USPTO 2015–2025 USPTO PatentsView Foreign Corporation

NHK Spring Co., Ltd.

USPTO PatentsView assignee record - 499 granted patents across 134 technology areas, active 2015–2025. Filing-trend and competitive-moat analysis cross-referenced to USPTO Patent Public Search. Primary class: B60N (SEATS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES; VEHICLE PASSENGER ACCOMMODATION NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR).

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

Explore the portfolio See the ranking

499

Total patents granted

134

CPC technology areas

7.9

Avg claims per patent

-17%

5-year filing velocity

The verdict

NHK holds 499 US patents across 134 technology areas, rank #901 of 50,000 tracked assignees.

#901
of 50,000 US assignees by volume: Top 6%
by Innovation Score (57.0/100): 7.9
avg claims per patent: -17%
filing velocity, last 5 yrs

Portfolio overview

NHK Spring Co., Ltd. has been granted 499 US utility patents between 2015 and 2025, placing NHK Spring Co., Ltd. at rank #901 across all assignees tracked by PlainPatent. This portfolio spans 134 distinct Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) subclasses, averaging 7.9 claims per patent with primary concentration in B60N (SEATS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES; VEHICLE PASSENGER ACCOMMODATION NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR). As a Foreign Corporation, NHK Spring Co., Ltd. is one of the broader-portfolio assignees in the PatentsView dataset. By volume, NHK sits between Atlassian PTY Ltd. (500 patents, rank #897) and Symbol Technologies, Llc (496 patents, rank #905) - the closest US assignees by grant volume. The composite Innovation Score of 57.0/100 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 226 grants, compared with 273 in the 2015–2019 window, a -17% 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. NHK Spring Co., Ltd.'s 7.9 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 NHK Spring Co., Ltd. against peers pursuing similar technology classes.

Atlassian PTY

500
China Petroleum &…

500
United Parcel Ser…

500
Dalian University…

499
Omron Healthcare

499
NHK Spring ◀

499
Eastman Chemical

498
University OF Mar…

497
Symbol

496

What this shows NHK holds 499 patents at rank #901, shown against the 8 assignees closest to it in grant volume rather than the industry's largest filers.

Companies ranked near NHK

By rank, the assignees closest to #901 in granted patent volume.

Leaders in B60N (Seats Specially Adapted FOR Vehicles)

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

NHK's Innovation Score vs. every tracked assignee

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

57 Top 6% higher than 94% 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

NHK Spring Co., Ltd. patent grants by year, 2015–2025
Year	Patents Granted	Share of Period
2015	70	14.0%
2016	65	13.0%
2017	50	10.0%
2018	31	6.2%
2019	57	11.4%
2020	38	7.6%
2021	35	7.0%
2022	39	7.8%
2023	33	6.6%
2024	40	8.0%
2025	41	8.2%

Which technologies does NHK Spring Co., Ltd. patent most?

B60N - SEATS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES; VEHICLE PASSENGER ACCOMMODATION NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR 102

G11B - INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER 97

F16F - SPRINGS; SHOCK-ABSORBERS; MEANS FOR DAMPING VIBRATION 89

B60G - VEHICLE SUSPENSION ARRANGEMENTS 77

Y10T - TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION 60

C22C - ALLOYS 39

C21D - MODIFYING THE PHYSICAL STRUCTURE OF FERROUS METALS; GENERAL DEVICES FOR HEAT TREATMENT OF FERROUS OR NON-FERROUS METALS OR ALLOYS; MAKING METAL MALLEABLE, e.g. BY DECARBURISATION OR TEMPERING 39

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 34

G01R - MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES 29

B21D - WORKING OR PROCESSING OF SHEET METAL OR METAL TUBES, RODS OR PROFILES WITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVING MATERIAL; PUNCHING METAL 27

F16C - SHAFTS; FLEXIBLE SHAFTS; ELEMENTS OR CRANKSHAFT MECHANISMS; ROTARY BODIES OTHER THAN GEARING ELEMENTS; BEARINGS 25

H05K - PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS 24

H01L - SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10 23

H01R - ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS 19

B23K - SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM 17

Top 15 of 134 technology areas

Patent Moat Analysis

Portfolio Volume Moderate

Tech Breadth Diversified

Claim Depth Simple

Velocity Declining

Where it ranks

Overall rank by patents

#901

Across all tracked assignees

Innovation Score

57.0 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 NHK Spring Co., Ltd. hold?

NHK Spring Co., Ltd. holds 499 US granted patents filed between 2015 and 2025, spanning 134 technology areas.

What is NHK Spring Co., Ltd.'s Innovation Score?

NHK Spring Co., Ltd. has an Innovation Score of 57.0 out of 100. This composite metric weighs portfolio volume (40%), filing velocity (20%), technology breadth (25%), and claim depth (15%).

What technology areas does NHK Spring Co., Ltd. focus on?

NHK Spring Co., Ltd.'s top technology area is B60N (SEATS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES; VEHICLE PASSENGER ACCOMMODATION NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR) with 102 patents. The company has filed patents in 134 CPC subclasses total.

Is NHK Spring Co., Ltd.'s patent filing rate increasing or decreasing?

NHK Spring Co., Ltd.'s recent filing velocity is -17% compared to the prior five-year period. Filing activity has slowed relative to earlier years.

What does claim depth mean for NHK Spring Co., Ltd.'s patents?

NHK Spring Co., Ltd.'s patents average 7.9 claims each. This is relatively simple claim structure, typical for focused inventions.

How is the NHK Spring Co., 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.

How to use this portfolio

NHK's 499 grants land it in the top 6% 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 - NHK ranks #901 of 50,000. Top 50 holders
Most of this portfolio concentrates in B60N - see who else leads that technology area. B60N 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.