USPTO 2015–2025 USPTO PatentsView US Corporation

Duke University

USPTO PatentsView assignee record - 1,050 granted patents across 152 technology areas, active 2015–2025. Filing-trend and competitive-moat analysis cross-referenced to USPTO Patent Public Search. Primary class: A61K (PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL OR TOILETRY PURPOSES).

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

Explore the portfolio See the ranking

1,050

Total patents granted

152

CPC technology areas

19.3

Avg claims per patent

+33%

5-year filing velocity

The verdict

Duke holds 1,050 US patents across 152 technology areas, rank #431 of 50,000 tracked assignees.

#431
of 50,000 US assignees by volume: Top 1%
by Innovation Score (68.2/100): 19.3
avg claims per patent: +33%
filing velocity, last 5 yrs

Portfolio overview

Duke University has been granted 1,050 US utility patents between 2015 and 2025, placing Duke University at rank #431 across all assignees tracked by PlainPatent. This portfolio spans 152 distinct Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) subclasses, averaging 19.3 claims per patent with primary concentration in A61K (PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL OR TOILETRY PURPOSES). As a US Corporation, Duke University is one of the broader-portfolio assignees in the PatentsView dataset. By volume, Duke sits between Zoox, Inc. (1,064 patents, rank #427) and Kabushiki Kaisha Toyota Jidoshokki (1,041 patents, rank #435) - the closest US assignees by grant volume. The composite Innovation Score of 68.2/100 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 600 grants, compared with 450 in the 2015–2019 window, a +33% shift in five-year velocity. Steady filing volume suggests sustained innovation without dramatic pivots. 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. Duke University's 19.3 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 Duke University against peers pursuing similar technology classes.

Zoox

1,064
Universal Display

1,058
RTX

1,055
Servicenow

1,052
University of Pit…

1,050
Duke University ◀

1,050
Largan Precision

1,046
Avaya

1,044
Toyota Jidoshokki

1,041

What this shows Duke holds 1,050 patents at rank #431, shown against the 8 assignees closest to it in grant volume rather than the industry's largest filers.

Companies ranked near Duke

By rank, the assignees closest to #431 in granted patent volume.

Leaders in A61K (Preparations FOR Medical)

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

Duke'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

Duke University patent grants by year, 2015–2025
Year	Patents Granted	Share of Period
2015	68	6.5%
2016	81	7.7%
2017	96	9.1%
2018	105	10.0%
2019	100	9.5%
2020	98	9.3%
2021	93	8.9%
2022	126	12.0%
2023	92	8.8%
2024	114	10.9%
2025	77	7.3%

Which technologies does Duke University patent most?

A61K - PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL OR TOILETRY PURPOSES 462

A61P - SPECIFIC THERAPEUTIC ACTIVITY OF CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS OR MEDICINAL PREPARATIONS 349

C07K - PEPTIDES 230

C12N - MICROORGANISMS OR ENZYMES; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF; PROPAGATING, PRESERVING, OR MAINTAINING MICROORGANISMS; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING; CULTURE MEDIA 214

G01N - INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES 165

A61B - DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION 142

A61N - ELECTROTHERAPY; MAGNETOTHERAPY; RADIATION THERAPY; ULTRASOUND THERAPY 113

C12Q - MEASURING OR TESTING PROCESSES INVOLVING ENZYMES, NUCLEIC ACIDS OR MICROORGANISMS ; COMPOSITIONS OR TEST PAPERS THEREFOR; PROCESSES OF PREPARING SUCH COMPOSITIONS; CONDITION-RESPONSIVE CONTROL IN MICROBIOLOGICAL OR ENZYMOLOGICAL PROCESSES 108

C07D - HETEROCYCLIC COMPOUNDS 65

G01R - MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES 61

C12Y - ENZYMES 59

A61M - DEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY ; DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROM THE BODY ; DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR 47

A61L - METHODS OR APPARATUS FOR STERILISING MATERIALS OR OBJECTS IN GENERAL; DISINFECTION, STERILISATION OR DEODORISATION OF AIR; CHEMICAL ASPECTS OF BANDAGES, DRESSINGS, ABSORBENT PADS OR SURGICAL ARTICLES; MATERIALS FOR BANDAGES, DRESSINGS, ABSORBENT PADS OR SURGICAL ARTICLES 44

G16H - HEALTHCARE INFORMATICS, i.e. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE HANDLING OR PROCESSING OF MEDICAL OR HEALTHCARE DATA 43

Y02A - TECHNOLOGIES FOR ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE 42

Top 15 of 152 technology areas

Patent Moat Analysis

Portfolio Volume Strong

Tech Breadth Diversified

Claim Depth Standard

Velocity Growing

Where it ranks

Overall rank by patents

#431

Across all tracked assignees

Innovation Score

68.2 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 Duke University hold?

Duke University holds 1,050 US granted patents filed between 2015 and 2025, spanning 152 technology areas.

What is Duke University's Innovation Score?

Duke University has an Innovation Score of 68.2 out of 100. This composite metric weighs portfolio volume (40%), filing velocity (20%), technology breadth (25%), and claim depth (15%).

What technology areas does Duke University focus on?

Duke University's top technology area is A61K (PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL OR TOILETRY PURPOSES) with 462 patents. The company has filed patents in 152 CPC subclasses total.

Is Duke University's patent filing rate increasing or decreasing?

Duke University's recent filing velocity is +33% compared to the prior five-year period. The company is maintaining or growing its patent output.

What does claim depth mean for Duke University's patents?

Duke University's patents average 19.3 claims each. This falls within the standard range, providing solid legal coverage.

How is the Duke University 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

Duke's 1,050 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 - Duke ranks #431 of 50,000. Top 50 holders
Most of this portfolio concentrates in A61K - see who else leads that technology area. A61K 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.