USPTO 2015–2025 USPTO PatentsView US Corporation

3M Innovative Properties Company

USPTO PatentsView assignee record - 5,993 granted patents across 360 technology areas, active 2015–2025. Filing-trend and competitive-moat analysis cross-referenced to USPTO Patent Public Search. Primary class: G02B (OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS).

Compiled byPlainPatent Editorial, US Patent Intelligence Editorial Team · May 15, 2026

Explore the portfolio See the ranking

5,993

Total patents granted

360

CPC technology areas

14.3

Avg claims per patent

-13%

5-year filing velocity

The verdict

3M holds 5,993 US patents across 360 technology areas, rank #60 of 50,000 tracked assignees.

#60
of 50,000 US assignees by volume: Top 1%
by Innovation Score (68.3/100): 14.3
avg claims per patent: -13%
filing velocity, last 5 yrs

Portfolio overview

3M Innovative Properties Company has been granted 5,993 US utility patents between 2015 and 2025, placing 3M Innovative Properties Company at rank #60 across all assignees tracked by PlainPatent. This portfolio spans 360 distinct Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) subclasses, averaging 14.3 claims per patent with primary concentration in G02B (OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS). As a US Corporation, 3M Innovative Properties Company is one of the broader-portfolio assignees in the PatentsView dataset. By volume, 3M sits between LG CHEM, Ltd. (6,727 patents, rank #56) and SAP SE (5,717 patents, rank #64) - the closest US assignees by grant volume. The composite Innovation Score of 68.3/100 blends portfolio volume, filing velocity, technology breadth, and claim depth into a single comparable measure drawn directly from USPTO PatentsView records.

Filing cadence tells the strategic story. Between 2020 and 2025 the company received 2,796 grants, compared with 3,197 in the 2015–2019 window, a -13% shift in five-year velocity. A cooling filing rate may reflect portfolio consolidation, shifting priorities, or reduced R&D throughput. The US Corporation classification further shapes interpretation, since corporate, government, and individual filers pursue patents for materially different reasons.

Claim depth and technology breadth together indicate competitive posture. 3M Innovative Properties Company's 14.3 average claims per patent sits within the typical range for solid legal coverage without excessive prosecution cost, while a diversified footprint across 100+ CPC subclasses spreads risk across many technology fronts. Combined with portfolio volume, these signals let analysts, investors, and licensing professionals benchmark 3M Innovative Properties Company against peers pursuing similar technology classes.

LG CHEM

6,727
Covidien

6,485
The Regents of th…

6,428
Saudi Arabian OIL

6,393
3M Innovative Pro… ◀

5,993
Capital ONE Servi…

5,990
Infineon

5,936
Hitachi

5,890
SAP SE

5,717

What this shows 3M holds 5,993 patents at rank #60, shown against the 8 assignees closest to it in grant volume rather than the industry's largest filers.

Companies ranked near 3M

By rank, the assignees closest to #60 in granted patent volume.

Leaders in G02B (Optical Elements)

Other assignees with the most granted patents in 3M's primary technology class.

3M's Innovation Score vs. every tracked assignee

Composite of portfolio volume, filing velocity, technology breadth, and claim depth (0–100)

68 Top 1% higher than 99% of 50,000 US assignees

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US assignees. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source USPTO PatentsView, PlainPatent Innovation Score · 2015–2025

USPTO utility patent grants by year · 2015–2025

Grants by year

Teal-shaded recent years (2020–present) versus the 2015–2019 baseline. Full figures in the table below.

View data table

3M Innovative Properties Company patent grants by year, 2015–2025
Year	Patents Granted	Share of Period
2015	561	9.4%
2016	631	10.5%
2017	673	11.2%
2018	657	11.0%
2019	675	11.3%
2020	669	11.2%
2021	526	8.8%
2022	470	7.8%
2023	396	6.6%
2024	434	7.2%
2025	301	5.0%

Which technologies does 3M Innovative Properties Company patent most?

G02B - OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS 991

Y10T - TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION 720

B32B - LAYERED PRODUCTS, i.e. PRODUCTS BUILT-UP OF STRATA OF FLAT OR NON-FLAT, e.g. CELLULAR OR HONEYCOMB, FORM 647

C09J - ADHESIVES; NON-MECHANICAL ASPECTS OF ADHESIVE PROCESSES IN GENERAL; ADHESIVE PROCESSES NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE; USE OF MATERIALS AS ADHESIVES 610

C08K - Use of inorganic or non-macromolecular organic substances as compounding ingredients 485

C08L - COMPOSITIONS OF MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS 475

C08F - MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS OBTAINED BY REACTIONS ONLY INVOLVING CARBON-TO-CARBON UNSATURATED BONDS 438

C09D - COATING COMPOSITIONS, e.g. PAINTS, VARNISHES OR LACQUERS; FILLING PASTES; CHEMICAL PAINT OR INK REMOVERS; INKS; CORRECTING FLUIDS; WOODSTAINS; PASTES OR SOLIDS FOR COLOURING OR PRINTING; USE OF MATERIALS THEREFOR 415

B29C - SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING 379

C08G - MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS OBTAINED OTHERWISE THAN BY REACTIONS ONLY INVOLVING UNSATURATED CARBON-TO-CARBON BONDS 366

C08J - WORKING-UP; GENERAL PROCESSES OF COMPOUNDING; AFTER-TREATMENT NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C08B, C08C, C08F, C08G or C08H 323

A61C - DENTISTRY; APPARATUS OR METHODS FOR ORAL OR DENTAL HYGIENE 263

A61F - FILTERS IMPLANTABLE INTO BLOOD VESSELS; PROSTHESES; DEVICES PROVIDING PATENCY TO, OR PREVENTING COLLAPSING OF, TUBULAR STRUCTURES OF THE BODY, e.g. STENTS; ORTHOPAEDIC, NURSING OR CONTRACEPTIVE DEVICES; FOMENTATION; TREATMENT OR PROTECTION OF EYES OR EARS; BANDAGES, DRESSINGS OR ABSORBENT PADS; FIRS 261

G06F - ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING 250

B01D - SEPARATION 241

Top 15 of 360 technology areas

Patent Moat Analysis

Portfolio Volume Strong

Tech Breadth Diversified

Claim Depth Standard

Velocity Declining

Where it ranks

Overall rank by patents

#60

Across all tracked assignees

Innovation Score

68.3 out of 100

View all rankings →

Data Source

USPTO PatentsView, US granted patents 2015–2025

How is Innovation Score calculated?

Frequently Asked Questions

How many patents does 3M Innovative Properties Company hold?

3M Innovative Properties Company holds 5,993 US granted patents filed between 2015 and 2025, spanning 360 technology areas.

What is 3M Innovative Properties Company's Innovation Score?

3M Innovative Properties Company has an Innovation Score of 68.3 out of 100. This composite metric weighs portfolio volume (40%), filing velocity (20%), technology breadth (25%), and claim depth (15%).

What technology areas does 3M Innovative Properties Company focus on?

3M Innovative Properties Company's top technology area is G02B (OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS) with 991 patents. The company has filed patents in 360 CPC subclasses total.

Is 3M Innovative Properties Company's patent filing rate increasing or decreasing?

3M Innovative Properties Company's recent filing velocity is -13% compared to the prior five-year period. Filing activity has slowed relative to earlier years.

What does claim depth mean for 3M Innovative Properties Company's patents?

3M Innovative Properties Company's patents average 14.3 claims each. This falls within the standard range, providing solid legal coverage.

How is the 3M Innovative Properties Company patent data sourced?

All patent data comes from USPTO PatentsView, a public research dataset maintained by the United States Patent and Trademark Office covering US granted utility patents from 2015 to 2025.

How to use this portfolio

3M's 5,993 grants land it in the top 1% by Innovation Score, but volume alone doesn't tell you where the strength sits.

Read that count against the largest US assignees before treating it as dominance - 3M ranks #60 of 50,000. Top 50 holders
Most of this portfolio concentrates in G02B - see who else leads that technology area. G02B leaders
Check what the four-part Innovation Score actually rewards before comparing it to another company. How the score works

Patent counts and the Innovation Score measure patenting activity, not commercial success or the legal strength of any patent. Many patents are filed defensively. Verify the status of an individual patent against official USPTO records.

Data sourced from USPTO PatentsView - official U.S. government patent data. See our methodology for computation details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainPatent Editorial

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from the USPTO PatentsView database. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Data sources used on this page

USPTO PatentsView - the disambiguated bulk patent-grant, assignee, and CPC data this page's figures are derived from. patentsview.org
Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) - the joint USPTO/EPO classification scheme used to group patents by technology area. cooperativepatentclassification.org
USPTO Patent Public Search - the official interface to verify the status of any individual patent. ppubs.uspto.gov

Compiled byPlainPatent Editorial, US Patent Intelligence Editorial Team · May 15, 2026

Every figure on PlainPatent is rendered directly from USPTO source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on USPTO source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 2026.