USPTO 2015–2025 USPTO PatentsView Foreign Corporation

Shimano Inc.

USPTO PatentsView assignee record - 1,496 granted patents across 113 technology areas, active 2015–2025. Filing-trend and competitive-moat analysis cross-referenced to USPTO Patent Public Search. Primary class: B62M (RIDER PROPULSION OF WHEELED VEHICLES OR SLEDGES; POWERED PROPULSION OF SLEDGES OR ; SINGLE-TRACK; CYCLES; TRANSMISSIONS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR SUCH VEHICLES).

Compiled byPlainPatent Editorial, US Patent Intelligence Editorial Team · May 15, 2026

Explore the portfolio See the ranking

1,496

Total patents granted

113

CPC technology areas

17.9

Avg claims per patent

-9%

5-year filing velocity

The verdict

Shimano holds 1,496 US patents across 113 technology areas, rank #286 of 50,000 tracked assignees.

#286
of 50,000 US assignees by volume: Top 1%
by Innovation Score (65.1/100): 17.9
avg claims per patent: -9%
filing velocity, last 5 yrs

Portfolio overview

Shimano Inc. has been granted 1,496 US utility patents between 2015 and 2025, placing Shimano Inc. at rank #286 across all assignees tracked by PlainPatent. This portfolio spans 113 distinct Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) subclasses, averaging 17.9 claims per patent with primary concentration in B62M (RIDER PROPULSION OF WHEELED VEHICLES OR SLEDGES; POWERED PROPULSION OF SLEDGES OR ; SINGLE-TRACK; CYCLES; TRANSMISSIONS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR SUCH VEHICLES). As a Foreign Corporation, Shimano Inc. is one of the broader-portfolio assignees in the PatentsView dataset. By volume, Shimano sits between Aktiebolaget SKF (1,526 patents, rank #282) and Lockheed Martin Corporation (1,464 patents, rank #290) - the closest US assignees by grant volume. The composite Innovation Score of 65.1/100 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 714 grants, compared with 782 in the 2015–2019 window, a -9% shift in five-year velocity. A cooling filing rate may reflect portfolio consolidation, shifting priorities, or reduced R&D throughput. 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. Shimano Inc.'s 17.9 average claims per patent sits within the typical range for solid legal coverage without excessive prosecution cost, 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 Shimano Inc. against peers pursuing similar technology classes.

Aktiebolaget SKF

1,526
Accenture Global…

1,520
Panasonic Holdings

1,518
Sun Patent Trust

1,507
Shimano ◀

1,496
Marvell Internati…

1,491
Altria Client Ser…

1,483
Jpmorgan Chase BA…

1,478
Lockheed Martin

1,464

What this shows Shimano holds 1,496 patents at rank #286, shown against the 8 assignees closest to it in grant volume rather than the industry's largest filers.

Companies ranked near Shimano

By rank, the assignees closest to #286 in granted patent volume.

Leaders in B62M (Rider Propulsion OF Wheeled Vehicles OR Sledges)

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

Shimano's Innovation Score vs. every tracked assignee

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

65 Top 1% higher than 99% of 50,000 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

Shimano Inc. patent grants by year, 2015–2025
Year	Patents Granted	Share of Period
2015	122	8.2%
2016	163	10.9%
2017	153	10.2%
2018	155	10.4%
2019	189	12.6%
2020	176	11.8%
2021	163	10.9%
2022	96	6.4%
2023	116	7.8%
2024	111	7.4%
2025	52	3.5%

Which technologies does Shimano Inc. patent most?

B62M - RIDER PROPULSION OF WHEELED VEHICLES OR SLEDGES; POWERED PROPULSION OF SLEDGES OR ; SINGLE-TRACK; CYCLES; TRANSMISSIONS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR SUCH VEHICLES 884

B62K - CYCLES; CYCLE FRAMES; CYCLE STEERING DEVICES; RIDER-OPERATED TERMINAL CONTROLS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR CYCLES; CYCLE AXLE SUSPENSIONS; CYCLE SIDE-CARS, FORECARS, OR THE LIKE 485

B62J - CYCLE SADDLES OR SEATS; AUXILIARY DEVICES OR ACCESSORIES SPECIALLY ADAPTED TO CYCLES AND NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR, e.g. ARTICLE CARRIERS OR CYCLE PROTECTORS 394

B62L - BRAKES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR CYCLES 292

A01K - ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; AVICULTURE; APICULTURE; PISCICULTURE; FISHING; REARING OR BREEDING ANIMALS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NEW BREEDS OF ANIMALS 232

F16H - GEARING 193

Y10T - TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION 130

F16D - COUPLINGS FOR TRANSMITTING ROTATION; CLUTCHES; BRAKES 108

B60B - VEHICLE WHEELS ; CASTORS; AXLES FOR WHEELS OR CASTORS; INCREASING WHEEL ADHESION 95

B60T - VEHICLE BRAKE CONTROL SYSTEMS OR PARTS THEREOF; BRAKE CONTROL SYSTEMS OR PARTS THEREOF, IN GENERAL ; ARRANGEMENT OF BRAKING ELEMENTS ON VEHICLES IN GENERAL; PORTABLE DEVICES FOR PREVENTING UNWANTED MOVEMENT OF VEHICLES; VEHICLE MODIFICATIONS TO FACILITATE COOLING OF BRAKES 77

Y02T - CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION 72

B60L - PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES ; SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES ; ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL ; MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICL 53

F16C - SHAFTS; FLEXIBLE SHAFTS; ELEMENTS OR CRANKSHAFT MECHANISMS; ROTARY BODIES OTHER THAN GEARING ELEMENTS; BEARINGS 32

B60Y - INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO ASPECTS CROSS-CUTTING VEHICLE TECHNOLOGY 31

F15B - SYSTEMS ACTING BY MEANS OF FLUIDS IN GENERAL; FLUID-PRESSURE ACTUATORS, e.g. SERVOMOTORS; DETAILS OF FLUID-PRESSURE SYSTEMS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR 25

Top 15 of 113 technology areas

Patent Moat Analysis

Portfolio Volume Strong

Tech Breadth Diversified

Claim Depth Standard

Velocity Declining

Where it ranks

Overall rank by patents

#286

Across all tracked assignees

Innovation Score

65.1 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 Shimano Inc. hold?

Shimano Inc. holds 1,496 US granted patents filed between 2015 and 2025, spanning 113 technology areas.

What is Shimano Inc.'s Innovation Score?

Shimano Inc. has an Innovation Score of 65.1 out of 100. This composite metric weighs portfolio volume (40%), filing velocity (20%), technology breadth (25%), and claim depth (15%).

What technology areas does Shimano Inc. focus on?

Shimano Inc.'s top technology area is B62M (RIDER PROPULSION OF WHEELED VEHICLES OR SLEDGES; POWERED PROPULSION OF SLEDGES OR ; SINGLE-TRACK; CYCLES; TRANSMISSIONS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR SUCH VEHICLES) with 884 patents. The company has filed patents in 113 CPC subclasses total.

Is Shimano Inc.'s patent filing rate increasing or decreasing?

Shimano Inc.'s recent filing velocity is -9% compared to the prior five-year period. Filing activity has slowed relative to earlier years.

What does claim depth mean for Shimano Inc.'s patents?

Shimano Inc.'s patents average 17.9 claims each. This falls within the standard range, providing solid legal coverage.

How is the Shimano Inc. 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

Shimano's 1,496 grants land it in the top 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 - Shimano ranks #286 of 50,000. Top 50 holders
Most of this portfolio concentrates in B62M - see who else leads that technology area. B62M 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

Compiled byPlainPatent Editorial, US Patent Intelligence Editorial Team · 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.