Overall rank by patents
#6,197
of 49,997 tracked assignees
USPTO PatentsView assignee record - 55 granted patents across 61 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: G02B (Optical Elements, Systems OR Apparatus).
The verdict
According to USPTO PatentsView, The ranks #6,197 of 49,997 tracked US assignees by granted-patent volume, with 55 patents across 61 technology areas.
USPTO PatentsView assignee plate
Corpus R6197 · Foreign Corporation #6,197 · 55 grants
GRANTS-SMALL · UPPER-Q · PHOTO-FINISH · CPC-WIDE · INNOV-PAR · CLAIMS-RICH · TYPE-FRNCORP · VEL-UP · BOOK-FULL
Nearest grant-volume peer: The 41st Parameter, Inc. (±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.
Lowest and highest poles plus nearest Innovation Score peers, not a full corpus board reprint.
Qualcomm Incorporated · highest
85 score
Akzo Nobel Coatings… · near
56 score
Intertrust · near
56 score
The University of… · this assignee
56 score
Tompkins Robotics · near
56 score
Versum Materials US · near
56 score
3D Lighting… · lowest
7 score
What this shows The's Innovation Score is 56.3/100 (top 6% 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.
Between 2020–2024, The University of Bristol received 30 grants versus 23 in 2015–2019 (+30% equal-window velocity, above median growth). Across complete PatentsView years, output peaked in 2020 at 7 grants and bottomed in 2015 at 3. Lead class G02B accounts for 16.4% of the portfolio across 61 subclasses. Volume neighbours: The 41st Parameter, Inc. (#6,192) and University College Dublin, National University OF Ireland, Dublin (#6,200).
The University of Bristol shows 18 grants in 2022–2024 against only 18 in 2019–2021. That prior window is too thin for a growth multiple (rename and spin-out assignees look artificially high when the baseline is near zero), so PlainPatent withholds a ranked acceleration claim here.
Granted US patents 2015–2025 versus its nearest-ranked assignees by volume, this company marked ◀
The 41st Parameter, Inc.
55 patents
The Jackson Laboratory
55 patents
The Libman Company
55 patents
The North Face Apparel Corp.
55 patents
Theatro Labs, Inc.
55 patents
Tyco Safety Products Canada Ltd.
55 patents
UCB Pharma S.A.
55 patents
University College Dublin, National University OF Ireland, Dublin
55 patents
The University of Bristol
55 patents
What this shows The holds 55 patents at rank #6,196, shown against the 8 assignees closest to it in grant volume rather than the industry's largest filers.
By rank, the assignees closest to #6,196 in granted patent volume.
Other assignees with the most granted patents in The's primary technology class.
Two PlainPatent-derived peer sets for The, neither rank-band nor same-CPC leaders (those blocks stay above).
Nearest assignees by Innovation Score (56 here).
Nearest assignees by average claims per patent (17.8 here).
The's Innovation Score vs. every tracked assignee
Composite of portfolio volume, grant velocity, technology breadth, and claim depth (0–100)
56 Top 6% higher than 94% 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
Teal-shaded recent years (2020–present) versus the 2015–2019 baseline. Full figures in the table below.
| Year | Patents Granted | Share of Period |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 3 | 5.5% |
| 2016 | 5 | 9.1% |
| 2017 | 5 | 9.1% |
| 2018 | 4 | 7.3% |
| 2019 | 6 | 10.9% |
| 2020 | 7 | 12.7% |
| 2021 | 5 | 9.1% |
| 2022 | 4 | 7.3% |
| 2023 | 7 | 12.7% |
| 2024 | 7 | 12.7% |
| 2025partial year | 2 | 3.6% |
Top 15 of 61 technology areas
Overall rank by patents
#6,197
of 49,997 tracked assignees
56.3 out of 100
What to do with this data
The University of Bristol's patent record in context - here's where to go next.
Figures reflect USPTO PatentsView grant data through May 2026; pending applications not yet granted are not counted.
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.