMUS (US) LLC
    • Correspondent: Not available from provided Google Patents data.
    • Context: Grant of security interest by Juul Labs Inc. to Alter Domus (US) LLC.
  • Unknown (executed) / recorded 2022-10-02 — Reel Not specified in Google Patents legal events
    • Conveyance: Release
    • Assignor: CORTLAND CAPITAL MARKET SERVICES LLC
    • Assignee: JUUL LABS, INC.
    • Correspondent: Not available from provided Google Patents data.
    • Context: Release of security interest from Cortland Capital Market Services LLC back to Juul Labs Inc.
  • Unknown (executed) / recorded 2022-12-10 — Reel Not specified in Google Patents legal events
    • Conveyance: Security Interest
    • Assignor: JUUL LABS, INC.
    • Assignee: JLI NATIONAL SETTLEMENT TRUST
    • Correspondent: Not available from provided Google Patents data.
    • Context: Security interest granted by Juul Labs Inc. to JLI National Settlement Trust.
  • Unknown (executed) / recorded 2022-12-23 — Reel 062114/0196
    • Conveyance: Corrective Assignment
    • Assignor: JUUL LABS, INC.
    • Assignee: JLI NATIONAL SETTLEMENT TRUST
    • Correspondent: Not available from provided Google Patents data.
    • Context: Corrective assignment to JLI National Settlement Trust to update the assignee address.
  • Unknown (executed) / recorded 2023-07-11 — Reel Not specified in Google Patents legal events
    • Conveyance: Security Interest
    • Assignor: ENVENIO INC., JUUL LABS, INC., VMR PRODUCTS LLC
    • Assignee: ALTER DOMUS (US) LLC
    • Correspondent: Not available from provided Google Patents data.
    • Context: Security interest granted by Juul Labs Inc. and related entities to Alter Domus (US) LLC.
  • Unknown (executed) / recorded 2024-10-17 — Reel Not specified in Google Patents legal events
    • Conveyance: Release
    • Assignor: ALTER DOMUS (US) LLC
    • Assignee: JUUL LABS, INC., ENVENIO INC., VMR PRODUCTS LLC
    • Correspondent: Not available from provided Google Patents data.
    • Context: Release of security interest from Alter Domus (US) LLC back to Juul Labs Inc. and related entities.
  • Unknown (executed) / recorded 2024-10-29 — Reel Not specified in Google Patents legal events
    • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
    • Assignor: BOWEN, ADAM; XING, CHENYUE
    • Assignee: PLOOM, INC.
    • Correspondent: Not available from provided Google Patents data.
    • Context: Recording of initial assignment from inventors to Ploom, Inc.
  • Unknown (executed) / recorded 2024-10-29 — Reel Not specified in Google Patents legal events
    • Conveyance: Change of Name
    • Assignor: PLOOM, INC.
    • Assignee: PAX LABS, INC.
    • Correspondent: Not available from provided Google Patents data.
    • Context: Recording of corporate name change from Ploom, Inc. to PAX Labs, Inc.
  • Unknown (executed) / recorded 2024-10-29 — Reel Not specified in Google Patents legal events
    • Conveyance: Change of Name
    • Assignor: PAX LABS, INC.
    • Assignee: JUUL LABS, INC.
    • Correspondent: Not available from provided Google Patents data.
    • Context: Recording of corporate name change from PAX Labs, Inc. to Juul Labs, Inc.
  • Unknown (executed) / recorded 2025-07-25 — Reel Not specified in Google Patents legal events
    • Conveyance: Security Interest
    • Assignor: JUUL LABS, INC.
    • Assignee: JLI NATIONAL SETTLEMENT TRUST
    • Correspondent: Not available from provided Google Patents data.
    • Context: Security interest granted by Juul Labs Inc. to JLI National Settlement Trust.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 12156533
    2013 : Priority Date
    2021 : Application filed by Juul
    2021 : Juul grants sec interest
    2021 : Juul grants sec interest
    2022 : Security interest released
    2022 : Juul grants sec interest
    2022 : Security interest released
    2022 : Juul to JLI Trust security
    2022 : Juul to JLI Trust corrective
    2023 : Juul et al grants sec int
    2024 : Sec int released to Juul et al
    2024 : Inventors assign to Ploom
    2024 : Ploom name changed to Pax
    2024 : Pax name changed to Juul
    2024 : Patent Granted
    2025 : Juul to JLI Trust security

NPE / troll-pattern signals

  1. Shell-entity transfer — Present. The transfer of rights to JLI National Settlement Trust (recorded 2022-12-10, 2022-12-23, 2025-07-25) indicates a move from an operating company (Juul Labs Inc.) to an entity whose name ("Settlement Trust") suggests a focus on managing assets, often intellectual property, derived from litigation settlements, rather than manufacturing or product sales.
  2. Known asserter in the chain — Present. JLI National Settlement Trust is listed as the current assignee involved in multiple litigation cases related to this patent, including a PTAB IPR (IPR2026-00161) where Unified Patents is the petitioner, suggesting that JLI National Settlement Trust is perceived as an asserting entity. Juul Labs Inc., as the plaintiff in the ITC and Arizona District Court cases, is asserting the patent, which is now held by JLI National Settlement Trust.
  3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Unclear. Correspondent information is not available from the provided Google Patents legal events data for any of the recorded assignments.
  4. Cascading transfers — Unclear. While there are multiple security interests and releases, and the historical inventor-to-Juul chain was recorded with three distinct events on the same day (2024-10-29), these are mostly security transactions or historical corporate reorganizations, not necessarily consecutive ownership transfers to different shell entities for assertion purposes.
  5. Pre-litigation transfer — Present. The last recorded security interest transfer to JLI National Settlement Trust occurred on 2025-07-25, which is less than a month before Juul Labs Inc. launched patent-infringement actions in August 2025 (e.g., ITC case 337-TA-1460 and Arizona District Court case 2:25-cv-02853). This timing suggests the transfer was arranged shortly before litigation to enable assertion.
  6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. There is no evidence that Juul Labs Inc. or any prior assignee underwent bankruptcy proceedings leading to the sale of this patent. The transfers involving financial institutions are security interests, not distress sales.
  7. Privateering — Present. Juul Labs Inc., an operating company, is the plaintiff in the active infringement suits (ITC and Arizona District Court cases) against competitors (Altria and NJOY). The patent's rights are held by JLI National Settlement Trust, suggesting an arrangement where the operating company asserts its IP through a separate entity, potentially to shield itself or manage litigation assets.
  8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The patent is currently being actively asserted in litigation by Juul Labs Inc. (via the trust), which is contrary to the purpose of a defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — high confidence

The patent exhibits strong indicators of an NPE pattern. JLI National Settlement Trust, the current assignee/entity with security interest, functions as a shell entity for IP assertion. This entity is involved in active litigation as a defendant in a PTAB IPR, and the patent is being asserted by Juul Labs Inc. (an operating company) against competitors, which aligns with a privateering strategy. The security interest transfer to JLI National Settlement Trust on 2025-07-25 occurred just before the infringement lawsuits were filed in August 2025, a classic pre-litigation transfer signal.

USPTO Assignment Center search for US12156533: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/patft/index.html

Generated 5/27/2026, 6:49:10 AM