PlainPatent
USPTO 2015–2025 USPTO PatentsView US Corporation

Smithfield Foods, Inc.

USPTO PatentsView assignee record - 6 granted patents across 10 technology areas, active 2016–2023. Filing-trend and competitive-moat analysis cross-referenced to USPTO Patent Public Search. Primary class: A22C (PROCESSING MEAT, POULTRY, OR FISH).

Explore the portfolio See the ranking
6
Total patents granted
10
CPC technology areas
25.7
Avg claims per patent
+100%
5-year filing velocity

The verdict

Smithfield holds 6 US patents across 10 technology areas, rank #43,286 of 50,000 tracked assignees.

#43,286
of 50,000 US assignees by volume
Top 38%
by Innovation Score (39.6/100)
25.7
avg claims per patent
+100%
filing velocity, last 5 yrs

Portfolio overview

Smithfield Foods, Inc. has been granted 6 US utility patents between 2016 and 2023, placing Smithfield Foods, Inc. at rank #43,286 across all assignees tracked by PlainPatent. This portfolio spans 10 distinct Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) subclasses, averaging 25.7 claims per patent with primary concentration in A22C (PROCESSING MEAT, POULTRY, OR FISH). As a US Corporation, Smithfield Foods, Inc. is one of the more focused assignees in the PatentsView dataset. By volume, Smithfield sits between Smart And Armor Protected, Llc (6 patents, rank #43,282) and Soci, Inc. (6 patents, rank #43,290) - the closest US assignees by grant volume. The composite Innovation Score of 39.6/100 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 4 grants, compared with 2 in the 2015–2019 window, a +100% shift in five-year velocity. An acceleration of this magnitude signals aggressive R&D investment and expanding technical ambition. 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. Smithfield Foods, Inc.'s 25.7 average claims per patent reflects complex, broadly scoped inventions that are difficult for competitors to design around, while concentration in 10 subclasses points to a focused technical program. Combined with portfolio volume, these signals let analysts, investors, and licensing professionals benchmark Smithfield Foods, Inc. against peers pursuing similar technology classes.

Who files at Smithfield's volume?

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

patents

What this shows Smithfield holds 6 patents at rank #43,286, 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 Smithfield

By rank, the assignees closest to #43,286 in granted patent volume.

Leaders in A22C (Processing MEAT)

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

Smithfield's Innovation Score vs. every tracked assignee

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

40 Top 38% higher than 62% 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%). This entry sits in this band. 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 20162017202020212023 2
USPTO utility patent grants by year · 2016–2023

Grants by year

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

View data table
Smithfield Foods, Inc. patent grants by year, 2015–2025
Year Patents Granted Share of Period
2016 1 16.7%
2017 1 16.7%
2020 1 16.7%
2021 1 16.7%
2023 2 33.3%

Which technologies does Smithfield Foods, Inc. patent most?

Top 10 of 10 technology areas

Patent Moat Analysis

Portfolio Volume Light
Tech Breadth Focused
Claim Depth Complex
Velocity Accelerating

Where it ranks

Overall rank by patents

#43,286

Across all tracked assignees

Innovation Score

39.6 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 Smithfield Foods, Inc. hold?
Smithfield Foods, Inc. holds 6 US granted patents filed between 2016 and 2023, spanning 10 technology areas.
What is Smithfield Foods, Inc.'s Innovation Score?
Smithfield Foods, Inc. has an Innovation Score of 39.6 out of 100. This composite metric weighs portfolio volume (40%), filing velocity (20%), technology breadth (25%), and claim depth (15%).
What technology areas does Smithfield Foods, Inc. focus on?
Smithfield Foods, Inc.'s top technology area is A22C (PROCESSING MEAT, POULTRY, OR FISH) with 3 patents. The company has filed patents in 10 CPC subclasses total.
Is Smithfield Foods, Inc.'s patent filing rate increasing or decreasing?
Smithfield Foods, Inc.'s recent filing velocity is +100% compared to the prior five-year period. This indicates accelerating innovation.
What does claim depth mean for Smithfield Foods, Inc.'s patents?
Smithfield Foods, Inc.'s patents average 25.7 claims each. This indicates complex, broadly scoped patents that are harder for competitors to design around.
How is the Smithfield Foods, 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

Smithfield's 6 grants land it in the top 38% 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 - Smithfield ranks #43,286 of 50,000. Top 50 holders
  • Most of this portfolio concentrates in A22C - see who else leads that technology area. A22C 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.