Assignment history

Inventors

• Bennet Langlotz
  • Employer at time of filing: Bulletproof Property Management LLC. The patent explicitly states "Application filed by Bulletproof Property Management LLC" and "Assigned to BULLETPROOF PROPERTY MANAGEMENT, LLC" on the filing date, with Bennet Langlotz listed as the Assignor.

Original assignee

The original assignee is Bulletproof Property Management LLC.

Based on available information, Bulletproof Property Management LLC appears to be primarily involved in property management services. Search results indicate that "Bulletproof Property Management" offers services such as tenant management, rent collection, and maintenance coordination in areas like Clovis, CA, and Cuyahoga Falls, OH, sometimes operating as "KMLK Property Management". Other similarly named entities, such as "BulletProof Real Estate Agent, LLC," focus on SEO and AI-powered services for real estate agents. Another entity, "Bulletproof Innovations LLC," specializes in bulletproof doors, windows, and safe rooms.

There is no indication that Bulletproof Property Management LLC (the assignee of record) ships a product embodying the vehicle gear selection control claims described in US12221104. Their primary line of business appears to be property management and related real estate services.

The current status of "Bulletproof Property Management LLC" as the assignee of this patent is "Active" according to Google Patents. However, a Florida entity named "BULLETPROOF MANAGEMENT LLC" (not "Property Management") was administratively dissolved in September 2024 for failure to file an annual report. It's unclear if this inactive Florida entity is directly related to the assignee of the patent, but the name is similar. The "Bulletproof Property Management" identified as the patent assignee appears to be distinct and active in property management operations.

Assignment timeline

• 2024-10-27 (executed) / recorded 2024-10-27 — Reel N/A (Google Patents event, no Reel/Frame provided)
  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignor's Interest
  • Assignor: LANGLOTZ, Bennet
  • Assignee: BULLETPROOF PROPERTY MANAGEMENT, LLC
  • Correspondent: Not specified in this Google Patents entry.
  • Context: Original assignment from inventor to assignee on filing date.

(Note: A search of the USPTO Assignment Center for US12221104 yielded no records beyond the initial assignment at the time of filing, which is usually part of the application process itself and typically doesn't have a separate reel/frame recorded in the public assignment database after issue. The Google Patents entry reflects this initial assignment.)

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 12221104
    2023 : Priority claimed
    2024 : Filed by Bulletproof Property Management LLC
    2025 : Issued
         : Litigation filed by Bulletproof
    2026 : IPR filed against Bulletproof

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Present. The assignee, Bulletproof Property Management LLC, is primarily a property management company and does not appear to ship products related to vehicle gear selection control. This suggests it may be a shell entity for patent assertion, holding patents unrelated to its core business. The prompt indicates that Bulletproof Property Management LLC is the current assignee.
2. Known asserter in the chain — Not present. Bulletproof Property Management LLC is not on the provided list of known NPEs.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Unclear. The initial assignment from the inventor to the original assignee does not specify a correspondent. Without further assignment records, it's impossible to identify recurring correspondents.
4. Cascading transfers — Not present. There are no recorded transfers of ownership beyond the initial assignment from the inventor to the original assignee.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — Not present. The patent was issued on 2025-02-11. A lawsuit (1:25-cv-00665) was filed by Bulletproof Property Management LLC against Tesla, Inc. on May 5, 2025. This is approximately three months after issuance, but the patent was initially assigned to Bulletproof Property Management LLC on the filing date of 2024-10-27, long before the litigation. Therefore, the transfer did not occur within 6 months before the first infringement suit.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. There is no indication of Bulletproof Property Management LLC being in bankruptcy. One similarly named entity in Florida was administratively dissolved, but this is distinct from bankruptcy and the patent assignee's status.
7. Privateering — Unclear. While the assignee is not in the automotive business, there is no direct evidence from the assignment records to suggest a privateering arrangement with an operating company.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The patent is currently owned by Bulletproof Property Management LLC, which is not a known defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — moderate confidence.
The key signal is the apparent disconnect between the assignee's primary business (property management) and the nature of the patent (vehicle gear selection control), strongly suggesting a shell entity operating as a licensing-only firm. While there isn't a "transfer" to a shell entity, the original assignee itself appears to function as one in this context. The fact that litigation was filed by Bulletproof Property Management LLC against Tesla, Inc. in May 2025 (case 1:25-cv-00665) further supports an assertion-based strategy. There are no cascading transfers or repeat correspondents identified from the limited assignment records, which prevents a higher confidence rating.

USPTO Assignment Center Search: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/