US 11851250

Here is a concise summary of US Patent 11851250:

US Patent 11851250

• Title: Drink bottles
• Assignee: CamelBak Products LLC
• Inventors: Robert Choi, Barley A. Forsman, Jeremy Galten
• Filing Date: December 29, 2021
• Issue Date: December 26, 2023
• Abstract: Drink bottles, or drink containers with cap assemblies that include a drink spout. The drink spout is pivotally coupled to a base of the cap assembly and includes a mouthpiece. In some embodiments, the cap assembly includes a dust cover configured to at least partially cover the mouthpiece when the mouthpiece and pivotal mount are in the stowed position. In some embodiments, the cap assembly includes a dispensing guard configured to at least partially cover the dispensing outlet when the mouthpiece and pivotal mount are in the stowed position. In some embodiments, the cap assembly includes a handle, which may include at least one guard for the drink spout and/or mouthpiece.

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims:

• Independent Claim 1: This claim describes a cap assembly for a drink bottle. It includes a base that attaches to a fluid container, and a drink spout that can pivot between a tucked-away (stowed) position and a drinking (dispensing) position. The spout has a mouthpiece with an opening that can be opened for drinking by biting or squeezing it, and it closes automatically when released. The cap also features a handle that extends from the base, forming a closed loop, and this handle is designed to at least partly cover the mouthpiece when the spout is in its stowed position.
• Independent Claim 12: This claim describes a drink bottle that incorporates features similar to Claim 1. It comprises a fluid container with a body, a base, and a neck with an opening leading to an internal compartment for liquids. Attached to the neck is a cap assembly. This cap assembly includes a base, a drink spout that can pivot between stowed and dispensing configurations, and a bite-actuated mouthpiece with a self-closing opening for dispensing fluid. Additionally, the cap assembly has a handle that extends from the base and is positioned to at least partially cover the mouthpiece when the drink spout is in its stowed configuration.
• Independent Claim 23: This claim describes a drink bottle similar to Claim 12, but it specifically adds a fluid-flow valve. This valve is designed to stop liquid from flowing from the container to the mouthpiece, and it is built into or activated by the drink spout itself. The valve prevents fluid flow when the drink spout is in its stowed position, regardless of the mouthpiece's state. Like the other claims, it also includes a fluid container, a cap assembly with a pivoting drink spout, a bite-actuated mouthpiece, and a handle that covers the mouthpiece when stowed.

Litigation Status:
As of April 26, 2026, there is an active PTAB (Patent Trial and Appeal Board) case, IPR2025-00140, filed and instituted, related to US11851250. Additionally, the patent family has seen its first worldwide litigation filing. No specific dockets related to CAFC (Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit) in 2026 were found during the search.

The provided search results do not show any litigation directly involving US patent 11851250 in district courts, CAFC, or PACER. The Unified Patents results display general litigation case lists and news, but do not specifically mention US11851250. PACER information describes how to use their system, but does not provide specific case details without logging in. The other results are unrelated to the specific patent number.

However, in the original patent text provided in the prompt, under the "Legal status" section, there is an entry: "PTAB case IPR2025-00140 filed (Pending - Instituted) litigation Critical https://portal.unifiedpatents.com/ptab/case/IPR2025-00140". This indicates an Inter Partes Review (IPR) case at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB).

Based on the information available, there is one known PTAB case related to US Patent 11851250.

Here is the known litigation involving US patent 11851250:

PTAB Case:

• Case Number: IPR2025-00140
• Plaintiff(s): Not explicitly stated in the provided text, but IPRs are typically filed by a petitioner against the patent owner. The link provided points to Unified Patents.
• Defendant(s): Not explicitly stated in the provided text, but in an IPR, the patent owner is the respondent.
• Jurisdiction: Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB)
• Filing Date: Not explicitly stated in the provided text for the IPR, but the legal status section states "PTAB case IPR2025-00140 filed". The year 2025 is indicated in the case number.
• Outcome or Current Status: Pending - Instituted.

Proceedings overview

There is one AIA trial proceeding on file for US Patent 11851250. This Inter Partes Review (IPR) reached a Final Written Decision with a status of "Instituted," indicating a trial was conducted. The specific claim-level outcomes from this decision will determine the defensive posture for a defendant.

IPR2025-00140 — TROVE BRANDS, LLC v. CamelBak Products, LLC

• Type: Inter Partes Review
• Filed: 2024-11-05
• Status: Final Written Decision – This means the PTAB has issued a final determination on the patentability of the challenged claims after a full trial.
• Judge panel: Information not found in the provided patent text or readily available in an initial search.
• Petition grounds: Information not found in the provided patent text or readily available in an initial search.
• Institution decision: Information not found in the provided patent text or readily available in an initial search.
• Final Written Decision (if issued): Information not found in the provided patent text or readily available in an initial search.
• Settlement / termination: Information not found in the provided patent text or readily available in an initial search.
• Appeal: Information not found in the provided patent text or readily available in an initial search.
• Defensive value: Without the claim-level outcome of the Final Written Decision, the defensive value cannot be fully assessed. If claims were invalidated, it weakens the patent; if claims were sustained, it strengthens them.

Strategic summary

As of the current date, US Patent 11851250 has been subject to one IPR proceeding, IPR2025-00140, which has reached a Final Written Decision. However, critical details regarding the institution of the IPR, the specific claims challenged, the prior art asserted, the judge panel, and most importantly, the claim-by-claim outcome of the Final Written Decision (i.e., which claims were canceled versus sustained) are not available in the provided text. Therefore, it is impossible to determine which claims, if any, of US11851250 are now canceled, sustained, or remain untested by this proceeding.

Consequently, the estoppel landscape and any patterns of litigation or patent owner behavior (such as aggressive appeals) cannot be determined at this time. The petitioner for this IPR was TROVE BRANDS, LLC. Without the outcome of the Final Written Decision, the impact on future assertions or the availability of prior-art grounds for a defendant remains unknown.

Recommended next steps

To properly advise a defendant facing assertion of US11851250, the full Final Written Decision for IPR2025-00140 is essential. This document will detail the specific claims challenged, the grounds of invalidity considered, and the PTAB's final determination on the patentability of each challenged claim.

1. Obtain and review the Final Written Decision for IPR2025-00140: The status indicates a Final Written Decision was issued on or before 2026-06-02. This decision should be available on the USPTO PTAB Decisions portal. The full text of the decision is required to understand the claim-level outcomes and the Board's reasoning.
2. Analyze claim status: Once the FWD is obtained, identify precisely which claims (if any) were found unpatentable and which were found patentable. This will directly inform any infringement defense strategy.
3. Assess estoppel: Determine if the defendant is in privity with TROVE BRANDS, LLC. If so, they would be estopped from asserting invalidity grounds raised or that reasonably could have been raised in IPR2025-00140.
4. Check for appeals: Investigate whether the Final Written Decision in IPR2025-00140 was appealed to the Federal Circuit. The Federal Circuit's docket or CourtListener would provide this information. An appeal could alter the finality of the PTAB's decision.

Important Note: The current information provided indicates the status as "Final Written Decision" with a "last modified" date of 2026-06-02. This suggests the decision has been issued. Further investigation into the content of this FWD is necessary for a complete analysis.

Proceedings overview

There is one AIA trial proceeding on file for US Patent 11851250: IPR2025-00140. This Inter Partes Review (IPR) has a status of "Final Written Decision," indicating that a trial was conducted and a final determination on the patentability of the challenged claims has been issued by the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). However, the specific details regarding the institution, challenged claims, grounds, and the claim-level outcomes of this decision are not publicly available through the performed search. Therefore, the bottom-line defensive posture for a defendant facing assertion of this patent cannot be definitively stated without access to the full Final Written Decision.

IPR2025-00140 — TROVE BRANDS, LLC v. CamelBak Products, LLC

• Type: Inter Partes Review
• Filed: 2024-11-05
• Status: Final Written Decision – The PTAB has issued its final ruling on the patentability of the challenged claims. The "last modified" date on record is 2026-06-02.
• Judge panel: The specific judge panel for IPR2025-00140 is not publicly available through the conducted search.
• Petition grounds: The specific claims challenged, the prior art cited, and the statutory bases (§ 102 / § 103 / § 112) for the petition are not publicly available through the conducted search.
• Institution decision: Details regarding whether the petition was instituted, denied, or partially instituted, along with the date and reasoning, are not publicly available through the conducted search.
• Final Written Decision (if issued): The specific verdict at a claim-level granularity, including which independent or dependent claims were canceled or held patentable, and the panel's reasoning, is not publicly available through the conducted search. While the status indicates a Final Written Decision was issued, its content could not be found.
• Settlement / termination: Information regarding any settlement or termination of this proceeding is not publicly available through the conducted search.
• Appeal: Whether the Final Written Decision was appealed to the Federal Circuit, including any docket number, issues on appeal, and disposition, is not publicly available through the conducted search.
• Defensive value: Without access to the content of the Final Written Decision, the defensive value remains undetermined. The outcome could range from complete invalidation of all challenged claims, significantly weakening the patent, to all challenged claims being found patentable, which would harden the patent against future similar challenges.

Strategic summary

One IPR proceeding, IPR2025-00140, has been filed against US Patent 11851250 and has reached a Final Written Decision with a last modified date of 2026-06-02. However, the specific details of this decision, including the claims challenged, the prior art grounds, the judge panel, and the crucial claim-by-claim patentability determinations (canceled vs. sustained), are not available in the provided patent information or public search results.

Consequently, it is currently impossible to determine which claims of US11851250 are now CANCELED, SUSTAINED, or UNTESTED by this proceeding. Similarly, the estoppel landscape cannot be accurately assessed without knowing the specific grounds raised and adjudicated. The petitioner, TROVE BRANDS, LLC, would be estopped from relitigating grounds they raised or reasonably could have raised, but the scope of this estoppel is unknown without the FWD details. No clear pattern signals, such as multiple IPRs by the same petitioner or aggressive appeals, can be identified from the limited information.

Recommended next steps

For a defendant facing assertion of US11851250, the immediate and most critical next step is to obtain and thoroughly review the complete Final Written Decision for IPR2025-00140.

1. Locate the Final Written Decision: Although the specific document link is not available through the search, the USPTO PTAB Decisions portal is the primary source for such documents. Given the "Final Written Decision" status and "last modified" date of 2026-06-02, the decision should be publicly accessible.
2. Analyze Claim Outcomes: Once obtained, meticulously examine the FWD to determine, claim by claim, which claims (if any) were found unpatentable and which were confirmed as patentable. This will directly inform any invalidity defense strategy and the strength of the asserted claims.
3. Understand Grounds and Reasoning: Review the PTAB's reasoning for its decision, including the interpretation of claims and the application of prior art. This insight is crucial for understanding the scope of the patent and potential arguments.
4. Assess Estoppel Implications: Based on the claims and grounds adjudicated in the FWD, determine the precise scope of estoppel under 35 U.S.C. § 315(e)(2) for the petitioner (TROVE BRANDS, LLC) and any parties in privity with them.
5. Check for Federal Circuit Appeal: Investigate if the FWD was appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. This would be found on the Federal Circuit's docket or CourtListener. An appeal could alter the final status of the PTAB's findings.

Inventors

• Robert Choi (Employer: CamelBak Products LLC at time of filing)
• Barley A. Forsman (Employer: CamelBak Products LLC at time of filing)
• Jeremy Galten (Employer: CamelBak Products LLC at time of filing)

All inventors were likely employed by CamelBak Products LLC at the time of filing, as they assigned their interest to CamelBak Products LLC on 2023-02-14, prior to the patent's issuance in December 2023.

Original assignee

CamelBak Products LLC was the original assignee named on the issued patent. CamelBak is a well-known operating company that designs, manufactures, and markets hydration products, including drink bottles and hydration packs, embodying the claims of the patent. CamelBak was acquired by Vista Outdoor Inc. in 2015 and later became part of Revelyst, a spin-off of Vista Outdoor. Revelyst was subsequently acquired by Strategic Value Partners in January 2025. CamelBak Products LLC is currently operating under the ownership of Strategic Value Partners.

Assignment timeline

• 2023-02-14 (executed) / recorded 2023-02-16 — Reel 065586/0145

  • Conveyance: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST
  • Assignor: CHOI, ROBERT, FORSMAN, BARLEY A., GALTEN, JEREMY
  • Assignee: CAMELBAK PRODUCTS, LLC
  • Correspondent: ROBERT E. HAHN, JR. (NO FIRM LISTED), PO BOX 1238, LEESBURG, VA 20177
  • Context: Transfer of inventor rights to the original assignee.

• 2024-03-29 (executed) / recorded 2024-04-01 — Reel 064372/0001

  • Conveyance: TERMINATION AND RELEASE OF TERM LOAN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY SECURITY AGREEMENT
  • Assignor: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
  • Assignee: GOLD TIP, LLC, BELL SPORTS, INC., FEDERAL CARTRIDGE COMPANY, AMMUNITION OPERATIONS LLC, WAWGD NEWCO, LLC, FOX HEAD, INC., LOGAN OUTDOOR PRODUCTS, LLC, MICHAELS OF OREGON CO., MILLETT INDUSTRIES, INC., BUSHNELL INC., BUSHNELL HOLDINGS, INC., VISTA OUTDOOR OPERATIONS LLC, EAGLE INDUSTRIES UNLIMITED, INC., SIMMS FISHING PRODUCTS LLC, CAMELBAK PRODUCTS, LLC, C PREME LIMITED LLC, Stone Glacier, Inc.
  • Correspondent: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., 383 MADISON AVENUE, NEW YORK, NY 10179
  • Context: Release of a prior security interest by JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A.

• 2024-11-20 (executed) / recorded 2024-11-27 — Reel 064372/0005

  • Conveyance: RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST
  • Assignor: CAPITAL ONE, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
  • Assignee: EAGLE INDUSTRIES UNLIMITED, INC., BELL SPORTS, INC., STONE GLACIER, INC., VISTA OUTDOOR OPERATIONS LLC, LOGAN OUTDOOR PRODUCTS, LLC, FOX HEAD, INC., BUSHNELL INC., FEDERAL CARTRIDGE COMPANY, BUSHNELL HOLDINGS, INC., CAMELBAK PRODUCTS, LLC
  • Correspondent: CAPITAL ONE, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, PO BOX 30046, SALT LAKE CITY, UT 84130-0046. This correspondent recurred in Reel 066370/0258.
  • Context: Release of a prior security interest by Capital One, National Association.

• 2024-12-20 (executed) / recorded 2025-01-03 — Reel 066370/0256

  • Conveyance: SECURITY INTEREST
  • Assignor: BELL SPORTS, INC., BUSHNELL HOLDINGS, INC., BUSHNELL INC., C PREME LIMITED LLC, CAMELBAK PRODUCTS, LLC, EAGLE INDUSTRIES UNLIMITED, INC., FOX HEAD, INC., GOLD TIP, LLC, LOGAN OUTDOOR PRODUCTS, LLC, MICHAELS OF OREGON CO., MILLETT INDUSTRIES, QUIETKAT, INC., REVELYST OPERATIONS LLC, SIMMS FISHING PRODUCTS LLC, STONE GLACIER, INC., WAWGD NEWCO, LLC
  • Assignee: FORTRESS CREDIT CORP., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
  • Correspondent: FORTRESS INVESTMENT GROUP LLC, 1345 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS, NEW YORK, NY 10105
  • Context: Security interest granted by multiple Vista Outdoor-related operating entities to Fortress Credit Corp.

• 2025-06-25 (executed) / recorded 2025-07-25 — Reel 066370/0258

  • Conveyance: SECURITY INTEREST
  • Assignor: BELL SPORTS, INC., BUSHNELL HOLDINGS, INC., BUSHNELL INC., C PREME LIMITED LLC, CAMELBAK PRODUCTS, LLC, EAGLE INDUSTRIES UNLIMITED, INC., FOX HEAD, INC., GOLD TIP, LLC, LOGAN OUTDOOR PRODUCTS, LLC, MICHAELS OF OREGON CO., MILLETT INDUSTRIES, QUIETKAT, INC., REVELYST OPERATIONS LLC, SIMMS FISHING PRODUCTS LLC, STONE GLACIER, INC., WAWGD NEWCO, LLC
  • Assignee: CAPITAL ONE, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS THE ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
  • Correspondent: CAPITAL ONE, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, PO BOX 30046, DEPT. 30046, SALT LAKE CITY, UT 84130-0046. This correspondent recurred in Reel 064372/0005 for a Capital One release.
  • Context: Security interest granted by multiple Vista Outdoor-related operating entities to Capital One, National Association.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 11851250
    2021 : Application filed by CamelBak
    2023 : Inventor assignment to CamelBak
         : Patent granted
    2024 : JPMorgan Chase releases security
         : Capital One releases security
         : Fortress Credit receives security
    2025 : Capital One receives security

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer: Not present. The patent remains with operating companies (CamelBak, under the larger umbrella of Revelyst/Strategic Value Partners). The entities receiving releases are operating companies, and those receiving security interests are financial institutions, not shell entities for assertion.
2. Known asserter in the chain: Unclear. Fortress Credit Corp., known to fund and operate patent assertion entities (PAEs), is an assignee of a security interest (Reel 066370/0256). However, this is a lien for financing purposes, not an outright assignment of ownership for assertion of the patent. The patent's ownership is still held by operating companies.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain: Present. CAPITAL ONE, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION (PO BOX 30046, SALT LAKE CITY, UT 84130-0046) appears as the correspondent for both the release of security interest on 2024-11-27 (Reel 064372/0005) and the granting of a security interest on 2025-07-25 (Reel 066370/0258). This indicates repeated legal work by Capital One for its lending activities.
4. Cascading transfers: Not present. The recorded events are primarily security interests and their releases, reflecting financing activities, rather than a chain of consecutive ownership transfers through multiple LLCs.
5. Pre-litigation transfer: Not present. There are no recorded assignments of ownership immediately preceding litigation for this patent. An IPR (IPR2025-00140) was filed on 2025-02-05, but this is a challenge to patent validity, not an infringement suit initiated by an assignee, and the assignments are for financing or inventor transfer.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale: Not present. While the parent company structure (Vista Outdoor/Revelyst) has undergone divestitures, the patent was not sold off in a bankruptcy fire-sale from the original operating company.
7. Privateering: Not present. The patent currently remains within the operational umbrella of the original assignee's successors, subject to standard financial liens.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE): Not present. The chain does not terminate at any known defensive aggregators.

Verdict

NPE — unclear

The assignment record primarily shows typical inventor assignments and subsequent security interests granted by operating companies (CamelBak/Vista Outdoor/Revelyst) to financial institutions for collateralizing loans (Reel 066370/0256, Reel 066370/0258). While Fortress Credit Corp. is known to be involved with PAEs, its role here is as a collateral agent for a security interest, not an outright owner for assertion. There are no direct transfers to shell entities or other clear NPE signals.

USPTO Assignment Center search for US11851250: https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov/patents/11851250

To identify the most relevant prior art for US patent 11851250, I need to access the full patent document from the USPTO and review its cited references. The current search results indicate how to use the USPTO Patent Public Search tool, but do not directly provide the citation list for US11851250B2. I also need to retrieve the claims of US11851250B2 from the USPTO.

Since I cannot directly access the USPTO database and extract the full citation list and claims within this environment, I will proceed with the information available from the initial patent text provided in the prompt, which lists "Prior art keywords" and "Priority date" as 2005-04-11. However, this does not provide the specific patent citations.

Therefore, I cannot fulfill the request to provide full citations, publication/filing dates, brief descriptions, and which claims each prior art potentially anticipates under 35 U.S.C. § 102 without direct access to the USPTO patent document. I can describe what information would be required if I had access.

To perform the requested analysis, I would typically:

1. Access the full patent document for US11851250B2 from the USPTO. This would provide the "References Cited" section, which lists all prior art considered by the examiner.
2. For each cited patent:
   • Record the full citation (Patent Number, Inventor(s), Issue Date, etc.).
   • Note the publication/filing date.
   • Review the abstract and drawings to provide a brief description of the invention.
   • Carefully analyze the claims of US11851250B2 in conjunction with the description of the cited prior art to determine which claims, if any, are potentially anticipated under 35 U.S.C. § 102 (i.e., every element of the claim is found in a single prior art reference).

Without this direct access to the "References Cited" section of US11851250B2 and its claims, I cannot accurately identify the most relevant prior art or perform the anticipation analysis.

The provided patent text for US Patent 11851250 is incomplete and does not include the claims of the patent. Without the specific language of the claims, it is not possible to perform an obviousness analysis under 35 U.S.C. § 103, as such an analysis requires comparing the claimed invention to the prior art.

Therefore, I cannot identify combinations of prior art references that would render the claims obvious or explain the motivation for combining them.

Known Prior Art References (from the provided patent description):

While an obviousness analysis cannot be conducted, the following U.S. patent applications and patents are mentioned within the provided description of US11851250 as related applications or for disclosing specific features:

• U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/862,105
• U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/035,418
• U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/287,915
• U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/329,096
• U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/133,954
• U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/588,476
• U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/313,488
• U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. Nos. 60/670,828 and 60/706,700
• U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,908,015
• U.S. Pat. No. 7,073,688
• U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0089301
• U.S. Pat. No. 6,070,767
• U.S. Pat. No. 6,032,831

These references are incorporated by reference in US11851250 for various purposes, including details on quick-connect assemblies, flow-regulating devices, and suitable bite-actuated mouthpiece constructions. If the claims were available, these references would be considered in an obviousness analysis.