Where does University of the Witwatersrand rank among US patent assignees?

According to USPTO PatentsView (2015–2025 granted utility patents), University of the Witwatersrand ranks #43,851 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 the Witwatersrand hold?

University of the Witwatersrand holds 6 US utility patents granted between 2015 and 2024, spanning 14 technology areas.

What is University of the Witwatersrand's Innovation Score?

University of the Witwatersrand has an Innovation Score of 36.9 out of 100 (top 45% of the corpus). This composite metric weighs portfolio volume (40%), grant velocity (20%), technology breadth (25%), and claim depth (15%).

Is University of the Witwatersrand's patent grant rate increasing or decreasing?

University of the Witwatersrand's recent grant velocity is -80% compared to the prior five-year period (grant years, not application filing dates). Grant activity has slowed relative to earlier years.

What does claim depth mean for University of the Witwatersrand's patents?

University of the Witwatersrand's patents average 17.2 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 the Witwatersrand 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 the Witwatersrand

Q: What technology areas does University of the Witwatersrand focus on?

University of the Witwatersrand's top technology area is B23K (Soldering OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; Cladding OR Plating BY Soldering OR WELDING; Cutting BY Applying Heat Locally, e.g. Flame CUTTING; Working BY Laser Beam) with 2 patents, ranking #703 of 1,623 assignees active in that subclass. Grants appear in 14 CPC subclasses total.

USPTO PatentsView assignee record - 6 granted patents across 14 technology areas, recorded in grant years 2015–2024. 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: B23K (Soldering OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; Cladding OR Plating BY Soldering OR WELDING; Cutting BY Applying Heat Locally, e.g. Flame CUTTING; Working BY Laser Beam).

Compiled by PlainPatent · May 15, 2026

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The verdict

According to USPTO PatentsView, University ranks #43,851 of 49,997 tracked US assignees by granted-patent volume, with 6 patents across 14 technology areas.

#43,851
of 49,997 US assignees by volume: Top 45%
by Innovation Score (36.9/100): 17.2
avg claims per patent: -80%
grant velocity, last 5 yrs

USPTO PatentsView assignee plate

Corpus R43851 · Foreign Corporation #43,851 · 6 grants

GRANTS-MICRO · LOWER-Q · PHOTO-FINISH · CPC-FOCUS · INNOV-THIN · CLAIMS-RICH · TYPE-FRNCORP · VEL-DROP · BOOK-FULL

GRANTS-MICRO 6 grants
LOWER-Q #43,851/49,997
PHOTO-FINISH Università degli…
CPC-FOCUS B23K · 14 areas
INNOV-THIN 36.9/100
CLAIMS-RICH 17.2 claims/avg
TYPE-FRNCORP Foreign Corp
VEL-DROP -80% vel
BOOK-FULL 10/10 fields

Nearest grant-volume peer: Università degli Studi di Trieste (±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 36.9 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 6.7 pts (18%) Velocity 6.7 pts (18%) Breadth 13.2 pts (36%) Claim depth 10.3 pts (28%)

Qualcomm Incorporated · highest

85
University of the… · this assignee

37
3D Lighting… · lowest

7

What this shows University's Innovation Score is 36.9/100 (top 45% 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 17.2 claims/patent is ABOVE the 15.3 median for these volume peers. More thorough claims than most filers at this scale, not just more of them.

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

Where University's grants concentrate

University of the Witwatersrand is a focused PatentsView assignee: 14 CPC subclasses with 33.3% of grants classified under B23K (Soldering OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; Cladding OR Plating BY Soldering OR WELDING; Cutting BY Applying Heat Locally, e.g. Flame CUTTING; Working BY Laser Beam). Peak complete grant year is 2015 (2 grants) versus a trough of 1 in 2019. By volume, University sits between University of South China and Universo S.A..

University's three-year grant acceleration

University of the Witwatersrand shows 1 grants in 2022–2024 against only 1 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 Sou…

6
University of Sou…

6
University of Teh…

6
University of the…

6
Università degli…

6
Università della…

6
Universität Biele…

6
Universo

6
University of the… ◀

6

What this shows University holds 6 patents at rank #43,841, 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 #43,841 in granted patent volume.

Leaders in B23K (Soldering OR Unsoldering)

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)

37 Top 45% higher than 55% 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 · 2015–2024

Grants by year

Teal-shaded recent years (2020–present) versus the 2015–2019 baseline. Full figures in the table below.

View data table

University of the Witwatersrand patent grants by year, 2015–2025
Year	Patents Granted	Share of Period
2015	2	33.3%
2016	2	33.3%
2019	1	16.7%
2024	1	16.7%

Which technologies does University of the Witwatersrand patent most?

B23K - Soldering OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; Cladding OR Plating BY Soldering OR WELDING; Cutting BY Applying Heat Locally, e.g. Flame CUTTING; Working BY Laser Beam 2

C21D - Modifying THE Physical Structure OF Ferrous METALS; General Devices FOR Heat Treatment OF Ferrous OR Non-ferrous Metals OR ALLOYS; Making Metal Malleable, e.g. BY Decarburisation OR Tempering 2

H01M - Processes OR Means, e.g. Batteries, FOR THE Direct Conversion OF Chemical Energy Into Electrical Energy 1

Y02E - Reduction OF Greenhouse GAS [GHG] Emissions, Related TO Energy Generation, Transmission OR Distribution 1

C07H - SUGARS; Derivatives THEREOF; NUCLEOSIDES; NUCLEOTIDES; Nucleic Acids 1

A61K - Preparations FOR Medical, Dental OR Toiletry Purposes 1

C01B - Non-metallic ELEMENTS; Compounds THEREOF; ; Metalloids OR Compounds Thereof NOT Covered BY Subclass C01c 1

B82Y - Specific Uses OR Applications OF NANOSTRUCTURES; Measurement OR Analysis OF NANOSTRUCTURES; Manufacture OR Treatment OF Nanostructures 1

B01J - Chemical OR Physical Processes, e.g. Catalysis OR Colloid CHEMISTRY; Their Relevant Apparatus 1

G10L - Speech Analysis Techniques OR Speech SYNTHESIS; Speech RECOGNITION; Speech OR Voice Processing TECHNIQUES; Speech OR Audio Coding OR Decoding 1

A61F - Filters Implantable Into Blood VESSELS; PROSTHESES; Devices Providing Patency TO, OR Preventing Collapsing OF, Tubular Structures OF THE Body, e.g. STENTS; Orthopaedic, Nursing OR Contraceptive DEVICES; FOMENTATION; Treatment OR Protection OF Eyes OR EARS; Bandages, Dressings OR Absorbent PADS; Firs 1

C22F - Changing THE Physical Structure OF Non-ferrous Metals AND Non-ferrous Alloys 1

B22F - Working Metallic POWDER; Manufacture OF Articles From Metallic POWDER; Making Metallic Powder ; Apparatus OR Devices Specially Adapted FOR Metallic Powder 1

C22C - Alloys 1

Top 14 of 14 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 the Witwatersrand's patent record in context - here's where to go next.

University of the Witwatersrand's lead technology class is B23K (Soldering OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; Cladding OR Plating BY Soldering OR WELDING; Cutting BY Applying Heat Locally, e.g. Flame CUTTING; Working BY Laser Beam), 33.3% of its portfolio - see every assignee active in that class. Explore B23K
Ranked #43,851 of 49,997 tracked assignees by patent volume - see the full leaderboard. See the ranking
Compare University of the Witwatersrand against University of South China, an assignee filing at a similar volume. Compare portfolios
Innovation Score of 36.9/100 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.