USPTO 2015–2025 USPTO PatentsView US Corporation

Key Technology, Inc.

USPTO PatentsView assignee record - 39 granted patents across 23 technology areas, active 2015–2024. Filing-trend and competitive-moat analysis cross-referenced to USPTO Patent Public Search. Primary class: B07C (POSTAL SORTING; SORTING INDIVIDUAL ARTICLES, OR BULK MATERIAL FIT TO BE SORTED PIECE-MEAL, e.g. BY PICKING).

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

Explore the portfolio See the ranking

Total patents granted

CPC technology areas

19.1

Avg claims per patent

-78%

5-year filing velocity

The verdict

Key holds 39 US patents across 23 technology areas, rank #8,235 of 50,000 tracked assignees.

#8,235
of 50,000 US assignees by volume: Top 27%
by Innovation Score (44.0/100): 19.1
avg claims per patent: -78%
filing velocity, last 5 yrs

Portfolio overview

Key Technology, Inc. has been granted 39 US utility patents between 2015 and 2024, placing Key Technology, Inc. at rank #8,235 across all assignees tracked by PlainPatent. This portfolio spans 23 distinct Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) subclasses, averaging 19.1 claims per patent with primary concentration in B07C (POSTAL SORTING; SORTING INDIVIDUAL ARTICLES, OR BULK MATERIAL FIT TO BE SORTED PIECE-MEAL, e.g. BY PICKING). As a US Corporation, Key Technology, Inc. is one of the more focused assignees in the PatentsView dataset. By volume, Key sits between Kotobuki & Co., Ltd. (39 patents, rank #8,231) and Lingdong Technology (beijing) Co. Ltd. (39 patents, rank #8,239) - the closest US assignees by grant volume. The composite Innovation Score of 44.0/100 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 7 grants, compared with 32 in the 2015–2019 window, a -78% 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. Key Technology, Inc.'s 19.1 average claims per patent sits within the typical range for solid legal coverage without excessive prosecution cost, while a multi-domain presence across 23 subclasses balances depth with breadth. Combined with portfolio volume, these signals let analysts, investors, and licensing professionals benchmark Key Technology, Inc. against peers pursuing similar technology classes.

Kotobuki &

39
KSB Aktiengesells…

39
Kuang-chi Innovat…

39
Kason Industries

39
Kid Stuff Marketi…

39
Lacks Enterprises

39
Lamberti SPA

39
Lingdong Technolo…

39
Key Technology ◀

39

What this shows Key holds 39 patents at rank #8,235, shown against the 8 assignees closest to it in grant volume rather than the industry's largest filers.

Companies ranked near Key

By rank, the assignees closest to #8,235 in granted patent volume.

Leaders in B07C (Postal Sorting)

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

Key's Innovation Score vs. every tracked assignee

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

44 Top 27% higher than 73% 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 · 2015–2024

Grants by year

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

View data table

Key Technology, Inc. patent grants by year, 2015–2025
Year	Patents Granted	Share of Period
2015	7	17.9%
2016	8	20.5%
2017	3	7.7%
2018	4	10.3%
2019	10	25.6%
2020	2	5.1%
2022	2	5.1%
2023	2	5.1%
2024	1	2.6%

Which technologies does Key Technology, Inc. patent most?

B07C - POSTAL SORTING; SORTING INDIVIDUAL ARTICLES, OR BULK MATERIAL FIT TO BE SORTED PIECE-MEAL, e.g. BY PICKING 16

B65G - TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS 11

G06T - IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL 9

G06V - IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING 6

B26D - CUTTING; DETAILS COMMON TO MACHINES FOR PERFORATING, PUNCHING, CUTTING-OUT, STAMPING-OUT OR SEVERING 5

Y10T - TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION 4

G01N - INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES 4

G06F - ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING 3

H04N - PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION 3

B26F - PERFORATING; PUNCHING; CUTTING-OUT; STAMPING-OUT; SEVERING BY MEANS OTHER THAN CUTTING 2

B25B - TOOLS OR BENCH DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR, FOR FASTENING, CONNECTING, DISENGAGING OR HOLDING 2

Y10S - TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS 1

H10D - INORGANIC ELECTRIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES 1

G01J - MEASUREMENT OF INTENSITY, VELOCITY, SPECTRAL CONTENT, POLARISATION, PHASE OR PULSE CHARACTERISTICS OF INFRARED, VISIBLE OR ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT; COLORIMETRY; RADIATION PYROMETRY 1

H01L - SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10 1

Top 15 of 23 technology areas

Patent Moat Analysis

Portfolio Volume Light

Tech Breadth Multi-domain

Claim Depth Standard

Velocity Declining

Where it ranks

Overall rank by patents

#8,235

Across all tracked assignees

Innovation Score

44.0 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 Key Technology, Inc. hold?

Key Technology, Inc. holds 39 US granted patents filed between 2015 and 2024, spanning 23 technology areas.

What is Key Technology, Inc.'s Innovation Score?

Key Technology, Inc. has an Innovation Score of 44.0 out of 100. This composite metric weighs portfolio volume (40%), filing velocity (20%), technology breadth (25%), and claim depth (15%).

What technology areas does Key Technology, Inc. focus on?

Key Technology, Inc.'s top technology area is B07C (POSTAL SORTING; SORTING INDIVIDUAL ARTICLES, OR BULK MATERIAL FIT TO BE SORTED PIECE-MEAL, e.g. BY PICKING) with 16 patents. The company has filed patents in 23 CPC subclasses total.

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

Key Technology, Inc.'s recent filing velocity is -78% compared to the prior five-year period. Filing activity has slowed relative to earlier years.

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

Key Technology, Inc.'s patents average 19.1 claims each. This falls within the standard range, providing solid legal coverage.

How is the Key Technology, 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

Key's 39 grants land it in the top 27% 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 - Key ranks #8,235 of 50,000. Top 50 holders
Most of this portfolio concentrates in B07C - see who else leads that technology area. B07C 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.