USPTO 2015–2025 USPTO PatentsView US Corporation

Ethicon Endo-surgery, Inc.

USPTO PatentsView assignee record - 601 granted patents across 64 technology areas, active 2015–2023. Filing-trend and competitive-moat analysis cross-referenced to USPTO Patent Public Search. Primary class: A61B (DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION).

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

Explore the portfolio See the ranking

601

Total patents granted

CPC technology areas

16.1

Avg claims per patent

-97%

5-year filing velocity

The verdict

Ethicon holds 601 US patents across 64 technology areas, rank #763 of 50,000 tracked assignees.

#763
of 50,000 US assignees by volume: Top 5%
by Innovation Score (58.0/100): 16.1
avg claims per patent: -97%
filing velocity, last 5 yrs

Portfolio overview

Ethicon Endo-surgery, Inc. has been granted 601 US utility patents between 2015 and 2023, placing Ethicon Endo-surgery, Inc. at rank #763 across all assignees tracked by PlainPatent. This portfolio spans 64 distinct Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) subclasses, averaging 16.1 claims per patent with primary concentration in A61B (DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION). As a US Corporation, Ethicon Endo-surgery, Inc. is one of the broader-portfolio assignees in the PatentsView dataset. By volume, Ethicon sits between Abb Vie Inc. (604 patents, rank #759) and Bio-rad Laboratories, Inc. (597 patents, rank #767) - the closest US assignees by grant volume. The composite Innovation Score of 58.0/100 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 17 grants, compared with 584 in the 2015–2019 window, a -97% 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. Ethicon Endo-surgery, Inc.'s 16.1 average claims per patent sits within the typical range for solid legal coverage without excessive prosecution cost, while a multi-domain presence across 64 subclasses balances depth with breadth. Combined with portfolio volume, these signals let analysts, investors, and licensing professionals benchmark Ethicon Endo-surgery, Inc. against peers pursuing similar technology classes.

Abb Vie

604
SAS Institute

604
DIC

602
Maxlinear

602
Sunpower

601
Vitesco

601
Ethicon Endo-surg… ◀

601
TDK Taiwan

598
Bio-rad Laborator…

597

What this shows Ethicon holds 601 patents at rank #763, shown against the 8 assignees closest to it in grant volume rather than the industry's largest filers.

Companies ranked near Ethicon

By rank, the assignees closest to #763 in granted patent volume.

Leaders in A61B (Diagnosis)

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

Ethicon's Innovation Score vs. every tracked assignee

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

58 Top 5% higher than 95% 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 · 2015–2023

Grants by year

Teal-shaded recent years (2020–present) versus the 2015–2019 baseline. Full figures in the table below.

View data table

Ethicon Endo-surgery, Inc. patent grants by year, 2015–2025
Year	Patents Granted	Share of Period
2015	206	34.3%
2016	200	33.3%
2017	119	19.8%
2018	43	7.2%
2019	16	2.7%
2020	7	1.2%
2021	5	0.8%
2022	4	0.7%
2023	1	0.2%

Which technologies does Ethicon Endo-surgery, Inc. patent most?

A61B - DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION 538

Y10T - TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION 68

A61N - ELECTROTHERAPY; MAGNETOTHERAPY; RADIATION THERAPY; ULTRASOUND THERAPY 57

H02J - CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY 40

A61F - FILTERS IMPLANTABLE INTO BLOOD VESSELS; PROSTHESES; DEVICES PROVIDING PATENCY TO, OR PREVENTING COLLAPSING OF, TUBULAR STRUCTURES OF THE BODY, e.g. STENTS; ORTHOPAEDIC, NURSING OR CONTRACEPTIVE DEVICES; FOMENTATION; TREATMENT OR PROTECTION OF EYES OR EARS; BANDAGES, DRESSINGS OR ABSORBENT PADS; FIRS 34

F04C - ROTARY-PISTON, OR OSCILLATING-PISTON, POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS ; ROTARY-PISTON, OR OSCILLATING-PISTON, POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT PUMPS 32

G16H - HEALTHCARE INFORMATICS, i.e. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE HANDLING OR PROCESSING OF MEDICAL OR HEALTHCARE DATA 32

Y02E - REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION 31

H01M - PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY 29

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 24

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 16

B25C - HAND-HELD NAILING OR STAPLING TOOLS; MANUALLY OPERATED PORTABLE STAPLING TOOLS 15

A61K - PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL OR TOILETRY PURPOSES 10

Y02A - TECHNOLOGIES FOR ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE 9

H01H - ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES 9

Top 15 of 64 technology areas

Patent Moat Analysis

Portfolio Volume Moderate

Tech Breadth Multi-domain

Claim Depth Standard

Velocity Declining

Where it ranks

Overall rank by patents

#763

Across all tracked assignees

Innovation Score

58.0 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 Ethicon Endo-surgery, Inc. hold?

Ethicon Endo-surgery, Inc. holds 601 US granted patents filed between 2015 and 2023, spanning 64 technology areas.

What is Ethicon Endo-surgery, Inc.'s Innovation Score?

Ethicon Endo-surgery, Inc. has an Innovation Score of 58.0 out of 100. This composite metric weighs portfolio volume (40%), filing velocity (20%), technology breadth (25%), and claim depth (15%).

What technology areas does Ethicon Endo-surgery, Inc. focus on?

Ethicon Endo-surgery, Inc.'s top technology area is A61B (DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION) with 538 patents. The company has filed patents in 64 CPC subclasses total.

Is Ethicon Endo-surgery, Inc.'s patent filing rate increasing or decreasing?

Ethicon Endo-surgery, Inc.'s recent filing velocity is -97% compared to the prior five-year period. Filing activity has slowed relative to earlier years.

What does claim depth mean for Ethicon Endo-surgery, Inc.'s patents?

Ethicon Endo-surgery, Inc.'s patents average 16.1 claims each. This falls within the standard range, providing solid legal coverage.

How is the Ethicon Endo-surgery, 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

Ethicon's 601 grants land it in the top 5% 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 - Ethicon ranks #763 of 50,000. Top 50 holders
Most of this portfolio concentrates in A61B - see who else leads that technology area. A61B 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.