USPTO 2015–2025 USPTO PatentsView Foreign Corporation

ZKW Group Gmbh

USPTO PatentsView assignee record - 239 granted patents across 48 technology areas, active 2016–2025. Filing-trend and competitive-moat analysis cross-referenced to USPTO Patent Public Search. Primary class: F21S (NON-PORTABLE LIGHTING DEVICES; SYSTEMS THEREOF; VEHICLE LIGHTING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLE EXTERIORS).

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

Explore the portfolio See the ranking

239

Total patents granted

CPC technology areas

17.0

Avg claims per patent

+119%

5-year filing velocity

The verdict

ZKW holds 239 US patents across 48 technology areas, rank #1,713 of 50,000 tracked assignees.

#1,713
of 50,000 US assignees by volume: Top 3%
by Innovation Score (60.1/100): 17.0
avg claims per patent: +119%
filing velocity, last 5 yrs

Portfolio overview

ZKW Group Gmbh has been granted 239 US utility patents between 2016 and 2025, placing ZKW Group Gmbh at rank #1,713 across all assignees tracked by PlainPatent. This portfolio spans 48 distinct Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) subclasses, averaging 17.0 claims per patent with primary concentration in F21S (NON-PORTABLE LIGHTING DEVICES; SYSTEMS THEREOF; VEHICLE LIGHTING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLE EXTERIORS). As a Foreign Corporation, ZKW Group Gmbh is one of the more focused assignees in the PatentsView dataset. By volume, ZKW sits between Medtronic Xomed, Inc. (239 patents, rank #1,709) and LX Semicon Co., Ltd. (238 patents, rank #1,717) - the closest US assignees by grant volume. The composite Innovation Score of 60.1/100 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 164 grants, compared with 75 in the 2015–2019 window, a +119% shift in five-year velocity. An acceleration of this magnitude signals aggressive R&D investment and expanding technical ambition. 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. ZKW Group Gmbh's 17.0 average claims per patent sits within the typical range for solid legal coverage without excessive prosecution cost, while a multi-domain presence across 48 subclasses balances depth with breadth. Combined with portfolio volume, these signals let analysts, investors, and licensing professionals benchmark ZKW Group Gmbh against peers pursuing similar technology classes.

Medtronic Xomed

239
Nikkiso

239
Theravance Biopha…

239
Vorwerk & Interho…

239
ZKW Group ◀

239
Alipay (Hangzhou)…

238
Children's Hospit…

238
KING COM

238
LX Semicon

238

What this shows ZKW holds 239 patents at rank #1,713, shown against the 8 assignees closest to it in grant volume rather than the industry's largest filers.

Companies ranked near ZKW

By rank, the assignees closest to #1,713 in granted patent volume.

Leaders in F21S (Non-portable Lighting Devices)

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

ZKW's Innovation Score vs. every tracked assignee

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

60 Top 3% higher than 97% 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 · 2016–2025

Grants by year

Teal-shaded recent years (2020–present) versus the 2016–2019 baseline. Full figures in the table below.

View data table

ZKW Group Gmbh patent grants by year, 2015–2025
Year	Patents Granted	Share of Period
2016	4	1.7%
2017	17	7.1%
2018	26	10.9%
2019	28	11.7%
2020	37	15.5%
2021	24	10.0%
2022	21	8.8%
2023	27	11.3%
2024	39	16.3%
2025	16	6.7%

Which technologies does ZKW Group Gmbh patent most?

F21S - NON-PORTABLE LIGHTING DEVICES; SYSTEMS THEREOF; VEHICLE LIGHTING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLE EXTERIORS 213

B60Q - ARRANGEMENT OF SIGNALLING OR LIGHTING DEVICES, THE MOUNTING OR SUPPORTING THEREOF OR CIRCUITS THEREFOR, FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL 103

F21W - INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES F21K, F21L, F21S and F21V, RELATING TO USES OR APPLICATIONS OF LIGHTING DEVICES OR SYSTEMS 54

F21Y - INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES F21K, F21L, F21S and F21V, RELATING TO THE FORM OR THE KIND OF THE LIGHT SOURCES OR OF THE COLOUR OF THE LIGHT EMITTED 52

G02B - OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS 45

F21V - FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OR DETAILS OF LIGHTING DEVICES OR SYSTEMS THEREOF; STRUCTURAL COMBINATIONS OF LIGHTING DEVICES WITH OTHER ARTICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR 19

H05K - PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS 18

H05B - ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL 10

H01L - SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10 9

B60R - VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR 9

F21K - NON-ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES USING LUMINESCENCE; LIGHT SOURCES USING ELECTROCHEMILUMINESCENCE; LIGHT SOURCES USING CHARGES OF COMBUSTIBLE MATERIAL; LIGHT SOURCES USING SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES AS LIGHT-GENERATING ELEMENTS; LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR 7

H04N - PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION 7

H10H - INORGANIC LIGHT-EMITTING SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES HAVING POTENTIAL BARRIERS 6

Y02P - CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS 5

G06V - IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING 5

Top 15 of 48 technology areas

Patent Moat Analysis

Portfolio Volume Moderate

Tech Breadth Multi-domain

Claim Depth Standard

Velocity Accelerating

Where it ranks

Overall rank by patents

#1,713

Across all tracked assignees

Innovation Score

60.1 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 ZKW Group Gmbh hold?

ZKW Group Gmbh holds 239 US granted patents filed between 2016 and 2025, spanning 48 technology areas.

What is ZKW Group Gmbh's Innovation Score?

ZKW Group Gmbh has an Innovation Score of 60.1 out of 100. This composite metric weighs portfolio volume (40%), filing velocity (20%), technology breadth (25%), and claim depth (15%).

What technology areas does ZKW Group Gmbh focus on?

ZKW Group Gmbh's top technology area is F21S (NON-PORTABLE LIGHTING DEVICES; SYSTEMS THEREOF; VEHICLE LIGHTING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLE EXTERIORS) with 213 patents. The company has filed patents in 48 CPC subclasses total.

Is ZKW Group Gmbh's patent filing rate increasing or decreasing?

ZKW Group Gmbh's recent filing velocity is +119% compared to the prior five-year period. This indicates accelerating innovation.

What does claim depth mean for ZKW Group Gmbh's patents?

ZKW Group Gmbh's patents average 17.0 claims each. This falls within the standard range, providing solid legal coverage.

How is the ZKW Group Gmbh 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

ZKW's 239 grants land it in the top 3% 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 - ZKW ranks #1,713 of 50,000. Top 50 holders
Most of this portfolio concentrates in F21S - see who else leads that technology area. F21S 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.