USPTO 2015–2025 USPTO PatentsView US Corporation

The Hershey Company

USPTO PatentsView assignee record - 64 granted patents across 28 technology areas, active 2015–2025. Filing-trend and competitive-moat analysis cross-referenced to USPTO Patent Public Search. Primary class: A23G (COCOA; COCOA PRODUCTS, e.g. CHOCOLATE; SUBSTITUTES FOR COCOA OR COCOA PRODUCTS; CONFECTIONERY; CHEWING GUM; ICE-CREAM; PREPARATION THEREOF).

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

Explore the portfolio See the ranking

Total patents granted

CPC technology areas

9.3

Avg claims per patent

+56%

5-year filing velocity

The verdict

The holds 64 US patents across 28 technology areas, rank #5,409 of 50,000 tracked assignees.

#5,409
of 50,000 US assignees by volume: Top 19%
by Innovation Score (47.1/100): 9.3
avg claims per patent: +56%
filing velocity, last 5 yrs

Portfolio overview

The Hershey Company has been granted 64 US utility patents between 2015 and 2025, placing The Hershey Company at rank #5,409 across all assignees tracked by PlainPatent. This portfolio spans 28 distinct Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) subclasses, averaging 9.3 claims per patent with primary concentration in A23G (COCOA; COCOA PRODUCTS, e.g. CHOCOLATE; SUBSTITUTES FOR COCOA OR COCOA PRODUCTS; CONFECTIONERY; CHEWING GUM; ICE-CREAM; PREPARATION THEREOF). As a US Corporation, The Hershey Company is one of the more focused assignees in the PatentsView dataset. By volume, The sits between Supercell Oy (64 patents, rank #5,405) and Vatech Co., Ltd. (64 patents, rank #5,413) - the closest US assignees by grant volume. The composite Innovation Score of 47.1/100 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 39 grants, compared with 25 in the 2015–2019 window, a +56% 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. The Hershey Company's 9.3 average claims per patent suggests focused, narrowly drawn claims typical of single-invention filings, while a multi-domain presence across 28 subclasses balances depth with breadth. Combined with portfolio volume, these signals let analysts, investors, and licensing professionals benchmark The Hershey Company against peers pursuing similar technology classes.

Supercell Oy

64
Switchlab

64
Taylor MADE Group

64
Taegutec

64
The United States…

64
University of Mai…

64
Varta Microbattery

64
Vatech

64
The Hershey ◀

64

What this shows The holds 64 patents at rank #5,409, shown against the 8 assignees closest to it in grant volume rather than the industry's largest filers.

Companies ranked near The

By rank, the assignees closest to #5,409 in granted patent volume.

Leaders in A23G (Cocoa)

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

The's Innovation Score vs. every tracked assignee

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

47 Top 19% higher than 81% 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

The Hershey Company patent grants by year, 2015–2025
Year	Patents Granted	Share of Period
2015	5	7.8%
2016	5	7.8%
2017	6	9.4%
2018	2	3.1%
2019	7	10.9%
2020	2	3.1%
2021	10	15.6%
2022	8	12.5%
2023	11	17.2%
2024	5	7.8%
2025	3	4.7%

Which technologies does The Hershey Company patent most?

A23G - COCOA; COCOA PRODUCTS, e.g. CHOCOLATE; SUBSTITUTES FOR COCOA OR COCOA PRODUCTS; CONFECTIONERY; CHEWING GUM; ICE-CREAM; PREPARATION THEREOF 15

A23V - INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO FOODS, FOODSTUFFS OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES AND LACTIC OR PROPIONIC ACID BACTERIA USED IN FOODSTUFFS OR FOOD PREPARATION 10

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 9

A23L - FOODS, FOODSTUFFS OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; PREPARATION OR TREATMENT THEREOF 9

A23P - SHAPING OR WORKING OF FOODSTUFFS, NOT FULLY COVERED BY A SINGLE OTHER SUBCLASS 4

A61K - PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL OR TOILETRY PURPOSES 4

A23J - PROTEIN COMPOSITIONS FOR FOODSTUFFS; WORKING-UP PROTEINS FOR FOODSTUFFS; PHOSPHATIDE COMPOSITIONS FOR FOODSTUFFS 2

B31B - MAKING CONTAINERS OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER 2

A61P - SPECIFIC THERAPEUTIC ACTIVITY OF CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS OR MEDICINAL PREPARATIONS 2

G06F - ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING 2

A47F - SPECIAL FURNITURE, FITTINGS, OR ACCESSORIES FOR SHOPS, STOREHOUSES, BARS, RESTAURANTS OR THE LIKE; PAYING COUNTERS 2

A61Q - SPECIFIC USE OF COSMETICS OR SIMILAR TOILETRY PREPARATIONS 2

A21D - TREATMENT OF FLOUR OR DOUGH FOR BAKING, e.g. BY ADDITION OF MATERIALS; BAKING; BAKERY PRODUCTS 1

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 1

B42D - BOOKS; BOOK COVERS; LOOSE LEAVES; PRINTED MATTER CHARACTERISED BY IDENTIFICATION OR SECURITY FEATURES; PRINTED MATTER OF SPECIAL FORMAT OR STYLE NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; DEVICES FOR USE THEREWITH AND NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; MOVABLE-STRIP WRITING OR READING APPARATUS 1

Top 15 of 28 technology areas

Patent Moat Analysis

Portfolio Volume Light

Tech Breadth Multi-domain

Claim Depth Simple

Velocity Accelerating

Where it ranks

Overall rank by patents

#5,409

Across all tracked assignees

Innovation Score

47.1 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 The Hershey Company hold?

The Hershey Company holds 64 US granted patents filed between 2015 and 2025, spanning 28 technology areas.

What is The Hershey Company's Innovation Score?

The Hershey Company has an Innovation Score of 47.1 out of 100. This composite metric weighs portfolio volume (40%), filing velocity (20%), technology breadth (25%), and claim depth (15%).

What technology areas does The Hershey Company focus on?

The Hershey Company's top technology area is A23G (COCOA; COCOA PRODUCTS, e.g. CHOCOLATE; SUBSTITUTES FOR COCOA OR COCOA PRODUCTS; CONFECTIONERY; CHEWING GUM; ICE-CREAM; PREPARATION THEREOF) with 15 patents. The company has filed patents in 28 CPC subclasses total.

Is The Hershey Company's patent filing rate increasing or decreasing?

The Hershey Company's recent filing velocity is +56% compared to the prior five-year period. This indicates accelerating innovation.

What does claim depth mean for The Hershey Company's patents?

The Hershey Company's patents average 9.3 claims each. This is relatively simple claim structure, typical for focused inventions.

How is the The Hershey Company 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

The's 64 grants land it in the top 19% 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 - The ranks #5,409 of 50,000. Top 50 holders
Most of this portfolio concentrates in A23G - see who else leads that technology area. A23G 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.