Analyze the sentiment of this statement extracted from a financial news article. Provide your answer as either negative, positive, or neutral.
Text: ALEXANDRIA , Va. , Dec. 22 -- United States Patent no. 7,854,608 , issued on Dec. 21 , was assigned to Outotec Oyj ( Espoo , Finland ) .
Answer:
Analyze the sentiment of this statement extracted from a financial news article. Provide your answer as either negative, positive, or neutral.
Text: ALEXANDRIA , Va. , Dec. 22 -- United States Patent no. 7,854,608 , issued on Dec. 21 , was assigned to Outotec Oyj ( Espoo , Finland ) .
Answer:+neutral