Overall rank by patents
#83
Across all tracked assignees
USPTO 2015–2025 USPTO PatentsView US Corporation
Caterpillar Inc.
USPTO PatentsView assignee record — 4,178 granted patents across 277 technology areas, active 2015–2025. Filing-trend and competitive-moat analysis cross-referenced to USPTO Patent Public Search. Primary class: E02F (DREDGING; SOIL-SHIFTING).
4,178
Total patents granted
277
CPC technology areas
15.5
Avg claims per patent
-10%
5-year filing velocity
Portfolio overview
Caterpillar Inc. has been granted 4,178 US utility patents between 2015 and 2025, placing Caterpillar Inc. at rank #83 across all assignees tracked by PlainPatent. This portfolio spans 277 distinct Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) subclasses, averaging 15.5 claims per patent with primary concentration in E02F (DREDGING; SOIL-SHIFTING). As a US Corporation, Caterpillar Inc. is one of the broader-portfolio assignees in the PatentsView dataset. The composite Innovation Score of 69.9/100 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 1,976 grants, compared with 2,202 in the 2015–2019 window — a -10% 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. Caterpillar Inc.'s 15.5 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 Caterpillar Inc. against peers pursuing similar technology classes.
How does Caterpillar compare?
Granted US patents 2015–2025 versus the largest corporate holders — this company marked ◀
- Samsung
SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
106,890 patents
- International Bus…
International Business Machines Corporation
72,926 patents
- Canon 34,378
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
34,378 patents
- LG 32,607
LG ELECTRONICS INC.
32,607 patents
- Taiwan Semiconduc… 31,041
TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY LTD.
31,041 patents
- Apple 30,560
Apple Inc.
30,560 patents
- Qualcomm Incorpor… 30,354
QUALCOMM Incorporated
30,354 patents
- Intel 27,498
Intel Corporation
27,498 patents
- Caterpillar ◀ 4,178
Caterpillar Inc.
4,178 patents
What this shows Caterpillar holds 4,178 patents — placing it at rank #83 overall, well behind the volume leaders but ahead of the tens of thousands of smaller assignees in the dataset.
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
| Year | Patents Granted | Share of Period |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 531 | 12.7% |
| 2016 | 420 | 10.1% |
| 2017 | 474 | 11.3% |
| 2018 | 406 | 9.7% |
| 2019 | 371 | 8.9% |
| 2020 | 318 | 7.6% |
| 2021 | 355 | 8.5% |
| 2022 | 362 | 8.7% |
| 2023 | 348 | 8.3% |
| 2024 | 351 | 8.4% |
| 2025 | 242 | 5.8% |
Which technologies does Caterpillar Inc. patent most?
B01D— SEPARATION 194
F16H— GEARING 175
Top 15 of 277 technology areas
Patent Moat Analysis
Portfolio Volume Strong
Tech Breadth Diversified
Claim Depth Standard
Velocity Declining
Frequently Asked Questions
How many patents does Caterpillar Inc. hold?
Caterpillar Inc. holds 4,178 US granted patents filed between 2015 and 2025, spanning 277 technology areas.
What is Caterpillar Inc.'s Innovation Score?
Caterpillar Inc. has an Innovation Score of 69.9 out of 100. This composite metric weighs portfolio volume (40%), filing velocity (20%), technology breadth (25%), and claim depth (15%).
What technology areas does Caterpillar Inc. focus on?
Caterpillar Inc.'s top technology area is E02F (DREDGING; SOIL-SHIFTING) with 1,041 patents. The company has filed patents in 277 CPC subclasses total.
Is Caterpillar Inc.'s patent filing rate increasing or decreasing?
Caterpillar Inc.'s recent filing velocity is -10% compared to the prior five-year period. Filing activity has slowed relative to earlier years.
What does claim depth mean for Caterpillar Inc.'s patents?
Caterpillar Inc.'s patents average 15.5 claims each. This falls within the standard range, providing solid legal coverage.
How is the Caterpillar 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.
Learn More
Explore the patent dataset
E02F technology
Caterpillar Inc.'s primary CPC class — all holders and yearly trends
Top 50 patent holders
See where Caterpillar Inc. 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
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
