Where does University of South Africa rank among US patent assignees?

According to USPTO PatentsView (2015–2025 granted utility patents), University of South Africa ranks #38,123 of 49,997 assignees by granted-patent volume, the same sort as the companies listing and top-holders ranking. See /methodology/#corpus-placement.

How many patents does University of South Africa hold?

University of South Africa holds 7 US utility patents granted between 2018 and 2024, spanning 19 technology areas.

What is University of South Africa's Innovation Score?

University of South Africa has an Innovation Score of 41.8 out of 100 (top 32% of the corpus). This composite metric weighs portfolio volume (40%), grant velocity (20%), technology breadth (25%), and claim depth (15%).

What technology areas does University of South Africa focus on?

University of South Africa's top technology area is B01J (Chemical OR Physical Processes, e.g. Catalysis OR Colloid CHEMISTRY; Their Relevant Apparatus) with 4 patents, ranking #951 of 2,755 assignees active in that subclass. Grants appear in 19 CPC subclasses total.

Is University of South Africa's patent grant rate increasing or decreasing?

University of South Africa's recent grant velocity is +500% compared to the prior five-year period (grant years, not application filing dates). This indicates accelerating grant output.

What does claim depth mean for University of South Africa's patents?

University of South Africa's patents average 9.7 claims each. This is an aggregate descriptive count from the grant record; it does not establish claim scope, legal strength, enforceability, or design-around risk.

How is the University of South Africa 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.

USPTO 2015–2025 USPTO PatentsView Foreign Corporation

University of South Africa

USPTO PatentsView assignee record - 7 granted patents across 19 technology areas, recorded in grant years 2018–2024. 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: B01J (Chemical OR Physical Processes, e.g. Catalysis OR Colloid CHEMISTRY; Their Relevant Apparatus).

Compiled by PlainPatent · May 15, 2026

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The verdict

According to USPTO PatentsView, University ranks #38,123 of 49,997 tracked US assignees by granted-patent volume, with 7 patents across 19 technology areas.

#38,123
of 49,997 US assignees by volume: Top 32%
by Innovation Score (41.8/100): 9.7
avg claims per patent: +500%
grant velocity, last 5 yrs

USPTO PatentsView assignee plate

Corpus R38123 · Foreign Corporation #38,123 · 7 grants

GRANTS-MICRO · LOWER-Q · PHOTO-FINISH · CPC-FOCUS · INNOV-PAR · CLAIMS-PAR · TYPE-FRNCORP · VEL-SURGE · BOOK-FULL

GRANTS-MICRO 7 grants
LOWER-Q #38,123/49,997
PHOTO-FINISH Université d'Auvergn…
CPC-FOCUS B01J · 19 areas
INNOV-PAR 41.8/100
CLAIMS-PAR 9.7 claims/avg
TYPE-FRNCORP Foreign Corp
VEL-SURGE +500% vel
BOOK-FULL 10/10 fields

Nearest grant-volume peer: Université d'Auvergne Clermont 1 (±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.

How University’s 41.8 Innovation Score adds up

The same four weighted components behind every Innovation Score on PlainPatent: portfolio volume, grant velocity, technology breadth, and claim depth.

Volume 7.2 pts (17%) Velocity 13.3 pts (32%) Breadth 15.4 pts (37%) Claim depth 5.8 pts (14%)

Qualcomm Incorporated · highest

85
University of South… · this assignee

42
3D Lighting… · lowest

7

What this shows University's Innovation Score is 41.8/100 (top 32% 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.

Does more volume mean deeper claims for University?

Each dot is one of University’s 8 nearest volume peers (same corpus rank neighbourhood as the chart above), placed by total granted patents (horizontal) against average claims per patent (vertical). University’s own 9.7 claims/patent is at or below the 15.9 median for these volume peers. Volume here does not track with deeper claims; several lower-volume peers claim more thoroughly per patent.

University vs its 8 nearest volume peers: granted patents vs average claims per patent. Source: USPTO PatentsView.

Where University's grants concentrate

University of South Africa is a focused PatentsView assignee: 19 CPC subclasses with 57.1% of grants classified under B01J (Chemical OR Physical Processes, e.g. Catalysis OR Colloid CHEMISTRY; Their Relevant Apparatus). Peak complete grant year is 2024 (3 grants) versus a trough of 1 in 2018. By volume, University sits between University of North Carolina at Wilmington and Uponor Infra Oy.

University's three-year grant acceleration

University of South Africa shows 4 grants in 2022–2024 against only 2 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.

University of Nor…

7
University of Nor…

7
University of Ota…

7
University of Reg…

7
University of Zag…

7
Université d'auve…

7
Uplight

7
Uponor Infra Oy

7
University of Sou… ◀

7

What this shows University holds 7 patents at rank #38,110, shown against the 8 assignees closest to it in grant volume rather than the industry's largest filers.

Companies ranked near University

By rank, the assignees closest to #38,110 in granted patent volume.

Leaders in B01J (Chemical OR Physical Processes)

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

University's Innovation Score vs. every tracked assignee

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

42 Top 32% higher than 68% 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

USPTO utility patent grants by year · 2018–2024

Grants by year

Teal-shaded recent years (2020–present) versus the 2018–2019 baseline. Full figures in the table below.

View data table

University of South Africa patent grants by year, 2015–2025
Year	Patents Granted	Share of Period
2018	1	14.3%
2020	1	14.3%
2021	1	14.3%
2022	1	14.3%
2024	3	42.9%

Which technologies does University of South Africa patent most?

B01J - Chemical OR Physical Processes, e.g. Catalysis OR Colloid CHEMISTRY; Their Relevant Apparatus 4

C02F - Treatment OF Water, Waste Water, Sewage, OR Sludge 3

H10N - Electric Solid-state Devices NOT Otherwise Provided FOR 1

H10B - Electronic Memory Devices 1

C01G - Compounds Containing Metals NOT Covered BY Subclasses C01d OR C01f 1

C01P - Indexing Scheme Relating TO Structural AND Physical Aspects OF Solid Inorganic Compounds 1

C12H - Pasteurisation, Sterilisation, Preservation, Purification, Clarification OR Ageing OF Alcoholic BEVERAGES; Methods FOR Altering THE Alcohol Content OF Fermented Solutions OR Alcoholic Beverages 1

C12C - BEER; Preparation OF Beer BY Fermentation ; Preparation OF Malt FOR Making BEER; Preparation OF Hops FOR Making Beer 1

E02B - Hydraulic Engineering 1

Y02A - Technologies FOR Adaptation TO Climate Change 1

B01D - Separation 1

B01F - Mixing, e.g. Dissolving, Emulsifying OR Dispersing 1

Y04S - Systems Integrating Technologies Related TO Power Network Operation, Communication OR Information Technologies FOR Improving THE Electrical Power Generation, Transmission, Distribution, Management OR Usage, i.e. Smart Grids 1

H02J - Circuit Arrangements OR Systems FOR Supplying OR Distributing Electric POWER; Systems FOR Storing Electric Energy 1

Y02B - Climate Change Mitigation Technologies Related TO Buildings, e.g. Housing, House Appliances OR Related End-user Applications 1

Top 15 of 19 technology areas

More on this record

Data Source

USPTO PatentsView, US granted patents 2015–2025

View all rankings → How is Innovation Score calculated?

What to do with this data

University of South Africa's patent record in context - here's where to go next.

University of South Africa's lead technology class is B01J (Chemical OR Physical Processes, e.g. Catalysis OR Colloid CHEMISTRY; Their Relevant Apparatus), 57.1% of its portfolio - see every assignee active in that class. Explore B01J
Ranked #38,123 of 49,997 tracked assignees by patent volume - see the full leaderboard. See the ranking
Compare University of South Africa against University of North Carolina at Wilmington, an assignee filing at a similar volume. Compare portfolios
Innovation Score of 41.8/100 blends volume, velocity, technology breadth, and claim depth. How it's calculated

Figures reflect USPTO PatentsView grant data through May 2026; pending applications not yet granted are not counted.

Data sourced from USPTO PatentsView - official U.S. government patent data. See our methodology for computation details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainPatent

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 by PlainPatent , US Patent Intelligence Editorial Process · 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.