Assignment history

Inventors

The named inventor for US patent 9403550 is Mark Zehfuss. At the time of the earliest priority filing (December 4, 2008), the invention was assigned to Dynamic Brands, LLC, which was an entity associated with Baby Jogger.

Original Assignee

The original assignee associated with the application as filed was Baby Jogger LLC.

Baby Jogger LLC is a well-known operating company that designs, manufactures, and sells baby strollers and related accessories. They ship products embodying the claims of the patent, which relate to a seat attachment for a stroller to convert a single stroller into a double stroller.

Baby Jogger LLC was acquired by Newell Brands in 2014. Subsequently, in 2021, Newell Brands sold Baby Jogger to Raven Capital Management. The current assignee, Baby Jogger II, LLC, is presumably an operating entity or a holding company under Raven Capital Management.

Assignment Timeline

• 2009-12-04 (executed) / recorded 2015-01-15 — Reel 034723/0655

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT
  • Assignor: ZEHFUSS, MARK
  • Assignee: DYNAMIC BRANDS, LLC
  • Correspondent: MCDERMOTT WILL & EMERY LLP, 500 NORTH CAPITOL STREET, N.W., WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, 20001
  • Context: Inventor assignment to the initial corporate entity.

• 2015-04-22 (executed) / recorded 2016-06-22 — Reel 038983/0791

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT
  • Assignor: DYNAMIC BRANDS, LLC
  • Assignee: BABY JOGGER, LLC
  • Correspondent: DOREEN S. REINECKE, NEWELL BRANDS INC., 6655 PEACHTREE DUNWOODY ROAD, N.E., ATLANTA, GEORGIA, 30328
  • Context: Transfer from an initial holding entity to the operating company, likely following an acquisition.

• 2025-12-19 (executed) / recorded 2026-01-23 — Reel 073567/0738

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT
  • Assignor: BABY JOGGER, LLC
  • Assignee: BABY JOGGER II, LLC
  • Correspondent: RUTH E. LAUDEMAN, LAW OFFICE OF RUTH LAUDEMAN, LLC, 2400 HERITAGE AVE., SUITE 303, SYCAMORE, ILLINOIS, 60178
  • Context: Internal corporate restructuring or transfer within the current ownership group.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 9403550
    2008 : Priority date
    2009 : Inventor assigns to Dynamic Brands LLC
    2015 : Application filed; Dynamic Brands to Baby Jogger LLC
    2016 : Patent issued
    2024 : US litigation filed
    2025 : Baby Jogger LLC to Baby Jogger II LLC

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Unclear. The transfers involve entities related to the Baby Jogger brand. While "Dynamic Brands, LLC" and "Baby Jogger II, LLC" are LLCs, they appear to be part of the operating company's corporate structure following acquisitions rather than being generic licensing entities.
2. Known asserter in the chain — Not present. None of the named assignees (Dynamic Brands, LLC, Baby Jogger, LLC, Baby Jogger II, LLC) are recognized as known NPEs or patent assertion entities.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Not present. A different correspondent handled each recorded assignment, indicating no single, recurring correspondent firm or attorney.
4. Cascading transfers — Not present. The assignments are spaced several years apart, not in rapid succession.
5. Pre-litigation transfer — Not present. The identified litigation events (District Court cases in 2024 and an IPR filing in July 2025) precede the most recent assignment to Baby Jogger II, LLC (executed December 2025). The earlier assignments also occurred long before any identified litigation.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. There is no indication of bankruptcy leading to these assignments.
7. Privateering — Unclear. While Baby Jogger is an operating company, there's no public information available to confirm or deny a privateering arrangement. However, the known litigation is against other operating companies (Uppababy and Mockingbird), suggesting direct competitive assertion.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The current assignee, Baby Jogger II, LLC, is actively involved in asserting the patent, as evidenced by the listed litigation.

Verdict

Operating-company assertion.
The patent ownership chain remains within entities related to the Baby Jogger brand, a known operating company that manufactures strollers. The current assignee, Baby Jogger II, LLC, is engaged in litigation (IPR2025-01106, 1:24-cv-00725, 1:24-cv-11582) against other operating companies in the juvenile products market (Monahan Products, LLC d/b/a Uppababy, and Baby Generation, Inc., d/b/a Mockingbird), which indicates competitive assertion rather than an NPE pattern. The assignments do not show signs of shell entities, cascading transfers, or transfers immediately preceding litigation.

Verification: USPTO Assignment Center search for US9403550.