Overall rank by patents
#446
Across all tracked assignees
USPTO 2015–2025 USPTO PatentsView Foreign Corporation
KOBE STEEL LTD.
USPTO PatentsView assignee record — 1,023 granted patents across 233 technology areas, active 2015–2025. Filing-trend and competitive-moat analysis cross-referenced to USPTO Patent Public Search. Primary class: C22C (ALLOYS).
1,023
Total patents granted
233
CPC technology areas
9.4
Avg claims per patent
-42%
5-year filing velocity
Portfolio overview
KOBE STEEL LTD. has been granted 1,023 US utility patents between 2015 and 2025, placing KOBE STEEL LTD. at rank #446 across all assignees tracked by PlainPatent. This portfolio spans 233 distinct Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) subclasses, averaging 9.4 claims per patent with primary concentration in C22C (ALLOYS). As a Foreign Corporation, KOBE STEEL LTD. is one of the broader-portfolio assignees in the PatentsView dataset. The composite Innovation Score of 57.5/100 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 377 grants, compared with 646 in the 2015–2019 window — a -42% shift in five-year velocity. A cooling filing rate may reflect portfolio consolidation, shifting priorities, or reduced R&D throughput. The Foreign 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. KOBE STEEL LTD.'s 9.4 average claims per patent suggests focused, narrowly drawn claims typical of single-invention filings, 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 KOBE STEEL LTD. against peers pursuing similar technology classes.
How does KOBE compare?
Granted US patents 2015–2025 versus the largest corporate holders — this company marked ◀
- Samsung
SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
106,890 patents
- International Bus…
International Business Machines Corporation
72,926 patents
- Canon 34,378
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
34,378 patents
- LG 32,607
LG ELECTRONICS INC.
32,607 patents
- Taiwan Semiconduc… 31,041
TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY LTD.
31,041 patents
- Apple 30,560
Apple Inc.
30,560 patents
- Qualcomm Incorpor… 30,354
QUALCOMM Incorporated
30,354 patents
- Intel 27,498
Intel Corporation
27,498 patents
- KOBE Steel ◀ 1,023
KOBE STEEL LTD.
1,023 patents
What this shows KOBE holds 1,023 patents — placing it at rank #446 overall, well behind the volume leaders but ahead of the tens of thousands of smaller assignees in the dataset.
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
| Year | Patents Granted | Share of Period |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 124 | 12.1% |
| 2016 | 131 | 12.8% |
| 2017 | 148 | 14.5% |
| 2018 | 109 | 10.7% |
| 2019 | 134 | 13.1% |
| 2020 | 105 | 10.3% |
| 2021 | 90 | 8.8% |
| 2022 | 70 | 6.8% |
| 2023 | 28 | 2.7% |
| 2024 | 47 | 4.6% |
| 2025 | 37 | 3.6% |
Which technologies does KOBE STEEL LTD. patent most?
C22C— ALLOYS 233
Top 15 of 233 technology areas
Patent Moat Analysis
Portfolio Volume Strong
Tech Breadth Diversified
Claim Depth Simple
Velocity Declining
Frequently Asked Questions
How many patents does KOBE STEEL LTD. hold?
KOBE STEEL LTD. holds 1,023 US granted patents filed between 2015 and 2025, spanning 233 technology areas.
What is KOBE STEEL LTD.'s Innovation Score?
KOBE STEEL LTD. has an Innovation Score of 57.5 out of 100. This composite metric weighs portfolio volume (40%), filing velocity (20%), technology breadth (25%), and claim depth (15%).
What technology areas does KOBE STEEL LTD. focus on?
KOBE STEEL LTD.'s top technology area is C22C (ALLOYS) with 233 patents. The company has filed patents in 233 CPC subclasses total.
Is KOBE STEEL LTD.'s patent filing rate increasing or decreasing?
KOBE STEEL LTD.'s recent filing velocity is -42% compared to the prior five-year period. Filing activity has slowed relative to earlier years.
What does claim depth mean for KOBE STEEL LTD.'s patents?
KOBE STEEL LTD.'s patents average 9.4 claims each. This is relatively simple claim structure, typical for focused inventions.
How is the KOBE STEEL LTD. 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.
Learn More
Explore the patent dataset
C22C technology
KOBE STEEL LTD.'s primary CPC class — all holders and yearly trends
Top 50 patent holders
See where KOBE STEEL LTD. ranks among the largest US patent assignees
All technology classes
Browse every CPC technology area by patent activity
How the score works
The four dimensions behind the Innovation Score
Related
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.
All federal data sources used on this page
- USPTO PatentsView — official U.S. Patent and Trademark Office bulk patent data. patentsview.org
- USPTO Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) — application status and file history. uspto.gov/patents/pair
- USPTO Bulk Data Storage System — comprehensive patent text + claims dataset. bulkdata.uspto.gov
- USPTO CPC Classification — Cooperative Patent Classification scheme for technology categorization. uspto.gov/cpc
- SEC EDGAR — public filings cross-reference for assignee corporate entity matching. sec.gov/edgar
- WIPO PATENTSCOPE — international patent context (related international filings). wipo.int/patentscope
