PlainPatent
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).

Explore the portfolio See the ranking
382
Total patents granted
109
CPC technology areas
20.4
Avg claims per patent
-29%
5-year filing velocity

The verdict

National holds 382 US patents across 109 technology areas, rank #1,111 of 50,000 tracked assignees.

#1,111
of 50,000 US assignees by volume
Top 2%
by Innovation Score (64.4/100)
20.4
avg claims per patent
-29%
filing velocity, last 5 yrs

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. By volume, National sits between Kobelco Construction Machinery Co., Ltd (384 patents, rank #1,107) and Henkel IP & Holding Gmbh (380 patents, rank #1,115) - the closest US assignees by grant volume. 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.

Who files at National's volume?

Granted US patents 2015–2025 versus its nearest-ranked assignees by volume, this company marked ◀

patents

What this shows National holds 382 patents at rank #1,111, shown against the 8 assignees closest to it in grant volume rather than the industry's largest filers.

Source USPTO PatentsView, granted utility patents As of 2015–2025

Companies ranked near National

By rank, the assignees closest to #1,111 in granted patent volume.

Leaders in E21B (Earth OR ROCK Drilling)

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

National'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

0–10: 687 US assignees (1%). Below this entry. 10–20: 2,527 US assignees (5%). Below this entry. 20–30: 13,162 US assignees (26%). Below this entry. 30–40: 15,294 US assignees (31%). Below this entry. 40–50: 11,491 US assignees (23%). Below this entry. 50–60: 5,058 US assignees (10%). Below this entry. 60–70: 1,537 US assignees (3%). This entry sits in this band. 70–80: 234 US assignees (0%). Above this entry. 80–90: 10 US assignees (0%). Above this entry. 90–100: 0 US assignees (0%). Above this entry. This assignee 0 100 every tracked assignee, bucketed by value

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

10203040506070 20152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 20
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
National Oilwell Varco, L.p. patent grants by year, 2015–2025
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

Where it ranks

Overall rank by patents

#1,111

Across all tracked assignees

Innovation Score

64.4 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 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.

How to use this portfolio

National's 382 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 - National ranks #1,111 of 50,000. Top 50 holders
  • Most of this portfolio concentrates in E21B - see who else leads that technology area. E21B 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

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.