Assignment history

Inventors

The named inventor is S. Edward Neister. At the time of filing (2014-04-17), the application was filed by "Individual" (presumably S. Edward Neister). The assignment records show S. Edward Neister as an assignor and assignee in conjunction with Healthy Environment Innovations, LLC, suggesting he is a principal of or closely associated with Healthy Environment Innovations, LLC.

Original assignee

The original assignee listed on Google Patents is "Individual", referring to the inventor, S. Edward Neister, at the time of the application's filing. Upon issuance of US9700642B2 on 2017-07-11, the ownership, based on the latest recorded assignment prior to issuance, reverted to Healthy Environment Innovations, LLC and S. Edward Neister. Healthy Environment Innovations, LLC (HEI) appears to be an operating company, as the patent extensively describes methods and apparatus for sterilizing and disinfecting air, surfaces, and food using their "new ultra-violet" (NUV) source technology for various applications like hospital rooms, food processing, and air ventilation systems, implying product development and sale. Healthy Environment Innovations is involved in active litigation related to this patent.

Assignment timeline

• 2015-07-27 (executed) / recorded 2015-07-28 — Reel 034604/0833

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT
  • Assignor: HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT INNOVATIONS, LLC; NEISTER, S. EDWARD
  • Assignee: CASALE, RICHARD
  • Correspondent: MCDERMOTT WILL & EMERY LLP, 500 NORTH CAPITAL STREET, N.W., WASHINGTON, DC 20001
  • Context: Court-ordered attachment of patent rights due to legal proceedings against the assignors.

• 2016-06-23 (executed) / recorded 2016-06-24 — Reel 038031/0956

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT
  • Assignor: CASALE, RICHARD
  • Assignee: HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT INNOVATIONS, LLC; NEISTER, S. EDWARD
  • Correspondent: LUNDGREN & JOHNSON, P.S., 1900 SEATTLE TOWER, 1218 THIRD AVE., SEATTLE, WA 98101
  • Context: Release of attachment, returning patent rights to the original parties, Healthy Environment Innovations, LLC and S. Edward Neister.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 9700642
    2014 : Application filed by Individual
    2015 : Attached to Richard Casale
    2016 : Released to Healthy Env Innovations
    2017 : Patent Issued
    2020 : First infringement suit filed
    2026 : Patent expired

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer — Not present. The transfers involved an operating company (Healthy Environment Innovations, LLC) and the inventor, and were related to court-ordered attachment/release rather than a transfer to a licensing-only shell entity.
2. Known asserter in the chain — Not present. Neither Healthy Environment Innovations, LLC nor Richard Casale appear on common public NPE lists.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain — Not present. The two recorded assignments used different correspondent firms: McDermott Will & Emery LLP for Reel 034604/0833 and Lundgren & Johnson, P.S. for Reel 038031/0956.
4. Cascading transfers — Unclear. There were two transfers within approximately 11 months (executed 2015-07-27 and 2016-06-23). While rapid, these transactions were explicitly stated as an "attachment" and "release" due to a court order, indicating a legal dispute rather than a strategic chain of transfers typical of NPEs [cite: 034604/0833, 038031/0956].
5. Pre-litigation transfer — Not present. The last assignment (Reel 038031/0956 recorded 2016-06-24) occurred more than four years before the first reported litigation in the Florida Middle District Court (6:20-cv-02233), filed on 2020-12-08.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale — Not present. The assignments were the result of a court attachment and release, not a bankruptcy proceeding.
7. Privateering — Unclear. There is no publicly available information (e.g., SEC filings or journalistic reports) to suggest a privateering arrangement.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE) — Not present. The patent is currently held by Healthy Environment Innovations, which is actively asserting it in litigation.

Verdict

Operating-company assertion. The assignment record clearly shows the patent was subject to a court-ordered attachment and subsequent release, returning it to Healthy Environment Innovations, LLC and the inventor [cite: 034604/0833, 038031/0956]. Healthy Environment Innovations, LLC appears to be an operating company based on the detailed product applications described in the patent. The litigation activity post-issuance is consistent with an operating company asserting its intellectual property.

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