USPTO 2015–2025 USPTO PatentsView Foreign Corporation

YKK Corporation

USPTO PatentsView assignee record - 443 granted patents across 77 technology areas, active 2015–2025. Filing-trend and competitive-moat analysis cross-referenced to USPTO Patent Public Search. Primary class: A44B (BUTTONS, PINS, BUCKLES, SLIDE FASTENERS, OR THE LIKE).

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

Explore the portfolio See the ranking

443

Total patents granted

CPC technology areas

9.2

Avg claims per patent

-27%

5-year filing velocity

The verdict

YKK holds 443 US patents across 77 technology areas, rank #994 of 50,000 tracked assignees.

#994
of 50,000 US assignees by volume: Top 6%
by Innovation Score (56.2/100): 9.2
avg claims per patent: -27%
filing velocity, last 5 yrs

Portfolio overview

YKK Corporation has been granted 443 US utility patents between 2015 and 2025, placing YKK Corporation at rank #994 across all assignees tracked by PlainPatent. This portfolio spans 77 distinct Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) subclasses, averaging 9.2 claims per patent with primary concentration in A44B (BUTTONS, PINS, BUCKLES, SLIDE FASTENERS, OR THE LIKE). As a Foreign Corporation, YKK Corporation is one of the broader-portfolio assignees in the PatentsView dataset. By volume, YKK sits between Nissan Chemical Industries, Ltd. (445 patents, rank #990) and Shanghai Langbo Communication Technology Company Limited (440 patents, rank #998) - the closest US assignees by grant volume. The composite Innovation Score of 56.2/100 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 187 grants, compared with 256 in the 2015–2019 window, a -27% shift in five-year velocity. A cooling filing rate may reflect portfolio consolidation, shifting priorities, or reduced R&D throughput. The Foreign 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. YKK Corporation's 9.2 average claims per patent suggests focused, narrowly drawn claims typical of single-invention filings, while a multi-domain presence across 77 subclasses balances depth with breadth. Combined with portfolio volume, these signals let analysts, investors, and licensing professionals benchmark YKK Corporation against peers pursuing similar technology classes.

Nissan Chemical I…

445
Pirelli TYRE S P A

445
University OF Mar…

444
Daifuku

443
YKK ◀

443
Crestron

442
Siemens Industry

442
BETA AIR

441
Shanghai Langbo C…

440

What this shows YKK holds 443 patents at rank #994, shown against the 8 assignees closest to it in grant volume rather than the industry's largest filers.

Companies ranked near YKK

By rank, the assignees closest to #994 in granted patent volume.

Leaders in A44B (Buttons)

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

YKK's Innovation Score vs. every tracked assignee

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

56 Top 6% higher than 94% 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

YKK Corporation patent grants by year, 2015–2025
Year	Patents Granted	Share of Period
2015	60	13.5%
2016	55	12.4%
2017	55	12.4%
2018	50	11.3%
2019	36	8.1%
2020	40	9.0%
2021	43	9.7%
2022	32	7.2%
2023	25	5.6%
2024	25	5.6%
2025	22	5.0%

Which technologies does YKK Corporation patent most?

A44B - BUTTONS, PINS, BUCKLES, SLIDE FASTENERS, OR THE LIKE 333

Y10T - TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION 158

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 46

B29L - INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASS B29C, RELATING TO PARTICULAR ARTICLES 44

B60N - SEATS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES; VEHICLE PASSENGER ACCOMMODATION NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR 32

B29K - INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES B29B, B29C OR B29D, RELATING TO MOULDING MATERIALS OR TO MATERIALS FOR ; MOULDS, ; REINFORCEMENTS, FILLERS OR PREFORMED PARTS, e.g. INSERTS 24

B29D - PRODUCING PARTICULAR ARTICLES FROM PLASTICS OR FROM SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE 21

A47C - CHAIRS; SOFAS; BEDS 19

D10B - INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBLASSES OF SECTION D, RELATING TO TEXTILES 19

B68G - METHODS, EQUIPMENT, OR MACHINES FOR USE IN UPHOLSTERING; UPHOLSTERY NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR 18

F16B - DEVICES FOR FASTENING OR SECURING CONSTRUCTIONAL ELEMENTS OR MACHINE PARTS TOGETHER, e.g. NAILS, BOLTS, CIRCLIPS, CLAMPS, CLIPS OR WEDGES; JOINTS OR JOINTING 17

D03D - WOVEN FABRICS; METHODS OF WEAVING; LOOMS 15

A41H - APPLIANCES OR METHODS FOR MAKING CLOTHES, e.g. FOR DRESS-MAKING OR FOR TAILORING, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR 13

B21D - WORKING OR PROCESSING OF SHEET METAL OR METAL TUBES, RODS OR PROFILES WITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVING MATERIAL; PUNCHING METAL 13

C22C - ALLOYS 11

Top 15 of 77 technology areas

Patent Moat Analysis

Portfolio Volume Moderate

Tech Breadth Multi-domain

Claim Depth Simple

Velocity Declining

Where it ranks

Overall rank by patents

#994

Across all tracked assignees

Innovation Score

56.2 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 YKK Corporation hold?

YKK Corporation holds 443 US granted patents filed between 2015 and 2025, spanning 77 technology areas.

What is YKK Corporation's Innovation Score?

YKK Corporation has an Innovation Score of 56.2 out of 100. This composite metric weighs portfolio volume (40%), filing velocity (20%), technology breadth (25%), and claim depth (15%).

What technology areas does YKK Corporation focus on?

YKK Corporation's top technology area is A44B (BUTTONS, PINS, BUCKLES, SLIDE FASTENERS, OR THE LIKE) with 333 patents. The company has filed patents in 77 CPC subclasses total.

Is YKK Corporation's patent filing rate increasing or decreasing?

YKK Corporation's recent filing velocity is -27% compared to the prior five-year period. Filing activity has slowed relative to earlier years.

What does claim depth mean for YKK Corporation's patents?

YKK Corporation's patents average 9.2 claims each. This is relatively simple claim structure, typical for focused inventions.

How is the YKK Corporation 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

YKK's 443 grants land it in the top 6% 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 - YKK ranks #994 of 50,000. Top 50 holders
Most of this portfolio concentrates in A44B - see who else leads that technology area. A44B 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.