PlainPatent
USPTO 2015–2025 USPTO PatentsView Foreign Corporation

NKK Switches Co., Ltd.

USPTO PatentsView assignee record - 5 granted patents across 2 technology areas, active 2016–2022. Filing-trend and competitive-moat analysis cross-referenced to USPTO Patent Public Search. Primary class: H01H (ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES).

Explore the portfolio See the ranking
5
Total patents granted
2
CPC technology areas
4.6
Avg claims per patent
+50%
5-year filing velocity

The verdict

NKK holds 5 US patents across 2 technology areas, rank #49,049 of 50,000 tracked assignees.

#49,049
of 50,000 US assignees by volume
Top 96%
by Innovation Score (17.3/100)
4.6
avg claims per patent
+50%
filing velocity, last 5 yrs

Portfolio overview

NKK Switches Co., Ltd. has been granted 5 US utility patents between 2016 and 2022, placing NKK Switches Co., Ltd. at rank #49,049 across all assignees tracked by PlainPatent. This portfolio spans 2 distinct Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) subclasses, averaging 4.6 claims per patent with primary concentration in H01H (ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES). As a Foreign Corporation, NKK Switches Co., Ltd. is one of the more focused assignees in the PatentsView dataset. By volume, NKK sits between Nitta Gelatin Inc. (5 patents, rank #49,045) and Noble Sensors, Llc (5 patents, rank #49,053) - the closest US assignees by grant volume. The composite Innovation Score of 17.3/100 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 3 grants, compared with 2 in the 2015–2019 window, a +50% shift in five-year velocity. An acceleration of this magnitude signals aggressive R&D investment and expanding technical ambition. 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. NKK Switches Co., Ltd.'s 4.6 average claims per patent suggests focused, narrowly drawn claims typical of single-invention filings, while specialization in 2 subclasses reflects a tightly scoped invention area. Combined with portfolio volume, these signals let analysts, investors, and licensing professionals benchmark NKK Switches Co., Ltd. against peers pursuing similar technology classes.

Who files at NKK's volume?

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

patents

What this shows NKK holds 5 patents at rank #49,049, 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 NKK

By rank, the assignees closest to #49,049 in granted patent volume.

Leaders in H01H (Electric Switches)

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

NKK's Innovation Score vs. every tracked assignee

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

17 Top 96% higher than 4% of 50,000 US assignees

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

0.511.522.5 201620212022 1
USPTO utility patent grants by year · 2016–2022

Grants by year

Teal-shaded recent years (2020–present) versus the 2016–2019 baseline. Full figures in the table below.

View data table
NKK Switches Co., Ltd. patent grants by year, 2015–2025
Year Patents Granted Share of Period
2016 2 40.0%
2021 2 40.0%
2022 1 20.0%

Which technologies does NKK Switches Co., Ltd. patent most?

Top 2 of 2 technology areas

Patent Moat Analysis

Portfolio Volume Light
Tech Breadth Specialized
Claim Depth Simple
Velocity Accelerating

Where it ranks

Overall rank by patents

#49,049

Across all tracked assignees

Innovation Score

17.3 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 NKK Switches Co., Ltd. hold?
NKK Switches Co., Ltd. holds 5 US granted patents filed between 2016 and 2022, spanning 2 technology areas.
What is NKK Switches Co., Ltd.'s Innovation Score?
NKK Switches Co., Ltd. has an Innovation Score of 17.3 out of 100. This composite metric weighs portfolio volume (40%), filing velocity (20%), technology breadth (25%), and claim depth (15%).
What technology areas does NKK Switches Co., Ltd. focus on?
NKK Switches Co., Ltd.'s top technology area is H01H (ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES) with 3 patents. The company has filed patents in 2 CPC subclasses total.
Is NKK Switches Co., Ltd.'s patent filing rate increasing or decreasing?
NKK Switches Co., Ltd.'s recent filing velocity is +50% compared to the prior five-year period. This indicates accelerating innovation.
What does claim depth mean for NKK Switches Co., Ltd.'s patents?
NKK Switches Co., Ltd.'s patents average 4.6 claims each. This is relatively simple claim structure, typical for focused inventions.
How is the NKK Switches 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

NKK's 5 grants land it in the top 96% 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 - NKK ranks #49,049 of 50,000. Top 50 holders
  • Most of this portfolio concentrates in H01H - see who else leads that technology area. H01H 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.