USPTO 2015–2025 USPTO PatentsView US Corporation

Ecolab USA Inc.

USPTO PatentsView assignee record - 1,610 granted patents across 212 technology areas, active 2015–2025. Filing-trend and competitive-moat analysis cross-referenced to USPTO Patent Public Search. Primary class: C11D (DETERGENT COMPOSITIONS; USE OF SINGLE SUBSTANCES AS DETERGENTS; SOAP OR SOAP-MAKING; RESIN SOAPS; RECOVERY OF GLYCEROL).

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

Explore the portfolio See the ranking

1,610

Total patents granted

212

CPC technology areas

17.2

Avg claims per patent

+6%

5-year filing velocity

The verdict

Ecolab holds 1,610 US patents across 212 technology areas, rank #265 of 50,000 tracked assignees.

#265
of 50,000 US assignees by volume: Top 1%
by Innovation Score (65.7/100): 17.2
avg claims per patent: +6%
filing velocity, last 5 yrs

Portfolio overview

Ecolab USA Inc. has been granted 1,610 US utility patents between 2015 and 2025, placing Ecolab USA Inc. at rank #265 across all assignees tracked by PlainPatent. This portfolio spans 212 distinct Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) subclasses, averaging 17.2 claims per patent with primary concentration in C11D (DETERGENT COMPOSITIONS; USE OF SINGLE SUBSTANCES AS DETERGENTS; SOAP OR SOAP-MAKING; RESIN SOAPS; RECOVERY OF GLYCEROL). As a US Corporation, Ecolab USA Inc. is one of the broader-portfolio assignees in the PatentsView dataset. By volume, Ecolab sits between Rambus Inc. (1,626 patents, rank #261) and Changxin Memory Technologies, Inc. (1,589 patents, rank #269) - the closest US assignees by grant volume. The composite Innovation Score of 65.7/100 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 828 grants, compared with 782 in the 2015–2019 window, a +6% 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. Ecolab USA Inc.'s 17.2 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 Ecolab USA Inc. against peers pursuing similar technology classes.

Rambus

1,626
Stryker

1,619
Lenovo (Beijing)

1,618
Hamamatsu Photoni…

1,615
Ecolab USA ◀

1,610
Nitto Denko

1,608
Kohler

1,594
Henkel & Kgaa

1,592
Changxin Memory

1,589

What this shows Ecolab holds 1,610 patents at rank #265, shown against the 8 assignees closest to it in grant volume rather than the industry's largest filers.

Companies ranked near Ecolab

By rank, the assignees closest to #265 in granted patent volume.

Leaders in C11D (Detergent Compositions)

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

Ecolab's Innovation Score vs. every tracked assignee

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

66 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

Ecolab USA Inc. patent grants by year, 2015–2025
Year	Patents Granted	Share of Period
2015	108	6.7%
2016	140	8.7%
2017	165	10.2%
2018	168	10.4%
2019	201	12.5%
2020	194	12.0%
2021	135	8.4%
2022	126	7.8%
2023	127	7.9%
2024	137	8.5%
2025	109	6.8%

Which technologies does Ecolab USA Inc. patent most?

C11D - DETERGENT COMPOSITIONS; USE OF SINGLE SUBSTANCES AS DETERGENTS; SOAP OR SOAP-MAKING; RESIN SOAPS; RECOVERY OF GLYCEROL 535

C02F - TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE 243

A01N - PRESERVATION OF BODIES OF HUMANS OR ANIMALS OR PLANTS OR PARTS THEREOF ; BIOCIDES, e.g. AS DISINFECTANTS, AS PESTICIDES OR AS HERBICIDES ; PEST REPELLANTS OR ATTRACTANTS; PLANT GROWTH REGULATORS 230

C09K - MATERIALS FOR MISCELLANEOUS APPLICATIONS, NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE 158

B08B - CLEANING IN GENERAL; PREVENTION OF FOULING IN GENERAL 152

G01N - INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES 133

C07C - ACYCLIC OR CARBOCYCLIC COMPOUNDS 126

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 121

A47L - DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING ; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL 106

B01D - SEPARATION 97

C23F - NON-MECHANICAL REMOVAL OF METALLIC MATERIAL FROM SURFACE ; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION IN GENERAL; MULTI-STEP PROCESSES FOR SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL INVOLVING AT LEAST ONE PROCESS PROVIDED FOR IN CLASS C23 AND AT LEAST ONE PROCESS COVERED BY SUBCLASS C21D 83

C10G - CRACKING HYDROCARBON OILS; PRODUCTION OF LIQUID HYDROCARBON MIXTURES, e.g. BY DESTRUCTIVE HYDROGENATION, OLIGOMERISATION, POLYMERISATION ; RECOVERY OF HYDROCARBON OILS FROM OIL-SHALE, OIL-SAND, OR GASES; REFINING MIXTURES MAINLY CONSISTING OF HYDROCARBONS; REFORMING OF NAPHTHA; MINERAL WAXES 82

C08F - MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS OBTAINED BY REACTIONS ONLY INVOLVING CARBON-TO-CARBON UNSATURATED BONDS 69

D21H - PULP COMPOSITIONS; PREPARATION THEREOF NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES D21C OR D21D; IMPREGNATING OR COATING OF PAPER; TREATMENT OF FINISHED PAPER NOT COVERED BY CLASS B31 OR SUBCLASS D21G; PAPER NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR 64

B01J - CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOID CHEMISTRY; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS 61

Top 15 of 212 technology areas

Patent Moat Analysis

Portfolio Volume Strong

Tech Breadth Diversified

Claim Depth Standard

Velocity Growing

Where it ranks

Overall rank by patents

#265

Across all tracked assignees

Innovation Score

65.7 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 Ecolab USA Inc. hold?

Ecolab USA Inc. holds 1,610 US granted patents filed between 2015 and 2025, spanning 212 technology areas.

What is Ecolab USA Inc.'s Innovation Score?

Ecolab USA Inc. has an Innovation Score of 65.7 out of 100. This composite metric weighs portfolio volume (40%), filing velocity (20%), technology breadth (25%), and claim depth (15%).

What technology areas does Ecolab USA Inc. focus on?

Ecolab USA Inc.'s top technology area is C11D (DETERGENT COMPOSITIONS; USE OF SINGLE SUBSTANCES AS DETERGENTS; SOAP OR SOAP-MAKING; RESIN SOAPS; RECOVERY OF GLYCEROL) with 535 patents. The company has filed patents in 212 CPC subclasses total.

Is Ecolab USA Inc.'s patent filing rate increasing or decreasing?

Ecolab USA Inc.'s recent filing velocity is +6% compared to the prior five-year period. The company is maintaining or growing its patent output.

What does claim depth mean for Ecolab USA Inc.'s patents?

Ecolab USA Inc.'s patents average 17.2 claims each. This falls within the standard range, providing solid legal coverage.

How is the Ecolab USA 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

Ecolab's 1,610 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 - Ecolab ranks #265 of 50,000. Top 50 holders
Most of this portfolio concentrates in C11D - see who else leads that technology area. C11D 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.