PlainPatent
USPTO 2015–2025 USPTO PatentsView Foreign Corporation

Carl Zeiss AG

USPTO PatentsView assignee record — 141 granted patents across 36 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).

Explore the portfolio See the ranking
141
Total patents granted
36
CPC technology areas
16.3
Avg claims per patent
+20%
5-year filing velocity

The verdict

Carl holds 141 US patents across 36 technology areas — rank #2,738 of 50,000 tracked assignees.

#2,738
of 50,000 US assignees by volume
Top 10%
by Innovation Score (52.2/100)
16.3
avg claims per patent
+20%
filing velocity, last 5 yrs

Portfolio overview

Carl Zeiss AG has been granted 141 US utility patents between 2015 and 2025, placing Carl Zeiss AG at rank #2,738 across all assignees tracked by PlainPatent. This portfolio spans 36 distinct Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) subclasses, averaging 16.3 claims per patent with primary concentration in G02B (OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS). As a Foreign Corporation, Carl Zeiss AG is one of the more focused assignees in the PatentsView dataset. The composite Innovation Score of 52.2/100 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 77 grants, compared with 64 in the 2015–2019 window — a +20% 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. Carl Zeiss AG's 16.3 average claims per patent sits within the typical range for solid legal coverage without excessive prosecution cost, while a multi-domain presence across 36 subclasses balances depth with breadth. Combined with portfolio volume, these signals let analysts, investors, and licensing professionals benchmark Carl Zeiss AG against peers pursuing similar technology classes.

How does Carl compare?

Granted US patents 2015–2025 versus the largest corporate holders — this company marked ◀

patents

What this shows Carl holds 141 patents — placing it at rank #2,738 overall, well behind the volume leaders but ahead of the tens of thousands of smaller assignees in the dataset.

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

Carl'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

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%). Below this entry. 50–60: 5,058 US assignees (10%). This entry sits in this band. 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

USPTO utility patent grants by year · 2015–2025

0510152025 20152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 12
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
Carl Zeiss AG patent grants by year, 2015–2025
Year Patents Granted Share of Period
2015 9 6.4%
2016 9 6.4%
2017 13 9.2%
2018 9 6.4%
2019 24 17.0%
2020 19 13.5%
2021 12 8.5%
2022 14 9.9%
2023 5 3.5%
2024 15 10.6%
2025 12 8.5%

Which technologies does Carl Zeiss AG patent most?

Top 15 of 36 technology areas

Patent Moat Analysis

Portfolio Volume Moderate
Tech Breadth Multi-domain
Claim Depth Standard
Velocity Growing

Where it ranks

Overall rank by patents

#2,738

Across all tracked assignees

Innovation Score

52.2 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 Carl Zeiss AG hold?
Carl Zeiss AG holds 141 US granted patents filed between 2015 and 2025, spanning 36 technology areas.
What is Carl Zeiss AG's Innovation Score?
Carl Zeiss AG has an Innovation Score of 52.2 out of 100. This composite metric weighs portfolio volume (40%), filing velocity (20%), technology breadth (25%), and claim depth (15%).
What technology areas does Carl Zeiss AG focus on?
Carl Zeiss AG's top technology area is G02B (OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS) with 57 patents. The company has filed patents in 36 CPC subclasses total.
Is Carl Zeiss AG's patent filing rate increasing or decreasing?
Carl Zeiss AG's recent filing velocity is +20% compared to the prior five-year period. The company is maintaining or growing its patent output.
What does claim depth mean for Carl Zeiss AG's patents?
Carl Zeiss AG's patents average 16.3 claims each. This falls within the standard range, providing solid legal coverage.
How is the Carl Zeiss AG 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.

Learn More

How Innovation Score Works

Understand the four dimensions behind the composite score
How to Read Patent Data

Plain-English guide to CPC codes, claims, and metrics
Patent Moat Analysis

How companies use patents as competitive barriers

Explore the patent dataset

G02B technology

Carl Zeiss AG's primary CPC class — all holders and yearly trends
Top 50 patent holders

See where Carl Zeiss AG ranks among the largest US patent assignees
All technology classes

Browse every CPC technology area by patent activity
How the score works

The four dimensions behind the Innovation Score

Related

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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.

All federal data sources used on this page
  • USPTO PatentsView — official U.S. Patent and Trademark Office bulk patent data. patentsview.org
  • USPTO Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) — application status and file history. uspto.gov/patents/pair
  • USPTO Bulk Data Storage System — comprehensive patent text + claims dataset. bulkdata.uspto.gov
  • USPTO CPC Classification — Cooperative Patent Classification scheme for technology categorization. uspto.gov/cpc
  • SEC EDGAR — public filings cross-reference for assignee corporate entity matching. sec.gov/edgar
  • WIPO PATENTSCOPE — international patent context (related international filings). wipo.int/patentscope