USPTO 2015–2025 USPTO PatentsView Foreign Corporation

Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.

USPTO PatentsView assignee record - 4,378 granted patents across 251 technology areas, active 2015–2025. Filing-trend and competitive-moat analysis cross-referenced to USPTO Patent Public Search. Primary class: H01R (ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS).

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

Explore the portfolio See the ranking

4,378

Total patents granted

251

CPC technology areas

9.0

Avg claims per patent

+30%

5-year filing velocity

The verdict

Sumitomo holds 4,378 US patents across 251 technology areas, rank #78 of 50,000 tracked assignees.

#78
of 50,000 US assignees by volume: Top 2%
by Innovation Score (64.6/100): 9.0
avg claims per patent: +30%
filing velocity, last 5 yrs

Portfolio overview

Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. has been granted 4,378 US utility patents between 2015 and 2025, placing Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. at rank #78 across all assignees tracked by PlainPatent. This portfolio spans 251 distinct Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) subclasses, averaging 9.0 claims per patent with primary concentration in H01R (ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS). As a Foreign Corporation, Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. is one of the broader-portfolio assignees in the PatentsView dataset. By volume, Sumitomo sits between Verizon Patent And Licensing Inc. (4,862 patents, rank #74) and BASF SE (4,191 patents, rank #82) - the closest US assignees by grant volume. The composite Innovation Score of 64.6/100 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 2,476 grants, compared with 1,902 in the 2015–2019 window, a +30% shift in five-year velocity. Steady filing volume suggests sustained innovation without dramatic pivots. 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. Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.'s 9.0 average claims per patent suggests focused, narrowly drawn claims typical of single-invention filings, 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 Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. against peers pursuing similar technology classes.

Verizon Patent an…

4,862
Olympus

4,844
Schlumberger Tech…

4,606
Globalfoundries

4,547
Sumitomo Electric… ◀

4,378
Guangdong OPPO Mo…

4,374
Commissariat A L'…

4,218
ZTE

4,193
BASF SE

4,191

What this shows Sumitomo holds 4,378 patents at rank #78, shown against the 8 assignees closest to it in grant volume rather than the industry's largest filers.

Companies ranked near Sumitomo

By rank, the assignees closest to #78 in granted patent volume.

Leaders in H01R (Electrically-conductive Connections)

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

Sumitomo's Innovation Score vs. every tracked assignee

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

65 Top 2% higher than 98% 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

Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. patent grants by year, 2015–2025
Year	Patents Granted	Share of Period
2015	348	7.9%
2016	356	8.1%
2017	352	8.0%
2018	339	7.7%
2019	507	11.6%
2020	530	12.1%
2021	462	10.6%
2022	386	8.8%
2023	309	7.1%
2024	485	11.1%
2025	304	6.9%

Which technologies does Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. patent most?

H01R - ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS 729

G02B - OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS 637

B60R - VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR 576

H01B - CABLES; CONDUCTORS; INSULATORS; SELECTION OF MATERIALS FOR THEIR CONDUCTIVE, INSULATING OR DIELECTRIC PROPERTIES 555

Y02E - REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION 487

H01L - SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10 450

H02G - INSTALLATION OF ELECTRIC CABLES OR LINES, OR OF COMBINED OPTICAL AND ELECTRIC CABLES OR LINES 386

H01M - PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY 374

H10D - INORGANIC ELECTRIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES 352

H05K - PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS 347

H04B - TRANSMISSION 256

H04L - TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION 198

C30B - SINGLE-CRYSTAL GROWTH ; UNIDIRECTIONAL SOLIDIFICATION OF EUTECTIC MATERIAL OR UNIDIRECTIONAL DEMIXING OF EUTECTOID MATERIAL; REFINING BY ZONE-MELTING OF MATERIAL ; PRODUCTION OF A HOMOGENEOUS POLYCRYSTALLINE MATERIAL WITH DEFINED STRUCTURE ; SINGLE CRYSTALS OR HOMOGENEOUS POLYCRYSTALLINE MATERIAL WI 191

C22C - ALLOYS 190

H01S - DEVICES USING THE PROCESS OF LIGHT AMPLIFICATION BY STIMULATED EMISSION OF RADIATION [LASER] TO AMPLIFY OR GENERATE LIGHT; DEVICES USING STIMULATED EMISSION OF ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION IN WAVE RANGES OTHER THAN OPTICAL 185

Top 15 of 251 technology areas

Patent Moat Analysis

Portfolio Volume Strong

Tech Breadth Diversified

Claim Depth Simple

Velocity Growing

Where it ranks

Overall rank by patents

#78

Across all tracked assignees

Innovation Score

64.6 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 Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. hold?

Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. holds 4,378 US granted patents filed between 2015 and 2025, spanning 251 technology areas.

What is Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.'s Innovation Score?

Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. has an Innovation Score of 64.6 out of 100. This composite metric weighs portfolio volume (40%), filing velocity (20%), technology breadth (25%), and claim depth (15%).

What technology areas does Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. focus on?

Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.'s top technology area is H01R (ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS) with 729 patents. The company has filed patents in 251 CPC subclasses total.

Is Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.'s patent filing rate increasing or decreasing?

Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.'s recent filing velocity is +30% compared to the prior five-year period. The company is maintaining or growing its patent output.

What does claim depth mean for Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.'s patents?

Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.'s patents average 9.0 claims each. This is relatively simple claim structure, typical for focused inventions.

How is the Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. 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

Sumitomo's 4,378 grants land it in the top 2% 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 - Sumitomo ranks #78 of 50,000. Top 50 holders
Most of this portfolio concentrates in H01R - see who else leads that technology area. H01R 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.