USPTO 2015–2025 USPTO PatentsView Foreign Corporation

BP Exploration Operating Company Limited

USPTO PatentsView assignee record - 59 granted patents across 25 technology areas, active 2015–2025. Filing-trend and competitive-moat analysis cross-referenced to USPTO Patent Public Search. Primary class: E21B (EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS).

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

Explore the portfolio See the ranking

Total patents granted

CPC technology areas

21.9

Avg claims per patent

+27%

5-year filing velocity

The verdict

BP holds 59 US patents across 25 technology areas, rank #5,741 of 50,000 tracked assignees.

#5,741
of 50,000 US assignees by volume: Top 10%
by Innovation Score (52.4/100): 21.9
avg claims per patent: +27%
filing velocity, last 5 yrs

Portfolio overview

BP Exploration Operating Company Limited has been granted 59 US utility patents between 2015 and 2025, placing BP Exploration Operating Company Limited at rank #5,741 across all assignees tracked by PlainPatent. This portfolio spans 25 distinct Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) subclasses, averaging 21.9 claims per patent with primary concentration in E21B (EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS). As a Foreign Corporation, BP Exploration Operating Company Limited is one of the more focused assignees in the PatentsView dataset. By volume, BP sits between Accuvein, Inc. (59 patents, rank #5,737) and Ceramtec Gmbh (59 patents, rank #5,745) - the closest US assignees by grant volume. The composite Innovation Score of 52.4/100 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 33 grants, compared with 26 in the 2015–2019 window, a +27% shift in five-year velocity. Steady filing volume suggests sustained innovation without dramatic pivots. The Foreign 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. BP Exploration Operating Company Limited's 21.9 average claims per patent reflects complex, broadly scoped inventions that are difficult for competitors to design around, while a multi-domain presence across 25 subclasses balances depth with breadth. Combined with portfolio volume, these signals let analysts, investors, and licensing professionals benchmark BP Exploration Operating Company Limited against peers pursuing similar technology classes.

Accuvein

59
Aerin Medical

59
Bauerfeind

59
Baylor Research I…

59
Banjo

59
Blueprint Medicin…

59
Capsovision

59
Ceramtec

59
BP Exploration Op… ◀

59

What this shows BP holds 59 patents at rank #5,741, shown against the 8 assignees closest to it in grant volume rather than the industry's largest filers.

Companies ranked near BP

By rank, the assignees closest to #5,741 in granted patent volume.

Leaders in E21B (Earth OR ROCK Drilling)

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

BP's Innovation Score vs. every tracked assignee

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

52 Top 10% higher than 90% 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

BP Exploration Operating Company Limited patent grants by year, 2015–2025
Year	Patents Granted	Share of Period
2015	6	10.2%
2016	8	13.6%
2017	4	6.8%
2018	5	8.5%
2019	3	5.1%
2020	3	5.1%
2021	10	16.9%
2022	9	15.3%
2023	4	6.8%
2024	5	8.5%
2025	2	3.4%

Which technologies does BP Exploration Operating Company Limited patent most?

E21B - EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS 40

G01V - GEOPHYSICS; GRAVITATIONAL MEASUREMENTS; DETECTING MASSES OR OBJECTS; TAGS 17

C09K - MATERIALS FOR MISCELLANEOUS APPLICATIONS, NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE 15

G01N - INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES 12

G01H - MEASUREMENT OF MECHANICAL VIBRATIONS OR ULTRASONIC, SONIC OR INFRASONIC WAVES 10

C02F - TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE 10

B01D - SEPARATION 10

Y02A - TECHNOLOGIES FOR ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE 8

G05B - CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS 4

C04B - LIME, MAGNESIA; SLAG; CEMENTS; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF, e.g. MORTARS, CONCRETE OR LIKE BUILDING MATERIALS; ARTIFICIAL STONE ; CERAMICS ; REFRACTORIES; TREATMENT OF NATURAL STONE 3

G06F - ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING 3

F04C - ROTARY-PISTON, OR OSCILLATING-PISTON, POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS ; ROTARY-PISTON, OR OSCILLATING-PISTON, POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT PUMPS 3

B01F - MIXING, e.g. DISSOLVING, EMULSIFYING OR DISPERSING 3

G01P - MEASURING LINEAR OR ANGULAR SPEED, ACCELERATION, DECELERATION, OR SHOCK; INDICATING PRESENCE, ABSENCE, OR DIRECTION, OF MOVEMENT 2

Y02W - CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO WASTEWATER TREATMENT OR WASTE MANAGEMENT 2

Top 15 of 25 technology areas

Patent Moat Analysis

Portfolio Volume Light

Tech Breadth Multi-domain

Claim Depth Complex

Velocity Growing

Where it ranks

Overall rank by patents

#5,741

Across all tracked assignees

Innovation Score

52.4 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 BP Exploration Operating Company Limited hold?

BP Exploration Operating Company Limited holds 59 US granted patents filed between 2015 and 2025, spanning 25 technology areas.

What is BP Exploration Operating Company Limited's Innovation Score?

BP Exploration Operating Company Limited has an Innovation Score of 52.4 out of 100. This composite metric weighs portfolio volume (40%), filing velocity (20%), technology breadth (25%), and claim depth (15%).

What technology areas does BP Exploration Operating Company Limited focus on?

BP Exploration Operating Company Limited's top technology area is E21B (EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS) with 40 patents. The company has filed patents in 25 CPC subclasses total.

Is BP Exploration Operating Company Limited's patent filing rate increasing or decreasing?

BP Exploration Operating Company Limited's recent filing velocity is +27% compared to the prior five-year period. The company is maintaining or growing its patent output.

What does claim depth mean for BP Exploration Operating Company Limited's patents?

BP Exploration Operating Company Limited's patents average 21.9 claims each. This indicates complex, broadly scoped patents that are harder for competitors to design around.

How is the BP Exploration Operating Company Limited 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

BP's 59 grants land it in the top 10% 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 - BP ranks #5,741 of 50,000. Top 50 holders
Most of this portfolio concentrates in E21B - see who else leads that technology area. E21B 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.