Where does Sonoco Development, Inc. rank among US patent assignees?

According to USPTO PatentsView (2015–2025 granted utility patents), Sonoco Development, Inc. ranks #1,238 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 Sonoco Development, Inc. hold?

Sonoco Development, Inc. holds 344 US utility patents granted between 2015 and 2025, spanning 70 technology areas.

What is Sonoco Development, Inc.'s Innovation Score?

Sonoco Development, Inc. has an Innovation Score of 61.6 out of 100 (top 3% of the corpus). This composite metric weighs portfolio volume (40%), grant velocity (20%), technology breadth (25%), and claim depth (15%).

Is Sonoco Development, Inc.'s patent grant rate increasing or decreasing?

Sonoco Development, Inc.'s recent grant velocity is +1% compared to the prior five-year period (grant years, not application filing dates). The company is maintaining or growing its granted-patent output.

What does claim depth mean for Sonoco Development, Inc.'s patents?

Sonoco Development, Inc.'s patents average 15.1 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 Sonoco Development, 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.

USPTO 2015–2025 USPTO PatentsView US Corporation

Sonoco Development, Inc.

Q: What technology areas does Sonoco Development, Inc. focus on?

Sonoco Development, Inc.'s top technology area is B65D (Containers FOR Storage OR Transport OF Articles OR Materials, e.g. Bags, Barrels, Bottles, Boxes, Cans, Cartons, Crates, Drums, Jars, Tanks, Hoppers, Forwarding CONTAINERS; Accessories, Closures, OR Fittings THEREFOR; Packaging ELEMENTS; Packages) with 252 patents, ranking #3 of 3,365 assignees active in that subclass. Grants appear in 70 CPC subclasses total.

USPTO PatentsView assignee record - 344 granted patents across 70 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: B65D (Containers FOR Storage OR Transport OF Articles OR Materials, e.g. Bags, Barrels, Bottles, Boxes, Cans, Cartons, Crates, Drums, Jars, Tanks, Hoppers, Forwarding CONTAINERS; Accessories, Closures, OR F).

Compiled by PlainPatent · May 15, 2026

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Explore the portfolio See the ranking

The verdict

According to USPTO PatentsView, Sonoco ranks #1,238 of 49,997 tracked US assignees by granted-patent volume, with 344 patents across 70 technology areas.

#1,238
of 49,997 US assignees by volume: Top 3%
by Innovation Score (61.6/100): 15.1
avg claims per patent: +1%
grant velocity, last 5 yrs

USPTO PatentsView assignee plate

Corpus R1238 · US Corporation #1,238 · 344 grants

GRANTS-MID · TOP-DECILE · PHOTO-FINISH · CPC-WIDE · INNOV-STRONG · CLAIMS-RICH · TYPE-USCORP · VEL-FLAT · BOOK-FULL

GRANTS-MID 344 grants
TOP-DECILE #1,238/49,997
PHOTO-FINISH Nagravision Sarl
CPC-WIDE B65D · 70 areas
INNOV-STRONG 61.6/100
CLAIMS-RICH 15.1 claims/avg
TYPE-USCORP US Corporation
VEL-FLAT +1% vel
BOOK-FULL 10/10 fields

Nearest grant-volume peer: Nagravision Sarl (±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 Sonoco’s 61.6 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 20.2 pts (33%) Velocity 7.3 pts (12%) Breadth 25.0 pts (41%) Claim depth 9.1 pts (15%)

Qualcomm Incorporated · highest

85
Mattel · near

62
Philips Image… · near

62
Empire Technology… · near

62
Sonoco Development · this assignee

62
Valeo Vision · near

62
3D Lighting… · lowest

7

What this shows Sonoco's Innovation Score is 61.6/100 (top 3% 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 Sonoco?

Each dot is one of Sonoco’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). Sonoco’s own 15.1 claims/patent is at or below the 15.6 median for these volume peers. Volume here does not track with deeper claims; several lower-volume peers claim more thoroughly per patent.

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

How Sonoco's grant cadence moved

Between 2020–2024, Sonoco Development, Inc. received 165 grants versus 164 in 2015–2019 (+1% equal-window velocity, above median growth). Across complete PatentsView years, output peaked in 2017 at 44 grants and bottomed in 2016 at 20. Lead class B65D accounts for 73.3% of the portfolio across 70 subclasses. Volume neighbours: Nagravision Sarl (#1,234) and Cargill, Incorporated (#1,242).

Sonoco's three-year grant acceleration

From 2019–2021 to 2022–2024, Sonoco Development, Inc. moved from 98 to 108 grants (1.10x the prior three-year total, a multiple, not a CAGR). Among 3,296 tracked assignees with ≥100 grants and ≥20 prior-period grants, that multiple ranks #959. See the growth leaderboard.

Nagravision Sarl

344
NEC Platforms

344
Oki Electric Indu…

344
SHL Medical

344
Sonoco Development ◀

344
Cox Communications

342
Hartford Fire Ins…

342
8x8

341
Cargill Incorpora…

341

What this shows Sonoco holds 344 patents at rank #1,238, shown against the 8 assignees closest to it in grant volume rather than the industry's largest filers.

Companies ranked near Sonoco

By rank, the assignees closest to #1,238 in granted patent volume.

Leaders in B65D (Containers FOR Storage OR Transport OF Articles OR Materials)

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

Assignees with similar portfolio profiles

Two PlainPatent-derived peer sets for Sonoco, neither rank-band nor same-CPC leaders (those blocks stay above). In B65D (Containers FOR Storage OR Transport OF Articles OR Materials), Sonoco ranks #3 of 3,365 assignees by patent count in that subclass.

Similar innovation score

Nearest assignees by Innovation Score (62 here).

Valeo Vision 62 Empire Technology Development LLC 62 Mattel, Inc. 62 Philips Image Guided Therapy Corporation 62

Similar claim depth

Nearest assignees by average claims per patent (15.1 here).

University OF Maryland, Baltimore 15.1 avg Stora Enso OYJ 15.1 avg Visteon Global Technologies, Inc. 15.1 avg Kuka Deutschland GmbH 15.1 avg

Sonoco's Innovation Score vs. every tracked assignee

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

62 Top 3% higher than 97% 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

Sonoco Development, Inc. patent grants by year, 2015–2025
Year	Patents Granted	Share of Period
2015	25	7.3%
2016	20	5.8%
2017	44	12.8%
2018	34	9.9%
2019	41	11.9%
2020	33	9.6%
2021	24	7.0%
2022	30	8.7%
2023	38	11.0%
2024	40	11.6%
2025partial year	15	4.4%

Which technologies does Sonoco Development, Inc. patent most?

B65D - Containers FOR Storage OR Transport OF Articles OR Materials, e.g. Bags, Barrels, Bottles, Boxes, Cans, Cartons, Crates, Drums, Jars, Tanks, Hoppers, Forwarding CONTAINERS; Accessories, Closures, OR Fittings THEREFOR; Packaging ELEMENTS; Packages 252

B32B - Layered Products, i.e. Products Built-up OF Strata OF Flat OR Non-flat, e.g. Cellular OR Honeycomb, Form 80

B29C - Shaping OR Joining OF PLASTICS; Shaping OF Material IN A Plastic State, NOT Otherwise Provided FOR; After-treatment OF THE Shaped Products, e.g. Repairing 64

B65B - Machines, Apparatus OR Devices FOR, OR Methods OF, Packaging Articles OR MATERIALS; Unpacking 47

B31B - Making Containers OF Paper, Cardboard OR Material Worked IN A Manner Analogous TO Paper 35

B65H - Handling Thin OR Filamentary Material, e.g. Sheets, Webs, Cables 35

Y10T - Technical Subjects Covered BY Former US Classification 34

B29L - Indexing Scheme Associated With Subclass B29c, Relating TO Particular Articles 32

B29K - Indexing Scheme Associated With Subclasses B29b, B29c OR B29d, Relating TO Moulding Materials OR TO Materials FOR ; Moulds, ; Reinforcements, Fillers OR Preformed Parts, e.g. Inserts 19

A47F - Special Furniture, Fittings, OR Accessories FOR Shops, Storehouses, Bars, Restaurants OR THE LIKE; Paying Counters 18

A47B - TABLES; DESKS; Office FURNITURE; CABINETS; DRAWERS; General Details OF Furniture 10

A47G - Household OR Table Equipment 8

B23K - Soldering OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; Cladding OR Plating BY Soldering OR WELDING; Cutting BY Applying Heat Locally, e.g. Flame CUTTING; Working BY Laser Beam 8

F25D - REFRIGERATORS; Cold ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; Cooling OR Freezing Apparatus NOT Otherwise Provided FOR 8

G01F - Measuring Volume, Volume Flow, Mass Flow OR Liquid LEVEL; Metering BY Volume 7

Top 15 of 70 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

Sonoco Development, Inc.'s patent record in context - here's where to go next.

Sonoco Development, Inc.'s lead technology class is B65D (Containers FOR Storage OR Transport OF Articles OR Materials, e.g. Bags, Barrels, Bottles, Boxes, Cans, Cartons, Crates, Drums, Jars, Tanks, Hoppers, Forwarding CONTAINERS; Accessories, Closures, OR F), 73.3% of its portfolio - see every assignee active in that class. Explore B65D
Ranked #1,238 of 49,997 tracked assignees by patent volume - see the full leaderboard. See the ranking
Compare Sonoco Development, Inc. against Nagravision Sarl, an assignee filing at a similar volume. Compare portfolios
Innovation Score of 61.6/100 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.