USPTO 2015–2025 USPTO PatentsView US Corporation

Ethicon, Inc.

USPTO PatentsView assignee record - 2,042 granted patents across 143 technology areas, active 2015–2025. 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

2,042

Total patents granted

143

CPC technology areas

15.8

Avg claims per patent

-12%

5-year filing velocity

The verdict

Ethicon holds 2,042 US patents across 143 technology areas, rank #198 of 50,000 tracked assignees.

#198
of 50,000 US assignees by volume: Top 3%
by Innovation Score (61.4/100): 15.8
avg claims per patent: -12%
filing velocity, last 5 yrs

Portfolio overview

Ethicon, Inc. has been granted 2,042 US utility patents between 2015 and 2025, placing Ethicon, Inc. at rank #198 across all assignees tracked by PlainPatent. This portfolio spans 143 distinct Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) subclasses, averaging 15.8 claims per patent with primary concentration in A61B (DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION). As a US Corporation, Ethicon, Inc. is one of the broader-portfolio assignees in the PatentsView dataset. By volume, Ethicon sits between Beijing BOE Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd. (2,069 patents, rank #194) and Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp. (2,008 patents, rank #202) - the closest US assignees by grant volume. The composite Innovation Score of 61.4/100 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 957 grants, compared with 1,085 in the 2015–2019 window, a -12% 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, Inc.'s 15.8 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 Ethicon, Inc. against peers pursuing similar technology classes.

Beijing BOE Optoe…

2,069
Realtek Semicondu…

2,067
Skyworks Solutions

2,061
Disney Enterprises

2,051
Ethicon ◀

2,042
Broadcom

2,041
Mastercard Intern…

2,038
IGT

2,014
Pratt & Whitney C…

2,008

What this shows Ethicon holds 2,042 patents at rank #198, 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 #198 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)

61 Top 3% higher than 97% 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

Ethicon, Inc. patent grants by year, 2015–2025
Year	Patents Granted	Share of Period
2015	63	3.1%
2016	36	1.8%
2017	184	9.0%
2018	281	13.8%
2019	521	25.5%
2020	540	26.4%
2021	282	13.8%
2022	41	2.0%
2023	45	2.2%
2024	33	1.6%
2025	16	0.8%

Which technologies does Ethicon, Inc. patent most?

A61B - DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION 1,762

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 277

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 152

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 117

A61N - ELECTROTHERAPY; MAGNETOTHERAPY; RADIATION THERAPY; ULTRASOUND THERAPY 91

Y10T - TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION 90

B29C - SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING 64

H02J - CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY 63

H01M - PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY 63

G16H - HEALTHCARE INFORMATICS, i.e. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE HANDLING OR PROCESSING OF MEDICAL OR HEALTHCARE DATA 59

Y02E - REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION 59

G06F - ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING 52

B29L - INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASS B29C, RELATING TO PARTICULAR ARTICLES 52

A61K - PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL OR TOILETRY PURPOSES 42

A61P - SPECIFIC THERAPEUTIC ACTIVITY OF CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS OR MEDICINAL PREPARATIONS 39

Top 15 of 143 technology areas

Patent Moat Analysis

Portfolio Volume Strong

Tech Breadth Diversified

Claim Depth Standard

Velocity Declining

Where it ranks

Overall rank by patents

#198

Across all tracked assignees

Innovation Score

61.4 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, Inc. hold?

Ethicon, Inc. holds 2,042 US granted patents filed between 2015 and 2025, spanning 143 technology areas.

What is Ethicon, Inc.'s Innovation Score?

Ethicon, Inc. has an Innovation Score of 61.4 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, Inc. focus on?

Ethicon, Inc.'s top technology area is A61B (DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION) with 1,762 patents. The company has filed patents in 143 CPC subclasses total.

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

Ethicon, Inc.'s recent filing velocity is -12% compared to the prior five-year period. Filing activity has slowed relative to earlier years.

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

Ethicon, Inc.'s patents average 15.8 claims each. This falls within the standard range, providing solid legal coverage.

How is the Ethicon, 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 2,042 grants land it in the top 3% 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 #198 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.