PlainPatent
USPTO 2015–2025 USPTO PatentsView US Corporation

Blackhawk Network, Inc.

USPTO PatentsView assignee record - 88 granted patents across 17 technology areas, active 2015–2025. Filing-trend and competitive-moat analysis cross-referenced to USPTO Patent Public Search. Primary class: G06Q (INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE,).

Explore the portfolio See the ranking
88
Total patents granted
17
CPC technology areas
17.8
Avg claims per patent
+93%
5-year filing velocity

The verdict

Blackhawk holds 88 US patents across 17 technology areas, rank #4,077 of 50,000 tracked assignees.

#4,077
of 50,000 US assignees by volume
Top 17%
by Innovation Score (48.2/100)
17.8
avg claims per patent
+93%
filing velocity, last 5 yrs

Portfolio overview

Blackhawk Network, Inc. has been granted 88 US utility patents between 2015 and 2025, placing Blackhawk Network, Inc. at rank #4,077 across all assignees tracked by PlainPatent. This portfolio spans 17 distinct Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) subclasses, averaging 17.8 claims per patent with primary concentration in G06Q (INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE,). As a US Corporation, Blackhawk Network, Inc. is one of the more focused assignees in the PatentsView dataset. By volume, Blackhawk sits between Acres Technology (88 patents, rank #4,073) and Fositek Corporation (88 patents, rank #4,081) - the closest US assignees by grant volume. The composite Innovation Score of 48.2/100 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 58 grants, compared with 30 in the 2015–2019 window, a +93% shift in five-year velocity. An acceleration of this magnitude signals aggressive R&D investment and expanding technical ambition. 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. Blackhawk Network, Inc.'s 17.8 average claims per patent sits within the typical range for solid legal coverage without excessive prosecution cost, while concentration in 17 subclasses points to a focused technical program. Combined with portfolio volume, these signals let analysts, investors, and licensing professionals benchmark Blackhawk Network, Inc. against peers pursuing similar technology classes.

Who files at Blackhawk's volume?

Granted US patents 2015–2025 versus its nearest-ranked assignees by volume, this company marked ◀

patents

What this shows Blackhawk holds 88 patents at rank #4,077, shown against the 8 assignees closest to it in grant volume rather than the industry's largest filers.

Source USPTO PatentsView, granted utility patents As of 2015–2025

Companies ranked near Blackhawk

By rank, the assignees closest to #4,077 in granted patent volume.

Leaders in G06Q (Information AND Communication Technology [ICT] Specially…)

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

Blackhawk's Innovation Score vs. every tracked assignee

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

48 Top 17% higher than 83% of 50,000 US assignees

0–10: 687 US assignees (1%). Below this entry. 10–20: 2,527 US assignees (5%). Below this entry. 20–30: 13,162 US assignees (26%). Below this entry. 30–40: 15,294 US assignees (31%). Below this entry. 40–50: 11,491 US assignees (23%). This entry sits in this band. 50–60: 5,058 US assignees (10%). Above this entry. 60–70: 1,537 US assignees (3%). Above this entry. 70–80: 234 US assignees (0%). Above this entry. 80–90: 10 US assignees (0%). Above this entry. 90–100: 0 US assignees (0%). Above this entry. This assignee 0 100 every tracked assignee, bucketed by value

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

051015 20152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 6
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
Blackhawk Network, Inc. patent grants by year, 2015–2025
Year Patents Granted Share of Period
2015 7 8.0%
2016 2 2.3%
2017 8 9.1%
2018 6 6.8%
2019 7 8.0%
2020 12 13.6%
2021 9 10.2%
2022 10 11.4%
2023 11 12.5%
2024 10 11.4%
2025 6 6.8%

Which technologies does Blackhawk Network, Inc. patent most?

Top 15 of 17 technology areas

Patent Moat Analysis

Portfolio Volume Light
Tech Breadth Focused
Claim Depth Standard
Velocity Accelerating

Where it ranks

Overall rank by patents

#4,077

Across all tracked assignees

Innovation Score

48.2 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 Blackhawk Network, Inc. hold?
Blackhawk Network, Inc. holds 88 US granted patents filed between 2015 and 2025, spanning 17 technology areas.
What is Blackhawk Network, Inc.'s Innovation Score?
Blackhawk Network, Inc. has an Innovation Score of 48.2 out of 100. This composite metric weighs portfolio volume (40%), filing velocity (20%), technology breadth (25%), and claim depth (15%).
What technology areas does Blackhawk Network, Inc. focus on?
Blackhawk Network, Inc.'s top technology area is G06Q (INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR) with 77 patents. The company has filed patents in 17 CPC subclasses total.
Is Blackhawk Network, Inc.'s patent filing rate increasing or decreasing?
Blackhawk Network, Inc.'s recent filing velocity is +93% compared to the prior five-year period. This indicates accelerating innovation.
What does claim depth mean for Blackhawk Network, Inc.'s patents?
Blackhawk Network, Inc.'s patents average 17.8 claims each. This falls within the standard range, providing solid legal coverage.
How is the Blackhawk Network, Inc. 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

Blackhawk's 88 grants land it in the top 17% 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 - Blackhawk ranks #4,077 of 50,000. Top 50 holders
  • Most of this portfolio concentrates in G06Q - see who else leads that technology area. G06Q 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

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.