Where does Northrop Grumman Litef GMBH rank among US patent assignees?

According to USPTO PatentsView (2015–2025 granted utility patents), Northrop Grumman Litef GMBH ranks #11,369 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 Northrop Grumman Litef GMBH hold?

Northrop Grumman Litef GMBH holds 27 US utility patents granted between 2015 and 2025, spanning 16 technology areas.

What is Northrop Grumman Litef GMBH's Innovation Score?

Northrop Grumman Litef GMBH has an Innovation Score of 34.5 out of 100 (48th percentile of the corpus). This composite metric weighs portfolio volume (40%), grant velocity (20%), technology breadth (25%), and claim depth (15%).

Is Northrop Grumman Litef GMBH's patent grant rate increasing or decreasing?

Northrop Grumman Litef GMBH's recent grant velocity is -87% 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 Northrop Grumman Litef GMBH's patents?

Northrop Grumman Litef GMBH's patents average 11.6 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 Northrop Grumman Litef GMBH 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

Northrop Grumman Litef GMBH

Q: What technology areas does Northrop Grumman Litef GMBH focus on?

Northrop Grumman Litef GMBH's top technology area is G01C (Measuring Distances, Levels OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; Gyroscopic INSTRUMENTS; Photogrammetry OR Videogrammetry) with 19 patents, ranking #167 of 1,814 assignees active in that subclass. Grants appear in 16 CPC subclasses total.

USPTO PatentsView assignee record - 27 granted patents across 16 technology areas, recorded in grant years 2015–2025. 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: G01C (Measuring Distances, Levels OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; Gyroscopic INSTRUMENTS; Photogrammetry OR Videogrammetry).

Compiled by PlainPatent · May 15, 2026

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The verdict

According to USPTO PatentsView, Northrop ranks #11,369 of 49,997 tracked US assignees by granted-patent volume, with 27 patents across 16 technology areas.

#11,369
of 49,997 US assignees by volume: 48th percentile
by Innovation Score (34.5/100): 11.6
avg claims per patent: -87%
grant velocity, last 5 yrs

USPTO PatentsView assignee plate

Corpus R11369 · Foreign Corporation #11,369 · 27 grants

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

GRANTS-SMALL 27 grants
UPPER-Q #11,369/49,997
PHOTO-FINISH NETZCH-Feinmahltechnik
CPC-FOCUS G01C · 16 areas
INNOV-THIN 34.5/100
CLAIMS-PAR 11.6 claims/avg
TYPE-FRNCORP Foreign Corp
VEL-DROP -87% vel
BOOK-FULL 10/10 fields

Nearest grant-volume peer: NETZCH-Feinmahltechnik GmbH (±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 Northrop’s 34.5 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 (33%) Velocity 1.9 pts (6%) Breadth 14.1 pts (41%) Claim depth 6.9 pts (20%)

Qualcomm Incorporated · highest

85
Argus Cyber Security · near

34
Attopsemi Technology · near

34
Movius Interactive · near

34
Northrop Grumman Litef · this assignee

34
Trividia Health · near

34
3D Lighting… · lowest

7

What this shows Northrop's Innovation Score is 34.5/100 (48th percentile 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 Northrop?

Each dot is one of Northrop’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). Northrop’s own 11.6 claims/patent is at or below the 14.8 median for these volume peers. Volume here does not track with deeper claims; several lower-volume peers claim more thoroughly per patent.

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

Where Northrop's grants concentrate

Northrop Grumman Litef GMBH is a focused PatentsView assignee: 16 CPC subclasses with 70.4% of grants classified under G01C (Measuring Distances, Levels OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; Gyroscopic INSTRUMENTS; Photogrammetry OR Videogrammetry). Peak complete grant year is 2018 (7 grants) versus a trough of 1 in 2021. By volume, Northrop sits between NETZCH-Feinmahltechnik GmbH and Nuvolo Technologies Corporation.

Northrop's three-year grant acceleration

Northrop Grumman Litef GMBH shows 2 grants in 2022–2024 against only 7 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.

Netzch-feinmahlte…

27
Netzsch-gerätebau

27
Nextronics Engine…

27
Nikon Metrology

27
NRI R&D Patent Li…

27
Nubia Technology

27
Nureva

27
Nuvolo

27
Northrop Grumman… ◀

27

What this shows Northrop holds 27 patents at rank #11,361, shown against the 8 assignees closest to it in grant volume rather than the industry's largest filers.

Companies ranked near Northrop

By rank, the assignees closest to #11,361 in granted patent volume.

Leaders in G01C (Measuring Distances)

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

Assignees with similar portfolio profiles

Two PlainPatent-derived peer sets for Northrop, neither rank-band nor same-CPC leaders (those blocks stay above). In G01C (Measuring Distances), Northrop ranks #167 of 1,814 assignees by patent count in that subclass.

Similar innovation score

Nearest assignees by Innovation Score (34 here).

Attopsemi Technology Co., Ltd 34 Trividia Health, Inc. 34 Argus Cyber Security Ltd 34 Movius Interactive Corporation 34

Northrop's Innovation Score vs. every tracked assignee

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

34 48th percentile higher than 48% 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 · 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

Northrop Grumman Litef GMBH patent grants by year, 2015–2025
Year	Patents Granted	Share of Period
2015	2	7.4%
2016	5	18.5%
2017	3	11.1%
2018	7	25.9%
2019	6	22.2%
2021	1	3.7%
2023	1	3.7%
2024	1	3.7%
2025partial year	1	3.7%

Which technologies does Northrop Grumman Litef GMBH patent most?

G01C - Measuring Distances, Levels OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; Gyroscopic INSTRUMENTS; Photogrammetry OR Videogrammetry 19

B81B - Microstructural Devices OR Systems, e.g. Micromechanical Devices 4

G01P - Measuring Linear OR Angular Speed, Acceleration, Deceleration, OR SHOCK; Indicating Presence, Absence, OR Direction, OF Movement 4

H04L - Transmission OF Digital Information, e.g. Telegraphic Communication 3

G01D - Measuring NOT Specially Adapted FOR A Specific VARIABLE; Arrangements FOR Measuring TWO OR More Variables NOT Covered IN A Single Other SUBCLASS; Tariff Metering APPARATUS; Measuring OR Testing NOT Otherwise Provided FOR 3

G06F - Electric Digital Data Processing 2

G02F - Optical Devices OR Arrangements FOR THE Control OF Light BY Modification OF THE Optical Properties OF THE Media OF THE Elements Involved THEREIN; Non-linear OPTICS; Frequency-changing OF LIGHT; Optical Logic ELEMENTS; Optical ANALOGUE/DIGITAL Converters 2

B81C - Processes OR Apparatus Specially Adapted FOR THE Manufacture OR Treatment OF Microstructural Devices OR Systems 2

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 2

G01B - Measuring Length, Thickness OR Similar Linear DIMENSIONS; Measuring ANGLES; Measuring AREAS; Measuring Irregularities OF Surfaces OR Contours 1

G01R - Measuring Electric VARIABLES; Measuring Magnetic Variables 1

G02B - Optical Elements, Systems OR Apparatus 1

Y02E - Reduction OF Greenhouse GAS [GHG] Emissions, Related TO Energy Generation, Transmission OR Distribution 1

H01M - Processes OR Means, e.g. Batteries, FOR THE Direct Conversion OF Chemical Energy Into Electrical Energy 1

H03L - Automatic Control, Starting, Synchronisation OR Stabilisation OF Generators OF Electronic Oscillations OR Pulses 1

Top 15 of 16 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

Northrop Grumman Litef GMBH's patent record in context - here's where to go next.

Northrop Grumman Litef GMBH's lead technology class is G01C (Measuring Distances, Levels OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; Gyroscopic INSTRUMENTS; Photogrammetry OR Videogrammetry), 70.4% of its portfolio - see every assignee active in that class. Explore G01C
Ranked #11,369 of 49,997 tracked assignees by patent volume - see the full leaderboard. See the ranking
Compare Northrop Grumman Litef GMBH against NETZCH-Feinmahltechnik GmbH, an assignee filing at a similar volume. Compare portfolios
Innovation Score of 34.5/100 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.