Overall rank by patents
#4,061
Across all tracked assignees
USPTO 2015–2025 USPTO PatentsView US Corporation
SONY Electronics Inc.
USPTO PatentsView assignee record — 89 granted patents across 23 technology areas, active 2015–2021. Filing-trend and competitive-moat analysis cross-referenced to USPTO Patent Public Search. Primary class: H04N (PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION).
89
Total patents granted
23
CPC technology areas
18.1
Avg claims per patent
-98%
5-year filing velocity
The verdict
SONY holds 89 US patents across 23 technology areas — rank #4,061 of 50,000 tracked assignees.
- #4,061
- of 50,000 US assignees by volume
- Top 28%
- by Innovation Score (43.4/100)
- 18.1
- avg claims per patent
- -98%
- filing velocity, last 5 yrs
Portfolio overview
SONY ELECTRONICS INC. has been granted 89 US utility patents between 2015 and 2021, placing SONY ELECTRONICS INC. at rank #4,061 across all assignees tracked by PlainPatent. This portfolio spans 23 distinct Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) subclasses, averaging 18.1 claims per patent with primary concentration in H04N (PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION). As a US Corporation, SONY ELECTRONICS INC. is one of the more focused assignees in the PatentsView dataset. The composite Innovation Score of 43.4/100 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 2 grants, compared with 87 in the 2015–2019 window — a -98% 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. SONY ELECTRONICS INC.'s 18.1 average claims per patent sits within the typical range for solid legal coverage without excessive prosecution cost, while a multi-domain presence across 23 subclasses balances depth with breadth. Combined with portfolio volume, these signals let analysts, investors, and licensing professionals benchmark SONY ELECTRONICS INC. against peers pursuing similar technology classes.
How does SONY compare?
Granted US patents 2015–2025 versus the largest corporate holders — this company marked ◀
- Samsung
SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
106,890 patents
- International Bus…
International Business Machines Corporation
72,926 patents
- Canon 34,378
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
34,378 patents
- LG 32,607
LG ELECTRONICS INC.
32,607 patents
- Taiwan Semiconduc… 31,041
TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY LTD.
31,041 patents
- Apple 30,560
Apple Inc.
30,560 patents
- Qualcomm Incorpor… 30,354
QUALCOMM Incorporated
30,354 patents
- Intel 27,498
Intel Corporation
27,498 patents
- SONY ◀ 89
SONY ELECTRONICS INC.
89 patents
What this shows SONY holds 89 patents — placing it at rank #4,061 overall, well behind the volume leaders but ahead of the tens of thousands of smaller assignees in the dataset.
SONY's Innovation Score vs. every tracked assignee
Composite of portfolio volume, filing velocity, technology breadth, and claim depth (0–100)
43 Top 28% higher than 72% 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 · 2015–2021
Grants by year
Teal-shaded recent years (2020–present) versus the 2015–2019 baseline. Full figures in the table below.
View data table
| Year | Patents Granted | Share of Period |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 52 | 58.4% |
| 2016 | 15 | 16.9% |
| 2017 | 11 | 12.4% |
| 2018 | 6 | 6.7% |
| 2019 | 3 | 3.4% |
| 2020 | 1 | 1.1% |
| 2021 | 1 | 1.1% |
Which technologies does SONY ELECTRONICS INC. patent most?
Top 15 of 23 technology areas
Patent Moat Analysis
Portfolio Volume Light
Tech Breadth Multi-domain
Claim Depth Standard
Velocity Declining
Frequently Asked Questions
How many patents does SONY ELECTRONICS INC. hold?
SONY ELECTRONICS INC. holds 89 US granted patents filed between 2015 and 2021, spanning 23 technology areas.
What is SONY ELECTRONICS INC.'s Innovation Score?
SONY ELECTRONICS INC. has an Innovation Score of 43.4 out of 100. This composite metric weighs portfolio volume (40%), filing velocity (20%), technology breadth (25%), and claim depth (15%).
What technology areas does SONY ELECTRONICS INC. focus on?
SONY ELECTRONICS INC.'s top technology area is H04N (PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION) with 43 patents. The company has filed patents in 23 CPC subclasses total.
Is SONY ELECTRONICS INC.'s patent filing rate increasing or decreasing?
SONY ELECTRONICS INC.'s recent filing velocity is -98% compared to the prior five-year period. Filing activity has slowed relative to earlier years.
What does claim depth mean for SONY ELECTRONICS INC.'s patents?
SONY ELECTRONICS INC.'s patents average 18.1 claims each. This falls within the standard range, providing solid legal coverage.
How is the SONY ELECTRONICS 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.
Learn More
How to use this portfolio
SONY's 89 grants land it in the top 28% 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 — SONY ranks #4,061 of 50,000. Top 50 holders
- Most of this portfolio concentrates in H04N — see who else leads that technology area. H04N 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.
Explore the patent dataset
H04N technology
SONY ELECTRONICS INC.'s primary CPC class — all holders and yearly trends
Top 50 patent holders
See where SONY ELECTRONICS INC. ranks among the largest US patent assignees
All technology classes
Browse every CPC technology area by patent activity
How the score works
The four dimensions behind the Innovation Score
Related
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
