Where does Nikon Metrology NV rank among US patent assignees?

According to USPTO PatentsView (2015–2025 granted utility patents), Nikon Metrology NV ranks #11,367 of 49,997 assignees by granted-patent volume, the same sort as the companies listing and top-holders ranking. See /methodology/#corpus-placement.

How many patents does Nikon Metrology NV hold?

Nikon Metrology NV holds 27 US utility patents granted between 2017 and 2024, spanning 18 technology areas.

What is Nikon Metrology NV's Innovation Score?

Nikon Metrology NV has an Innovation Score of 41.7 out of 100 (top 32% of the corpus). This composite metric weighs portfolio volume (40%), grant velocity (20%), technology breadth (25%), and claim depth (15%).

What technology areas does Nikon Metrology NV focus on?

Nikon Metrology NV's top technology area is H01J (Electric Discharge Tubes OR Discharge Lamps) with 11 patents, ranking #187 of 1,076 assignees active in that subclass. Grants appear in 18 CPC subclasses total.

Is Nikon Metrology NV's patent grant rate increasing or decreasing?

Nikon Metrology NV's recent grant velocity is -65% compared to the prior five-year period (grant years, not application filing dates). Grant activity has slowed relative to earlier years.

What does claim depth mean for Nikon Metrology NV's patents?

Nikon Metrology NV's patents average 23.5 claims each. This is an aggregate descriptive count from the grant record; it does not establish claim scope, legal strength, enforceability, or design-around risk.

How is the Nikon Metrology NV 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.

USPTO 2015–2025 USPTO PatentsView Foreign Corporation

Nikon Metrology NV

USPTO PatentsView assignee record - 27 granted patents across 18 technology areas, recorded in grant years 2017–2024. Grant-trend analysis is cross-referenced to USPTO Patent Public Search; it does not measure application filings, current R&D, or legal strength. Primary class: H01J (Electric Discharge Tubes OR Discharge Lamps).

Compiled by PlainPatent · May 15, 2026

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Explore the portfolio See the ranking

The verdict

According to USPTO PatentsView, Nikon ranks #11,367 of 49,997 tracked US assignees by granted-patent volume, with 27 patents across 18 technology areas.

#11,367
of 49,997 US assignees by volume: Top 32%
by Innovation Score (41.7/100): 23.5
avg claims per patent: -65%
grant velocity, last 5 yrs

USPTO PatentsView assignee plate

Corpus R11367 · Foreign Corporation #11,367 · 27 grants

GRANTS-SMALL · UPPER-Q · PHOTO-FINISH · CPC-FOCUS · INNOV-PAR · CLAIMS-DENSE · TYPE-FRNCORP · VEL-DROP · BOOK-FULL

GRANTS-SMALL 27 grants
UPPER-Q #11,367/49,997
PHOTO-FINISH National Science…
CPC-FOCUS H01J · 18 areas
INNOV-PAR 41.7/100
CLAIMS-DENSE 23.5 claims/avg
TYPE-FRNCORP Foreign Corp
VEL-DROP -65% vel
BOOK-FULL 10/10 fields

Nearest grant-volume peer: National Science Foundation (±0 grants)

Instrument codes from this assignee’s USPTO PatentsView grant sheet: volume band, corpus rank, photo-finish peer, lead CPC, Innovation Score, claim depth, assignee type, velocity, and book completeness. Not a USPTO rating of patent strength.

How Nikon’s 41.7 Innovation Score adds up

The same four weighted components behind every Innovation Score on PlainPatent: portfolio volume, grant velocity, technology breadth, and claim depth.

Volume 11.5 pts (28%) Velocity 1.1 pts (3%) Breadth 15.0 pts (36%) Claim depth 14.1 pts (34%)

Qualcomm Incorporated · highest

85
Astrium SAS · near

42
Fortiss · near

42
Imagine Communications · near

42
National University… · near

42
Nikon Metrology · this assignee

42
3D Lighting… · lowest

7

What this shows Nikon's Innovation Score is 41.7/100 (top 32% of the PatentsView-derived corpus). The chart places that score against the nearest Innovation Score peers plus corpus poles, not a reprint of the volume ranking.

Does more volume mean deeper claims for Nikon?

Each dot is one of Nikon’s 8 nearest volume peers (same corpus rank neighbourhood as the chart above), placed by total granted patents (horizontal) against average claims per patent (vertical). Nikon’s own 23.5 claims/patent is ABOVE the 14.6 median for these volume peers. More thorough claims than most filers at this scale, not just more of them.

Nikon vs its 8 nearest volume peers: granted patents vs average claims per patent. Source: USPTO PatentsView.

Where Nikon's grants concentrate

Nikon Metrology NV is a focused PatentsView assignee: 18 CPC subclasses with 40.7% of grants classified under H01J (Electric Discharge Tubes OR Discharge Lamps). Peak complete grant year is 2018 (9 grants) versus a trough of 1 in 2021. By volume, Nikon sits between National Science Foundation and Nureva, Inc..

Nikon's three-year grant acceleration

Nikon Metrology NV shows 2 grants in 2022–2024 against only 12 in 2019–2021. That prior window is too thin for a growth multiple (rename and spin-out assignees look artificially high when the baseline is near zero), so PlainPatent withholds a ranked acceleration claim here.

National Science…

27
Netzch-feinmahlte…

27
Netzsch-gerätebau

27
Nextronics Engine…

27
Northrop Grumman…

27
NRI R&D Patent Li…

27
Nubia Technology

27
Nureva

27
Nikon Metrology ◀

27

What this shows Nikon holds 27 patents at rank #11,360, shown against the 8 assignees closest to it in grant volume rather than the industry's largest filers.

Companies ranked near Nikon

By rank, the assignees closest to #11,360 in granted patent volume.

Leaders in H01J (Electric Discharge Tubes OR Discharge Lamps)

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

Assignees with similar portfolio profiles

Two PlainPatent-derived peer sets for Nikon, neither rank-band nor same-CPC leaders (those blocks stay above). In H01J (Electric Discharge Tubes OR Discharge Lamps), Nikon ranks #187 of 1,076 assignees by patent count in that subclass.

Similar innovation score

Nearest assignees by Innovation Score (42 here).

Astrium SAS 42 National University of Ireland Maynooth 42 Imagine Communications Corp. 42 Fortiss, LLC 42

Nikon's Innovation Score vs. every tracked assignee

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

42 Top 32% higher than 68% of 49,997 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 · 2017–2024

Grants by year

Teal-shaded recent years (2020–present) versus the 2017–2019 baseline. Full figures in the table below.

View data table

Nikon Metrology NV patent grants by year, 2015–2025
Year	Patents Granted	Share of Period
2017	4	14.8%
2018	9	33.3%
2019	7	25.9%
2020	4	14.8%
2021	1	3.7%
2023	1	3.7%
2024	1	3.7%

Which technologies does Nikon Metrology NV patent most?

H01J - Electric Discharge Tubes OR Discharge Lamps 11

H05G - X-ray Technique 10

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

G01N - Investigating OR Analysing Materials BY Determining Their Chemical OR Physical Properties 8

F16C - SHAFTS; Flexible SHAFTS; Elements OR Crankshaft MECHANISMS; Rotary Bodies Other Than Gearing ELEMENTS; Bearings 7

F16J - Pistons ; CYLINDERS; Sealings 7

G01S - Radio DIRECTION-FINDING; Radio NAVIGATION; Determining Distance OR Velocity BY USE OF Radio WAVES; Locating OR Presence-detecting BY USE OF THE Reflection OR Reradiation OF Radio WAVES; Analogous Arrangements Using Other Waves 6

G01B - Measuring Length, Thickness OR Similar Linear DIMENSIONS; Measuring ANGLES; Measuring AREAS; Measuring Irregularities OF Surfaces OR Contours 5

A61B - DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; Identification 3

G21K - Techniques FOR Handling Particles OR Ionising Radiation NOT Otherwise Provided FOR; Irradiation DEVICES; Gamma RAY OR X-ray Microscopes 3

G02B - Optical Elements, Systems OR Apparatus 2

G01C - Measuring Distances, Levels OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; Gyroscopic INSTRUMENTS; Photogrammetry OR Videogrammetry 2

Y02B - Climate Change Mitigation Technologies Related TO Buildings, e.g. Housing, House Appliances OR Related End-user Applications 1

B22D - Casting OF METALS; Casting OF Other Substances BY THE Same Processes OR Devices 1

Y10T - Technical Subjects Covered BY Former US Classification 1

Top 15 of 18 technology areas

More on this record

Data Source

USPTO PatentsView, US granted patents 2015–2025

View all rankings → How is Innovation Score calculated?

What to do with this data

Nikon Metrology NV's patent record in context - here's where to go next.

Nikon Metrology NV's lead technology class is H01J (Electric Discharge Tubes OR Discharge Lamps), 40.7% of its portfolio - see every assignee active in that class. Explore H01J
Ranked #11,367 of 49,997 tracked assignees by patent volume - see the full leaderboard. See the ranking
Compare Nikon Metrology NV against National Science Foundation, an assignee filing at a similar volume. Compare portfolios
Innovation Score of 41.7/100 blends volume, velocity, technology breadth, and claim depth. How it's calculated

Figures reflect USPTO PatentsView grant data through May 2026; pending applications not yet granted are not counted.

Data sourced from USPTO PatentsView - official U.S. government patent data. See our methodology for computation details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainPatent

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 by PlainPatent, US Patent Intelligence Editorial Process · 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.