Overall rank by patents
#25,195
Across all tracked assignees
USPTO PatentsView assignee record - 11 granted patents across 7 technology areas, active 2015–2025. Filing-trend and competitive-moat analysis cross-referenced to USPTO Patent Public Search. Primary class: G02B (OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS).
The verdict
Sumitomo holds 11 US patents across 7 technology areas, rank #25,195 of 50,000 tracked assignees.
Sumitomo Electric Lightwave Corp. has been granted 11 US utility patents between 2015 and 2025, placing Sumitomo Electric Lightwave Corp. at rank #25,195 across all assignees tracked by PlainPatent. This portfolio spans 7 distinct Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) subclasses, averaging 14.7 claims per patent with primary concentration in G02B (OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS). As a US Corporation, Sumitomo Electric Lightwave Corp. is one of the more focused assignees in the PatentsView dataset. By volume, Sumitomo sits between STOR, S.l. (11 patents, rank #25,191) and Sunshine Kaidi NEW Energy Group Co., Ltd. (11 patents, rank #25,199) - the closest US assignees by grant volume. The composite Innovation Score of 27.7/100 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 7 in the 2015–2019 window, a -43% 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. Sumitomo Electric Lightwave Corp.'s 14.7 average claims per patent sits within the typical range for solid legal coverage without excessive prosecution cost, while concentration in 7 subclasses points to a focused technical program. Combined with portfolio volume, these signals let analysts, investors, and licensing professionals benchmark Sumitomo Electric Lightwave Corp. against peers pursuing similar technology classes.
Granted US patents 2015–2025 versus its nearest-ranked assignees by volume, this company marked ◀
STOR, S.L.
11 patents
STORM PNEUMATIC TOOL CO., LTD.
11 patents
STRATUS TECHNOLOGIES IRELAND LTD.
11 patents
SUBPAC, INC.
11 patents
SUMMIT PACKAGING SYSTEMS, INC.
11 patents
SUN MEDICAL CO., LTD.
11 patents
SUNOPTIC TECHNOLOGIES LLC
11 patents
SUNSHINE KAIDI NEW ENERGY GROUP CO., LTD.
11 patents
SUMITOMO ELECTRIC LIGHTWAVE CORP.
11 patents
What this shows Sumitomo holds 11 patents at rank #25,195, shown against the 8 assignees closest to it in grant volume rather than the industry's largest filers.
Sumitomo's Innovation Score vs. every tracked assignee
Composite of portfolio volume, filing velocity, technology breadth, and claim depth (0–100)
28 Top 75% higher than 25% 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
Teal-shaded recent years (2020–present) versus the 2015–2019 baseline. Full figures in the table below.
| Year | Patents Granted | Share of Period |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 1 | 9.1% |
| 2018 | 1 | 9.1% |
| 2019 | 5 | 45.5% |
| 2020 | 2 | 18.2% |
| 2023 | 1 | 9.1% |
| 2025 | 1 | 9.1% |
Top 7 of 7 technology areas
Overall rank by patents
#25,195
Across all tracked assignees
27.7 out of 100
How to use this portfolio
Sumitomo's 11 grants land it in the top 75% by Innovation Score, but volume alone doesn't tell you where the strength sits.
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.
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.