PlainPatent
USPTO 2015–2025 USPTO PatentsView US Corporation

Qualcomm Incorporated

USPTO PatentsView assignee record - 30,354 granted patents across 209 technology areas, active 2015–2025. Filing-trend and competitive-moat analysis cross-referenced to USPTO Patent Public Search. Primary class: H04W (WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS).

Explore the portfolio See the ranking
30,354
Total patents granted
209
CPC technology areas
29.1
Avg claims per patent
+31%
5-year filing velocity

The verdict

Qualcomm ranks #7 of 50,000 US assignees, with 30,354 patents across 209 technology areas.

#7
of 50,000 US assignees by volume
Top 0.1%
by Innovation Score (85.4/100)
29.1
avg claims per patent
+31%
filing velocity, last 5 yrs

Portfolio overview

Qualcomm Incorporated has been granted 30,354 US utility patents between 2015 and 2025, placing Qualcomm Incorporated at rank #7 across all assignees tracked by PlainPatent. This portfolio spans 209 distinct Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) subclasses, averaging 29.1 claims per patent with primary concentration in H04W (WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS). As a US Corporation, Qualcomm Incorporated is one of the broader-portfolio assignees in the PatentsView dataset. The composite Innovation Score of 85.4/100 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 17,226 grants, compared with 13,128 in the 2015–2019 window, a +31% shift in five-year velocity. Steady filing volume suggests sustained innovation without dramatic pivots. 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. Qualcomm Incorporated's 29.1 average claims per patent reflects complex, broadly scoped inventions that are difficult for competitors to design around, 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 Qualcomm Incorporated against peers pursuing similar technology classes.

How does Qualcomm compare?

Granted US patents 2015–2025 versus the largest corporate holders, this company marked ◀

patents

What this shows Qualcomm sits among the ten largest US patent holders, a tier dominated by electronics and semiconductor multinationals.

Source USPTO PatentsView, granted utility patents As of 2015–2025

Other top-10 patent holders

The other largest US assignees by granted patent volume.

Leaders in H04W (Wireless Communication Networks)

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

Qualcomm's Innovation Score vs. every tracked assignee

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

85 Top 1% higher than 99% 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%). Below this entry. 30–40: 15,294 US assignees (31%). Below this entry. 40–50: 11,491 US assignees (23%). Below this entry. 50–60: 5,058 US assignees (10%). Below this entry. 60–70: 1,537 US assignees (3%). Below this entry. 70–80: 234 US assignees (0%). Below this entry. 80–90: 10 US assignees (0%). This entry sits in this band. 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

2,0002,5003,0003,5004,000 20152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 2,835
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
Qualcomm Incorporated patent grants by year, 2015–2025
Year Patents Granted Share of Period
2015 2,909 9.6%
2016 2,912 9.6%
2017 2,640 8.7%
2018 2,308 7.6%
2019 2,359 7.8%
2020 2,285 7.5%
2021 2,156 7.1%
2022 2,637 8.7%
2023 3,871 12.8%
2024 3,442 11.3%
2025 2,835 9.3%

Which technologies does Qualcomm Incorporated patent most?

Top 15 of 209 technology areas

Patent Moat Analysis

Portfolio Volume Deep
Tech Breadth Diversified
Claim Depth Complex
Velocity Growing

Where it ranks

Overall rank by patents

#7

Across all tracked assignees

Innovation Score

85.4 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 Qualcomm Incorporated hold?
Qualcomm Incorporated holds 30,354 US granted patents filed between 2015 and 2025, spanning 209 technology areas.
What is Qualcomm Incorporated's Innovation Score?
Qualcomm Incorporated has an Innovation Score of 85.4 out of 100. This composite metric weighs portfolio volume (40%), filing velocity (20%), technology breadth (25%), and claim depth (15%).
What technology areas does Qualcomm Incorporated focus on?
Qualcomm Incorporated's top technology area is H04W (WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS) with 17,987 patents. The company has filed patents in 209 CPC subclasses total.
Is Qualcomm Incorporated's patent filing rate increasing or decreasing?
Qualcomm Incorporated's recent filing velocity is +31% compared to the prior five-year period. The company is maintaining or growing its patent output.
What does claim depth mean for Qualcomm Incorporated's patents?
Qualcomm Incorporated's patents average 29.1 claims each. This indicates complex, broadly scoped patents that are harder for competitors to design around.
How is the Qualcomm Incorporated 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

Qualcomm's 30,354 grants land it in the top 0.1% 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 - Qualcomm ranks #7 of 50,000. Top 50 holders
  • Most of this portfolio concentrates in H04W - see who else leads that technology area. H04W 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.