USPTO 2015–2025 USPTO PatentsView US Corporation

MKS Instruments, Inc.

USPTO PatentsView assignee record - 214 granted patents across 64 technology areas, active 2015–2025. Filing-trend and competitive-moat analysis cross-referenced to USPTO Patent Public Search. Primary class: H01J (ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS).

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

Explore the portfolio See the ranking

214

Total patents granted

CPC technology areas

23.9

Avg claims per patent

+4%

5-year filing velocity

The verdict

MKS holds 214 US patents across 64 technology areas, rank #1,877 of 50,000 tracked assignees.

#1,877
of 50,000 US assignees by volume: Top 2%
by Innovation Score (63.6/100): 23.9
avg claims per patent: +4%
filing velocity, last 5 yrs

Portfolio overview

MKS Instruments, Inc. has been granted 214 US utility patents between 2015 and 2025, placing MKS Instruments, Inc. at rank #1,877 across all assignees tracked by PlainPatent. This portfolio spans 64 distinct Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) subclasses, averaging 23.9 claims per patent with primary concentration in H01J (ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS). As a US Corporation, MKS Instruments, Inc. is one of the broader-portfolio assignees in the PatentsView dataset. By volume, MKS sits between F5 Networks, Inc. (214 patents, rank #1,873) and Senju Metal Industry Co., Ltd. (214 patents, rank #1,881) - the closest US assignees by grant volume. The composite Innovation Score of 63.6/100 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 109 grants, compared with 105 in the 2015–2019 window, a +4% 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. MKS Instruments, Inc.'s 23.9 average claims per patent reflects complex, broadly scoped inventions that are difficult for competitors to design around, 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 MKS Instruments, Inc. against peers pursuing similar technology classes.

F5 Networks

214
Glaxosmithkline I…

214
Grundfos Holding…

214
Johnson Electric…

214
Minebea

214
NEC Display Solut…

214
Nunhems B V

214
Senju Metal Indus…

214
MKS Instruments ◀

214

What this shows MKS holds 214 patents at rank #1,877, shown against the 8 assignees closest to it in grant volume rather than the industry's largest filers.

Companies ranked near MKS

By rank, the assignees closest to #1,877 in granted patent volume.

Leaders in H01J (Electric Discharge Tubes OR Discharge Lamps)

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

MKS's Innovation Score vs. every tracked assignee

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

64 Top 2% higher than 98% 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

MKS Instruments, Inc. patent grants by year, 2015–2025
Year	Patents Granted	Share of Period
2015	22	10.3%
2016	21	9.8%
2017	26	12.1%
2018	19	8.9%
2019	17	7.9%
2020	23	10.7%
2021	23	10.7%
2022	19	8.9%
2023	17	7.9%
2024	18	8.4%
2025	9	4.2%

Which technologies does MKS Instruments, Inc. patent most?

H01J - ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS 101

G01L - MEASURING FORCE, STRESS, TORQUE, WORK, MECHANICAL POWER, MECHANICAL EFFICIENCY, OR FLUID PRESSURE 34

G05D - SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES 31

Y10T - TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION 31

H05H - PLASMA TECHNIQUE ; PRODUCTION OF ACCELERATED ELECTRICALLY-CHARGED PARTICLES OR OF NEUTRONS; PRODUCTION OR ACCELERATION OF NEUTRAL MOLECULAR OR ATOMIC BEAMS 27

G01N - INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES 26

G01F - MEASURING VOLUME, VOLUME FLOW, MASS FLOW OR LIQUID LEVEL; METERING BY VOLUME 25

H01L - SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10 21

C23C - COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL 18

H03F - AMPLIFIERS 15

F16K - VALVES; TAPS; COCKS; ACTUATING-FLOATS; DEVICES FOR VENTING OR AERATING 15

H03H - IMPEDANCE NETWORKS, e.g. RESONANT CIRCUITS; RESONATORS 9

H02M - APPARATUS FOR CONVERSION BETWEEN AC AND AC, BETWEEN AC AND DC, OR BETWEEN DC AND DC, AND FOR USE WITH MAINS OR SIMILAR POWER SUPPLY SYSTEMS; CONVERSION OF DC OR AC INPUT POWER INTO SURGE OUTPUT POWER; CONTROL OR REGULATION THEREOF 8

H05B - ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL 8

B08B - CLEANING IN GENERAL; PREVENTION OF FOULING IN GENERAL 7

Top 15 of 64 technology areas

Patent Moat Analysis

Portfolio Volume Moderate

Tech Breadth Multi-domain

Claim Depth Complex

Velocity Growing

Where it ranks

Overall rank by patents

#1,877

Across all tracked assignees

Innovation Score

63.6 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 MKS Instruments, Inc. hold?

MKS Instruments, Inc. holds 214 US granted patents filed between 2015 and 2025, spanning 64 technology areas.

What is MKS Instruments, Inc.'s Innovation Score?

MKS Instruments, Inc. has an Innovation Score of 63.6 out of 100. This composite metric weighs portfolio volume (40%), filing velocity (20%), technology breadth (25%), and claim depth (15%).

What technology areas does MKS Instruments, Inc. focus on?

MKS Instruments, Inc.'s top technology area is H01J (ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS) with 101 patents. The company has filed patents in 64 CPC subclasses total.

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

MKS Instruments, Inc.'s recent filing velocity is +4% compared to the prior five-year period. The company is maintaining or growing its patent output.

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

MKS Instruments, Inc.'s patents average 23.9 claims each. This indicates complex, broadly scoped patents that are harder for competitors to design around.

How is the MKS Instruments, 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

MKS's 214 grants land it in the top 2% 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 - MKS ranks #1,877 of 50,000. Top 50 holders
Most of this portfolio concentrates in H01J - see who else leads that technology area. H01J 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.