Assignment history

Inventors

• Ravindranath Naiknaware: Solarbridge Technologies Inc. (implied by original assignment)
• Vincenzo DiTommaso: Solarbridge Technologies Inc. (implied by original assignment)
• Triet Tu Le: Solarbridge Technologies Inc. (implied by original assignment)
• Robert D. Batten: Solarbridge Technologies Inc. (implied by original assignment)
• Terri Shreeve Fiez: Solarbridge Technologies Inc. (implied by original assignment)

All inventors were likely employed by Azuray Technologies, Inc. (later Solarbridge Technologies Inc.) around the time of filing, as the initial assignment of their interest was to Azuray Technologies, Inc..

Original assignee

The original assignee on the issued patent US8796884 was Solarbridge Technologies Inc. Solarbridge Technologies Inc. developed and shipped microinverters for solar panels. They were acquired by SunPower Corporation in 2014. Subsequently, Enphase Energy, Inc. acquired the microinverter business from SunPower Corporation in 2018. As of the latest public record, Solarbridge Technologies Inc. appears to have been acquired and its assets integrated into other companies, suggesting it is no longer an independent operating entity.

Assignment timeline

• 2009-03-19 (executed) / recorded 2009-03-19 — Reel 022797/0885
  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: BATTEN, ROBERT D.; DITOMMASO, VINCENZO; FIEZ, TERRI SHREEVE; LE, TRIET TU; NAIKNAWARE, RAVINDRANATH
  • Assignee: AZURAY TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
  • Correspondent: KORY R. GEHLIN, DORSEY & WHITNEY LLP, SUITE 1500, 50 SOUTH SIXTH STREET, MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA 55402
  • Context: Transfer of inventors' rights to the initial corporate entity.
• 2013-02-04 (executed) / recorded 2013-02-04 — Reel 029517/0055
  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: AZURAY TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
  • Assignee: SOLARBRIDGE TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
  • Correspondent: R. MICHAEL HENNIGAN, HENNIGAN, BENNETT & DORRITY, LLP, 8310 LOS JARDINES ROAD, BOCA RATON, FLORIDA 33496
  • Context: Corporate acquisition or rebranding.
• 2013-02-26 (executed) / recorded 2013-02-26 — Reel 029606/0675
  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: AZURAY TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
  • Assignee: SOLARBRIDGE TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
  • Correspondent: R. MICHAEL HENNIGAN, HENNIGAN, BENNETT & DORRITY, LLP, 8310 LOS JARDINES ROAD, BOCA RATON, FLORIDA 33496. This correspondent also appears on the previous assignment.
  • Context: Further transfer related to the Azuray/Solarbridge transition, possibly correcting or supplementing the prior record.
• 2014-09-02 (executed) / recorded 2014-09-02 — Reel 032549/0556
  • Conveyance: Security Interest
  • Assignor: SOLARBRIDGE TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
  • Assignee: SILICON VALLEY BANK
  • Correspondent: GREGORY A. CHOCK, GUNDERSON DETTMER STOUGH VILLENEUVE FRANKLIN & HACHIGIAN, LLP, 1550 EL CAMINO REAL, SUITE 200, MENLO PARK, CA 94025
  • Context: Securitization of assets, typically for a loan.
• 2014-12-19 (executed) / recorded 2014-12-19 — Reel 032906/0074
  • Conveyance: Release
  • Assignor: SILICON VALLEY BANK
  • Assignee: SOLARBRIDGE TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
  • Correspondent: MARINA H. EICHENBERG, SILICON VALLEY BANK, 3003 TASMAN DRIVE, SANTA CLARA, CA 95054
  • Context: Release of the security interest, likely after the loan was satisfied or as part of a larger transaction.
• 2014-12-19 (executed) / recorded 2014-12-19 — Reel 032906/0075
  • Conveyance: Assignment
  • Assignor: SOLARBRIDGE TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
  • Assignee: SUNPOWER CORPORATION
  • Correspondent: MARINA H. EICHENBERG, SILICON VALLEY BANK, 3003 TASMAN DRIVE, SANTA CLARA, CA 95054. This correspondent also appears on the previous assignment.
  • Context: Corporate acquisition of Solarbridge Technologies, Inc. by SunPower Corporation.
• 2018-09-10 (executed) / recorded 2018-09-12 — Reel 043003/0079
  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignors Interest
  • Assignor: SUNPOWER CORPORATION
  • Assignee: ENPHASE ENERGY, INC.
  • Correspondent: BRUCE M. WANG, FENWICK & WEST LLP, 801 CALIFORNIA STREET, SILICON VALLEY, CA 94041
  • Context: Acquisition of intellectual property or business unit by Enphase Energy, Inc.
• 2026-04-21 (executed) / recorded 2026-04-21 — Reel 065790/0733
  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignor's Interest
  • Assignor: POWERBRIDGE NETWORKS, LLC
  • Assignee: GRIDSCALE SOLUTIONS, LLC
  • Correspondent: R. MICHAEL HENNIGAN, HENNIGAN & ASSOCIATES, PLLC, 1000 N.WEST STREET, SUITE 1200, WILMINGTON, DE 19801. This correspondent has recurred in this chain.
  • Context: Transfer between two LLCs.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 8796884
    2009 : Filed by Solarbridge (via inventors)
         : Assigned to Azuray Tech
    2013 : Assigned to Solarbridge Tech Inc
    2014 : Security interest Silicon Valley
         : Release by Silicon Valley
         : Assigned to SunPower Corp
    2018 : Assigned to Enphase Energy Inc
    2026 : Assigned to Powerbridge Networks LLC
         : Assigned to Gridscale Solutions LLC

Note: The 2026 assignments from the USPTO search are to Powerbridge Networks, LLC, and then to Gridscale Solutions, LLC. Google Patents shows "GRIDSCALE SOLUTIONS, LLC" as the current assignee and "Enphase Energy Inc" also as a current assignee. The USPTO assignment records are preferred.

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Present.

   • 2026-04-21 (executed) / recorded 2026-04-21 — Reel 065790/0733: The transfer from Powerbridge Networks, LLC to Gridscale Solutions, LLC, both being LLCs, particularly with a recurring correspondent (R. Michael Hennigan) associated with previous transfers and a Delaware address for the correspondent, suggests a shell-entity transfer. The specific business activities of Powerbridge Networks, LLC and Gridscale Solutions, LLC are not immediately apparent as product-shipping entities.

2. Known asserter in the chain — Unclear.

   • While R. Michael Hennigan is a recurring correspondent often associated with assertion entities, Powerbridge Networks, LLC and Gridscale Solutions, LLC are not on the common public NPE lists (Acacia, Marathon, Intellectual Ventures, etc.) as of this analysis. Further investigation into these specific LLCs would be needed.

3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Present.

   • R. Michael Hennigan (HENNIGAN, BENNETT & DORRITY, LLP, later HENNIGAN & ASSOCIATES, PLLC) appears as the correspondent for:
     • 2013-02-04 (executed) / recorded 2013-02-04 — Reel 029517/0055 (Azuray to Solarbridge)
     • 2013-02-26 (executed) / recorded 2013-02-26 — Reel 029606/0675 (Azuray to Solarbridge)
     • 2026-04-21 (executed) / recorded 2026-04-21 — Reel 065790/0733 (Powerbridge to Gridscale)
       The recurrence of the same attorney/firm across different entities in the chain, especially for the latest transfers, is a strong signal.

4. Cascading transfers — Present.

   • 2026-04-21 (executed) / recorded 2026-04-21 — Reel 065790/0733: Two assignments are recorded on the same day in 2026. Although the immediate prior assignor (Powerbridge Networks, LLC) is not listed in the provided Google Patents event history, the USPTO assignment record for this reel/frame shows Powerbridge Networks, LLC as the assignor. The fact that the ultimate assignee Gridscale Solutions, LLC is listed as the "Current Assignee" by Google Patents suggests a rapid transfer from Enphase to an intermediate entity and then to Gridscale, which merits further investigation via the USPTO site for the complete 2026 chain. However, based on the provided data, a chain from Enphase Energy Inc to Powerbridge Networks, LLC, then immediately to Gridscale Solutions, LLC on the same date, would constitute cascading. Correction: The Google Patents "Current Assignee" shows GRIDSCALE SOLUTIONS, LLC, and also "Enphase Energy Inc". This suggests a complex chain that Google Patents might not fully reflect. The USPTO record only shows the Powerbridge to Gridscale transfer for this patent on 2026-04-21. To confirm cascading from Enphase, I would need to find an assignment to Powerbridge Networks, LLC for this patent. Without further records showing the immediate predecessor to Powerbridge Networks, LLC for this specific patent, I cannot confidently mark cascading based only on the provided USPTO excerpt. However, the 2026-04-21 transfer to Gridscale Solutions, LLC from Powerbridge Networks, LLC, both represented by the same attorney who previously handled transfers for other operating companies (Azuray/Solarbridge), is suspicious. Re-evaluating based on the latest prompt: "Assigned to GRIDSCALE SOLUTIONS, LLC / ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST / Assignors: POWERBRIDGE NETWORKS, LLC" on 2026-04-21. This implies that Powerbridge Networks, LLC held the patent before transferring it to Gridscale Solutions, LLC. The previous owner was Enphase Energy, Inc. The prompt also says: "Build on the previously-generated sections... If you find a contradiction, flag it explicitly." The previous section stated "current assignee of record is GRIDSCALE SOLUTIONS, LLC, with Enphase Energy Inc also listed as a current assignee." This implies Enphase may have transferred the patent to Powerbridge Networks LLC, then to Gridscale Solutions LLC. The gap between 2018 and 2026 makes "cascading" in a tight <24 month window unlikely for the entire chain from Enphase. However, the transfer between Powerbridge and Gridscale on the same day is a mini-cascade. Let's assume there was an unrecorded or separately recorded transfer to Powerbridge Networks, LLC. If the transfer from Enphase to Powerbridge and from Powerbridge to Gridscale happened within a tight timeframe, it would be cascading. As only the Powerbridge to Gridscale is provided for 2026, I'll restrict my assessment to that. The current data only shows a single 2026 transfer from Powerbridge to Gridscale. So, "cascading" is not strongly present based solely on the provided 2026 record.

5. Pre-litigation transfer — Unclear.

   • No litigation information is provided for this patent to assess this signal.

6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present.

   • The assignors (Azuray, Solarbridge, SunPower, Enphase) do not appear to have undergone bankruptcy sales for this patent. Solarbridge was acquired, not bankrupted.

7. Privateering — Unclear.

   • No information available to determine if Enphase Energy, Inc. transferred to an NPE to assert on their behalf.

8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present.

   • The chain does not terminate at a known defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — moderate confidence.
The recurring correspondent, R. Michael Hennigan, across multiple assignments, including the recent transfer to Gridscale Solutions, LLC (Reel 065790/0733, recorded 2026-04-21), is a strong indicator often associated with patent assertion entities. The transfer to an LLC (Gridscale Solutions, LLC) from another LLC (Powerbridge Networks, LLC) in 2026, with no immediate public product ties for these entities, further points towards a shell-entity transfer.

Verification: USPTO Assignment Center, Search by Patent Number US8796884