Assignment history

Inventors

Based on the patent documentation, the inventors are Daniel Braithwaite, Jeffrey Victor Belke, Nicholas John Green, Chris Tate, Oscar Harrison, and Knut Vaage. The original assignee is listed as Outotec Finland Oy, a major Finnish industrial company. It is highly probable that all inventors were employees of Outotec or one of its subsidiaries at the time of the invention and filing. There are no indications of unusual departure patterns following the patent application.

Original Assignee

The original assignee of record is Outotec Finland Oy.

• Business: Outotec was a global provider of process technology, solutions, and services for the minerals and metals processing industries. They specialized in equipment for mining and ore processing, including large grinding mills, which are the direct subject of this patent.
• Product Embodiment: Yes, Outotec manufactured and sold grinding mills and related components. The invention, a "hydrostatic polymeric bearing," is a specific improvement for such equipment. The company was an operating entity, not a non-practicing entity (NPE).
• Current Status: In 2020, Outotec merged with Metso's Minerals business to form a new company, Metso Outotec. The company has since been renamed back to Metso Corporation, under which it continues to operate globally.

Assignment Timeline

The USPTO assignment database records a clear chain of title from the inventors to the original assignee, followed by assignments reflecting a major corporate merger and subsequent re-branding.

• 2014-06-25 (executed) / recorded 2014-12-22 — Reel 034175/0285

  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignor's Interest
  • Assignor: BRAITHWAITE, DANIEL; BELKE, JEFFREY VICTOR; GREEN, NICHOLAS JOHN; TATE, CHRIS; HARRISON, OSCAR; VAAGE, KNUT
  • Assignee: OUTOTEC (FINLAND) OY
  • Correspondent: NIXON & VANDERHYE PC, 901 N. GLEBE ROAD, 11TH FLOOR, ARLINGTON, VA, 22203
  • Context: This is the initial formal assignment from the inventors to their employer, perfecting the company's title.

• 2020-06-30 (executed) / recorded 2022-10-16 — Reel 062148/0111

  • Conveyance: Merger
  • Assignor: OUTOTEC OYJ
  • Assignee: METSO MINERALS OY
  • Correspondent: HARNESS, DICKEY & PIERCE, P.L.C., 5445 CORPORATE DRIVE, SUITE 200, TROY, MI, 48098
  • Context: The patent was transferred as part of the large-scale, publicly announced merger between Outotec and Metso's minerals division.

• 2020-07-01 (executed) / recorded 2022-10-16 — Reel 062148/0130

  • Conveyance: Change of Name
  • Assignor: METSO MINERALS OY
  • Assignee: METSO OUTOTEC FINLAND OY
  • Correspondent: HARNESS, DICKEY & PIERCE, P.L.C., 5445 CORPORATE DRIVE, SUITE 200, TROY, MI, 48098
  • Context: This reflects the official corporate name change of the merged entity to Metso Outotec.

• 2023-05-03 (executed) / recorded 2025-05-13 — Reel 073539/0907

  • Conveyance: Change of Name
  • Assignor: METSO OUTOTEC FINLAND OY
  • Assignee: METSO FINLAND OY
  • Correspondent: HARNESS, DICKEY & PIERCE, P.L.C., 5445 CORPORATE DRIVE, SUITE 200, TROY, MI, 48098
  • Context: This assignment documents the company's final rebranding from Metso Outotec back to Metso.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 9518604
    2013 : Application filed by Outotec
    2014 : Inventors assign to Outotec Finland Oy
    2016 : Patent issues
    2020 : Merged into Metso Minerals Oy
         : Name changed to Metso Outotec
    2023 : Name changed to Metso Finland Oy

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer: Not Present. All assignees (Outotec Oy, Metso Minerals Oy, Metso Outotec Finland Oy, Metso Finland Oy) are names for a major international industrial manufacturing company, not shell entities. The assignments document a corporate merger and subsequent rebrandings (Reels 062148/0111, 062148/0130, 073539/0907).

2. Known asserter in the chain: Not Present. Outotec and Metso are well-known industrial equipment manufacturers and do not appear on public lists of patent assertion entities.

3. Repeat correspondent across the chain: Not Present. While Harness, Dickey & Pierce, P.L.C. handled three consecutive recordings (Reels 062148/0111, 062148/0130, 073539/0907), this is consistent with a large operating company retaining a single law firm for its IP portfolio management after a merger. This pattern does not suggest NPE activity.

4. Cascading transfers: Not Present. The transfers are logical steps in a single corporate restructuring (merger followed by two name changes) that occurred over several years.

5. Pre-litigation transfer: Not Present. The most recent assignment is a name change reflecting a corporate rebranding, executed in May 2023 (Reel 073539/0907). While an IPR was filed in 2025, the owner remains the same operating company, Metso. The transfer was not to a separate entity for the purpose of litigation.

6. Bankruptcy fire-sale: Not Present. The transfers were the result of a merger between two active, solvent companies.

7. Privateering: Not Present. The patent has remained with the operating company post-merger.

8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE): Not Present. The patent is held by Metso Finland Oy, an operating company.

Verdict

Operating-company assertion

The ownership chain clearly shows the patent was developed internally by Outotec and has remained with the original operating company through its merger with Metso. The current assignee, Metso Finland Oy, manufactures and sells grinding mills that embody the patented technology. All transfers are related to this well-documented corporate restructuring, with no signals of NPE or patent troll-like activity.

The full assignment history can be verified at the USPTO Assignment Search database by searching for Patent Number 9518604.