Assignment history

Inventors

• Zhong YIN. The patent does not explicitly state the employer of Zhong YIN at the time of filing. However, under US patent law, the inventor is the initial owner of the invention, and often employment agreements require employees to assign their rights to their employers.

Original assignee

The original assignee listed on the patent is "Individual" (Zhong YIN). On November 21, 2025, the patent was assigned to Ningbohuayuedianzishangwuyouxiangongsi.

Ningbohuayuedianzishangwuyouxiangongsi (also referred to as Ningbo Huayuedianzishangwu Co.,Ltd) appears to be involved in the import and export of various goods, including dumbbell racks, suggesting a business in fitness equipment or related consumer goods. Their import activity indicates they are an operating company. Their current status appears to be operating, with recent import activity recorded as late as May 14, 2026.

Assignment timeline

• 2025-11-07 (executed) / recorded 2025-11-21 — Reel 073655/0270
  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST
  • Assignor: YIN, Zhong
  • Assignee: NINGBOHUAYUEDIANZISHANGWUYOUXIANGONGSI, CHINA
  • Correspondent: Not explicitly stated in the provided text for this assignment.
  • Context: Transfer of patent ownership from the individual inventor to an operating company.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 12427372
    2024 : Application filed by Individual
    2025 : Issued and published
    2025 : Assigned to Ningbohuayuedianzishangwuyouxiangongsi

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — not present. The initial assignment is from an individual inventor to Ningbohuayuedianzishangwuyouxiangongsi, which appears to be an operating company based on its import activity related to products like dumbbell racks.
2. Known asserter in the chain — not present. Ningbohuayuedianzishangwuyouxiangongsi is not identified as a known NPE on public lists, and its business activities suggest it is an operating company.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — unclear. The correspondent for the assignment (Reel 073655/0270) is not explicitly stated in the provided text.
4. Cascading transfers — not present. Only one assignment is recorded, from the individual inventor to Ningbohuayuedianzishangwuyouxiangongsi.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — not present. The assignment to Ningbohuayuedianzishangwuyouxiangongsi was recorded on 2025-11-21. While the litigation case (1:26-cv-04386) was filed in Illinois Northern District Court, its specific filing date is not provided, making it impossible to definitively state if the transfer occurred within 6 months prior to litigation. However, the litigation case number 1:26-cv-04386 suggests a filing in 2026.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — not present. There is no indication that the original assignee (individual inventor) or the subsequent assignee (Ningbohuayuedianzishangwuyouxiangongsi) has filed for bankruptcy.
7. Privateering — not present. There is no evidence to suggest that Ningbohuayuedianzishangwuyouxiangongsi is asserting the patent on behalf of another operating company.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — not present. The patent is not currently assigned to any known defensive aggregator.

Verdict

Insufficient data. While the initial assignment is from an individual inventor to an operating company (Ningbohuayuedianzishangwuyouxiangongsi per Reel 073655/0270), there is only one recorded assignment. The lack of information regarding the correspondent for this assignment and the specific filing date of the litigation prevents a more definitive assessment of NPE patterns, particularly pre-litigation transfer signals or repeat correspondents.

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