Assignment history

Inventors

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

All inventors appear to have been associated with the original assignee, Solarbridge Technologies Inc., at the time of filing. There is no immediate indication of all inventors departing the original assignee within 12 months of filing based on the provided information.

Original assignee

The original assignee, as named on the patent application (US12/368,990), was Solarbridge Technologies Inc.

Solarbridge Technologies Inc. was a company focused on microinverters for solar panels, designing and manufacturing power conversion systems that attached directly to individual solar modules. Their primary line of business was in the renewable energy sector, specifically photovoltaic power optimization and grid-tied inverter technology.

Solarbridge Technologies Inc. was acquired by SunPower Corporation in 2014. SunPower Corporation then later sold the microinverter business, including the SolarBridge intellectual property, to Enphase Energy, Inc. in 2018.

Assignment timeline

The USPTO Assignment Center (https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/) was searched for patent number 8796884.

• 2009-03-19 (executed) / recorded 2009-03-19 — Reel 022716/0060
  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignor's Interest
  • Assignor: Batten, Robert D.; DiTommaso, Vincenzo; Fiez, Terri Shreeve; Le, Triet Tu; Naiknaware, Ravindranath (the inventors)
  • Assignee: AZURAY TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
  • Correspondent: David H. Trost, Patent Law Group, LLP, 2635 North First Street, Suite 225, San Jose, CA 95134.
  • Context: Transfer from inventors to an early assignee.
• 2013-02-04 (executed) / recorded 2013-02-04 — Reel 029288/0995
  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignor's Interest
  • Assignor: AZURAY TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
  • Assignee: SOLARBRIDGE TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
  • Correspondent: Peter S. Menell, Keker & Van Nest, 633 Battery St, San Francisco, CA 94111.
  • Context: Transfer from an early assignee back to Solarbridge Technologies, Inc. (the original applicant).
• 2013-02-26 (executed) / recorded 2013-02-26 — Reel 029323/0651
  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignor's Interest
  • Assignor: AZURAY TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
  • Assignee: SOLARBRIDGE TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
  • Correspondent: Robert M. Taylor, Jr., Vista Legal Affairs, A Professional Corporation, P.O. Box 7183, Menlo Park, CA 94026.
  • Context: Another transfer from Azuray Technologies, Inc. to Solarbridge Technologies, Inc., likely a confirmatory assignment or covering additional assets.
• 2014-09-02 (executed) / recorded 2014-09-02 — Reel 032225/0817
  • Conveyance: Security Interest
  • Assignor: SOLARBRIDGE TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
  • Assignee: SILICON VALLEY BANK
  • Correspondent: Jennifer L. Kelly, Silicon Valley Bank, 3003 North First Street, San Jose, CA 95134.
  • Context: Securitization of assets by Solarbridge Technologies, Inc.
• 2014-12-19 (executed) / recorded 2014-12-19 — Reel 032588/0654
  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignor's Interest
  • Assignor: SOLARBRIDGE TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
  • Assignee: SUNPOWER CORPORATION
  • Correspondent: Elizabeth C. Kim, Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP, 901 New York Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20001-4413.
  • Context: Acquisition of Solarbridge Technologies, Inc. by SunPower Corporation.
• 2014-12-19 (executed) / recorded 2014-12-19 — Reel 032588/0655
  • Conveyance: Release
  • Assignor: SILICON VALLEY BANK
  • Assignee: SOLARBRIDGE TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
  • Correspondent: Jennifer L. Kelly, Silicon Valley Bank, 3003 North First Street, San Jose, CA 95134. This correspondent also appeared on reel 032225/0817.
  • Context: Release of the security interest held by Silicon Valley Bank, likely in conjunction with the acquisition by SunPower.
• 2018-09-10 (executed) / recorded 2018-09-10 — Reel 043992/0569
  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignor's Interest
  • Assignor: SUNPOWER CORPORATION
  • Assignee: ENPHASE ENERGY, INC.
  • Correspondent: Matthew J. Van Eman, Enphase Energy, Inc., 47280 Kato Road, Fremont, CA 94538.
  • Context: Acquisition of SunPower's microinverter business (originally Solarbridge) by Enphase Energy, Inc.
• 2026-04-21 (executed) / recorded 2026-04-21 — Reel 063523/0754
  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignor's Interest
  • Assignor: POWERBRIDGE NETWORKS, LLC
  • Assignee: GRIDSCALE SOLUTIONS, LLC
  • Correspondent: Matthew S. Williams, Williams IP Law, PC, 1920 McKinney Ave., 7th Floor, Dallas, TX 75201.
  • Context: Transfer of patent rights from Powerbridge Networks, LLC to Gridscale Solutions, LLC. (It is important to note that the immediate prior assignee on record for US8796884B2 was Enphase Energy, Inc. The appearance of Powerbridge Networks, LLC as assignor implies a preceding unrecorded assignment from Enphase Energy, Inc. to Powerbridge Networks, LLC or that Powerbridge Networks, LLC acted as an intermediary. Without a recorded assignment from Enphase to Powerbridge, this chain link requires careful consideration).

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 8796884B2
    2009 : Inventors to Azuray Technologies
    2013 : Azuray to Solarbridge Technologies
         : Azuray to Solarbridge Technologies
    2014 : Solarbridge to Silicon Valley Bank (Security)
         : Solarbridge to SunPower Corp
         : Silicon Valley Bank releases Solarbridge
    2018 : SunPower to Enphase Energy Inc
    2026 : Powerbridge Networks to Gridscale Solutions LLC

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Present. The transfer from POWERBRIDGE NETWORKS, LLC to GRIDSCALE SOLUTIONS, LLC in 2026-04-21 / 2026-04-21 (Reel 063523/0754) is a strong signal. "GRIDSCALE SOLUTIONS, LLC" contains "Solutions" in its name, which often indicates a non-operating entity. Further, if Powerbridge Networks, LLC is also a shell, this constitutes a transfer through shell entities. Without more information on the business activities of these entities, and especially the missing link from Enphase Energy Inc. to Powerbridge Networks, LLC, the nature of Powerbridge Networks, LLC cannot be definitively determined from the patent record alone. However, the name "Gridscale Solutions, LLC" paired with a recent assignment suggests this pattern.
2. Known asserter in the chain — Unclear. Neither POWERBRIDGE NETWORKS, LLC nor GRIDSCALE SOLUTIONS, LLC are immediately recognizable as high-frequency plaintiffs on public NPE lists without further investigation into their assertion history. Enphase Energy Inc. and SunPower Corporation are operating companies.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Present. Jennifer L. Kelly from Silicon Valley Bank appears as correspondent for two related entries: the security interest (Reel 032225/0817) and its subsequent release (Reel 032588/0655). While this is specific to a bank and not a patent assertion firm, it shows recurrence. More notably, Matthew S. Williams from Williams IP Law, PC is the correspondent for GRIDSCALE SOLUTIONS, LLC (Reel 063523/0754). Recurrence of this correspondent on other NPE-associated patent transfers would be a stronger signal.
4. Cascading transfers — Not present. The transfers are spaced out over several years (2009, 2013, 2014, 2018, 2026), not within a short 24-month window with shared characteristics.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — Unclear. Without knowledge of any litigation filings related to US8796884B2, it is impossible to determine if the 2026 transfer to Gridscale Solutions, LLC occurred within 6 months of a first infringement suit.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. The transfers involving SunPower and Enphase were corporate acquisitions, not bankruptcy proceedings. Solarbridge Technologies Inc. was acquired by SunPower, which then sold the microinverter business to Enphase Energy.
7. Privateering — Unclear. There is no publicly available information in the provided context to suggest that SunPower or Enphase transferred the patent to an NPE to assert on their behalf.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The current assignee, GRIDSCALE SOLUTIONS, LLC, is not a known defensive aggregator.

Verdict

NPE — moderate confidence

The verdict is based on two signals: the name "GRIDSCALE SOLUTIONS, LLC" (Reel 063523/0754) suggests a shell entity, and the patent was very recently transferred to this entity in April 2026. While the absence of a recorded assignment from Enphase Energy Inc. to Powerbridge Networks, LLC makes the full chain slightly opaque, the final transfer to an entity with a generic "Solutions, LLC" name often precedes assertion by non-practicing entities.

Verify at: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/patent/[8796884](/patent/8796884)/assignments.html