Overall rank by patents
#1,111
Across all tracked assignees
USPTO 2015–2025 USPTO PatentsView US Corporation
National Oilwell Varco, L.P.
USPTO PatentsView assignee record — 382 granted patents across 109 technology areas, active 2015–2025. Filing-trend and competitive-moat analysis cross-referenced to USPTO Patent Public Search. Primary class: E21B (EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS).
382
Total patents granted
109
CPC technology areas
20.4
Avg claims per patent
-29%
5-year filing velocity
Portfolio overview
National Oilwell Varco, L.P. has been granted 382 US utility patents between 2015 and 2025, placing National Oilwell Varco, L.P. at rank #1,111 across all assignees tracked by PlainPatent. This portfolio spans 109 distinct Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) subclasses, averaging 20.4 claims per patent with primary concentration in E21B (EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS). As a US Corporation, National Oilwell Varco, L.P. is one of the broader-portfolio assignees in the PatentsView dataset. The composite Innovation Score of 64.4/100 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 158 grants, compared with 224 in the 2015–2019 window — a -29% 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. National Oilwell Varco, L.P.'s 20.4 average claims per patent reflects complex, broadly scoped inventions that are difficult for competitors to design around, 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 National Oilwell Varco, L.P. against peers pursuing similar technology classes.
How does National 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
- National Oilwell… ◀ 382
National Oilwell Varco, L.P.
382 patents
What this shows National holds 382 patents — placing it at rank #1,111 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 | 52 | 13.6% |
| 2016 | 61 | 16.0% |
| 2017 | 51 | 13.4% |
| 2018 | 41 | 10.7% |
| 2019 | 19 | 5.0% |
| 2020 | 39 | 10.2% |
| 2021 | 21 | 5.5% |
| 2022 | 21 | 5.5% |
| 2023 | 26 | 6.8% |
| 2024 | 31 | 8.1% |
| 2025 | 20 | 5.2% |
Which technologies does National Oilwell Varco, L.P. patent most?
Top 15 of 109 technology areas
Patent Moat Analysis
Portfolio Volume Moderate
Tech Breadth Diversified
Claim Depth Complex
Velocity Declining
Frequently Asked Questions
How many patents does National Oilwell Varco, L.P. hold?
National Oilwell Varco, L.P. holds 382 US granted patents filed between 2015 and 2025, spanning 109 technology areas.
What is National Oilwell Varco, L.P.'s Innovation Score?
National Oilwell Varco, L.P. has an Innovation Score of 64.4 out of 100. This composite metric weighs portfolio volume (40%), filing velocity (20%), technology breadth (25%), and claim depth (15%).
What technology areas does National Oilwell Varco, L.P. focus on?
National Oilwell Varco, L.P.'s top technology area is E21B (EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS) with 298 patents. The company has filed patents in 109 CPC subclasses total.
Is National Oilwell Varco, L.P.'s patent filing rate increasing or decreasing?
National Oilwell Varco, L.P.'s recent filing velocity is -29% compared to the prior five-year period. Filing activity has slowed relative to earlier years.
What does claim depth mean for National Oilwell Varco, L.P.'s patents?
National Oilwell Varco, L.P.'s patents average 20.4 claims each. This indicates complex, broadly scoped patents that are harder for competitors to design around.
How is the National Oilwell Varco, L.P. 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
E21B technology
National Oilwell Varco, L.P.'s primary CPC class — all holders and yearly trends
Top 50 patent holders
See where National Oilwell Varco, L.P. 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
