PlainPatent
USPTO 2015–2025 USPTO PatentsView US Corporation

Oxford Instruments Plc

USPTO PatentsView assignee record - 8 granted patents across 4 technology areas, active 2015–2018. Filing-trend and competitive-moat analysis cross-referenced to USPTO Patent Public Search. Primary class: G01Q (SCANNING-PROBE TECHNIQUES OR APPARATUS; APPLICATIONS OF SCANNING-PROBE TECHNIQUES, e.g. SCANNING PROBE MICROSCOPY [SPM]).

Explore the portfolio See the ranking
8
Total patents granted
4
CPC technology areas
13.8
Avg claims per patent
-100%
5-year filing velocity

The verdict

Oxford holds 8 US patents across 4 technology areas, rank #32,776 of 50,000 tracked assignees.

#32,776
of 50,000 US assignees by volume
Top 89%
by Innovation Score (22.9/100)
13.8
avg claims per patent
-100%
filing velocity, last 5 yrs

Portfolio overview

Oxford Instruments Plc has been granted 8 US utility patents between 2015 and 2018, placing Oxford Instruments Plc at rank #32,776 across all assignees tracked by PlainPatent. This portfolio spans 4 distinct Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) subclasses, averaging 13.8 claims per patent with primary concentration in G01Q (SCANNING-PROBE TECHNIQUES OR APPARATUS; APPLICATIONS OF SCANNING-PROBE TECHNIQUES, e.g. SCANNING PROBE MICROSCOPY [SPM]). As a US Corporation, Oxford Instruments Plc is one of the more focused assignees in the PatentsView dataset. By volume, Oxford sits between Ott-jakob Spanntechnik Gmbh (8 patents, rank #32,772) and P.v. Nano Cell Ltd. (8 patents, rank #32,780) - the closest US assignees by grant volume. The composite Innovation Score of 22.9/100 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 0 grants, compared with 8 in the 2015–2019 window, a -100% 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. Oxford Instruments Plc's 13.8 average claims per patent sits within the typical range for solid legal coverage without excessive prosecution cost, while specialization in 4 subclasses reflects a tightly scoped invention area. Combined with portfolio volume, these signals let analysts, investors, and licensing professionals benchmark Oxford Instruments Plc against peers pursuing similar technology classes.

Who files at Oxford's volume?

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

patents

What this shows Oxford holds 8 patents at rank #32,776, 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 Oxford

By rank, the assignees closest to #32,776 in granted patent volume.

Leaders in G01Q (Scanning-probe Techniques OR Apparatus)

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

Oxford's Innovation Score vs. every tracked assignee

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

23 Top 89% higher than 11% 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%). This entry sits in this band. 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

012345 2015201620172018 1
USPTO utility patent grants by year · 2015–2018

Grants by year

Teal-shaded recent years (2020–present) versus the 2015–2019 baseline. Full figures in the table below.

View data table
Oxford Instruments Plc patent grants by year, 2015–2025
Year Patents Granted Share of Period
2015 4 50.0%
2016 2 25.0%
2017 1 12.5%
2018 1 12.5%

Which technologies does Oxford Instruments Plc patent most?

Top 4 of 4 technology areas

Patent Moat Analysis

Portfolio Volume Light
Tech Breadth Specialized
Claim Depth Standard
Velocity Declining

Where it ranks

Overall rank by patents

#32,776

Across all tracked assignees

Innovation Score

22.9 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 Oxford Instruments Plc hold?
Oxford Instruments Plc holds 8 US granted patents filed between 2015 and 2018, spanning 4 technology areas.
What is Oxford Instruments Plc's Innovation Score?
Oxford Instruments Plc has an Innovation Score of 22.9 out of 100. This composite metric weighs portfolio volume (40%), filing velocity (20%), technology breadth (25%), and claim depth (15%).
What technology areas does Oxford Instruments Plc focus on?
Oxford Instruments Plc's top technology area is G01Q (SCANNING-PROBE TECHNIQUES OR APPARATUS; APPLICATIONS OF SCANNING-PROBE TECHNIQUES, e.g. SCANNING PROBE MICROSCOPY [SPM]) with 6 patents. The company has filed patents in 4 CPC subclasses total.
Is Oxford Instruments Plc's patent filing rate increasing or decreasing?
Oxford Instruments Plc's recent filing velocity is -100% compared to the prior five-year period. Filing activity has slowed relative to earlier years.
What does claim depth mean for Oxford Instruments Plc's patents?
Oxford Instruments Plc's patents average 13.8 claims each. This falls within the standard range, providing solid legal coverage.
How is the Oxford Instruments Plc 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

Oxford's 8 grants land it in the top 89% 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 - Oxford ranks #32,776 of 50,000. Top 50 holders
  • Most of this portfolio concentrates in G01Q - see who else leads that technology area. G01Q 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.