Patent owner passed away.... assignment from Trust/Estate to purchaser

[dab2d]

So in keeping the chain of title free and clear, do you need to record the transferring document to the estate, or can you just record a transfer from the trust/estate to the respective purchaser?

[JimIvey]

I guess this boils down to whether the absence of a recorded transfer of title from "Joan B. de Inventor" to "The estate of Joan B. de Inventor" is a problematic missing link in the chain of title.  For PTO purpose (who controls prosecution), it's probably not a big deal.

Is it possible that something owned by a deceased person can pass directly to something other than their estate?  Anybody know estate law here?

Unless there's something private and/or embarrassing in the document that officially transfers ownership to the estate, I'd record that, just to avoid the question.  However, it may be entirely superfluous (though not harmful).

Regards.