CPC technology class · B03
B03D - Flotation
Flotation; differential sedimentation. 611 US utility patents granted 2015–2025, with the leading assignees and year-by-year grant trajectory.
- 611
- US patents granted
- #3/3
- in B03
- 17.5%
- B03 class share
- -2%
- 5-yr velocity
The verdict
According to USPTO PatentsView, Flotation ranks #519 of 670 CPC technology areas - 611 US patents granted since 2015, with recorded grant volume down 2% over five years.
- #519
- of 670 CPC technology areas
- 611
- US patents granted, 2015–2025
- Cidra Corporate Services
- leading assignee (36)
- -2%
- grant velocity, last 5 yrs
How B03D's grant cadence moved
Between 2020–2024, B03D recorded 271 grants versus 276 in 2015–2019 (-2% equal-window velocity). Across complete years, output peaked in 2019 at 61 grants and bottomed in 2023 at 45 (+36% peak-over-trough). Lead assignee Cidra Corporate Services LLC holds 5.9% of the class ; the top three share 10.1%.
Leaderboard read
B03D concentration, lead at 5.9%
Cidra Corporate Services LLC leads this historical grant record at 5.9% of B03D - foreign corporation assignees hold 49% of class grants (128 of 262). Figures describe granted US utility patents in this CPC subclass, not current investment or legal strength.
- Leader's share
- 5.9%
- Top three share
- 10.1%
- Lead over #2
- 19
36 of 611 grants
of the class's recorded grants
more grants than Outotec (FINLAND) OY
Where B03D sits inside B03
Among 3 subclasses in B03 (Separation OF Solid Materials Using Liquids OR Using Pneumatic Tables OR JIGS; Magnetic OR Electrostatic Separation OF Solid Materials From Solid Materials OR FLUIDS; Separation BY High-voltage Electr), B03D ranks #3 and holds 17.5% of the parent class's 3,493 recorded grants. Sibling chips below are the other subclasses in the same parent class, not the nationwide volume/lead-share peers further down.
Rising assignees active in B03D
Company-wide grant multiples (2022–2024 vs 2019–2021) among assignees with ≥5 patents in this subclass. Growth is company-wide; class patent counts are subclass-specific.
- #1 ICM, Inc. 3.40x 5 → 17 company-wide · 5 in B03D
- #2 Central South University 3.05x 20 → 61 company-wide · 7 in B03D
- #3 Nouryon Chemicals International B.V. 1.20x 46 → 55 company-wide · 6 in B03D
- #4 Kemira OYJ 0.91x 75 → 68 company-wide · 9 in B03D
- #5 Eriez Manufacturing Co. 0.75x 4 → 3 company-wide · 9 in B03D
B03D grants by year, peak 2019 (61)
US utility-patent grants per year in B03D, 2015–2025 - recent five years are down 2% versus 2015–2019.
Who leads B03D?
The 12 most active assignees in FLOTATION; Differential Sedimentation - wider bars mean more grants
- Cidra Corporate…
Cidra Corporate Services LLC
36 patents
- Outotec (Finland) Oy
Outotec (FINLAND) OY
17 patents
- Kemira Oyj 9
Kemira OYJ
9 patents
- Eriez Manufacturing 9
Eriez Manufacturing Co.
9 patents
- Central South… 7
Central South University
7 patents
- Exterran Water… 7
Exterran Water Solutions ULC
7 patents
- Akzo Nobel Chemicals… 6
Akzo Nobel Chemicals International B.V
6 patents
- Nouryon Chemicals… 6
Nouryon Chemicals International B.V.
6 patents
- Georgia-pacific… 6
Georgia-Pacific Chemicals LLC
6 patents
- Sanuwave 6
Sanuwave, Inc.
6 patents
- Vale 5
Vale S.A.
5 patents
- Cytec Technology 5
Cytec Technology Corp.
5 patents
What this shows Cidra Corporate… is the most active filer in B03D, holding 36 of the 611 patents in this class. Concentration at the top signals how contestable this technology area is for new entrants.
View data table
| Rank | Company | Patents in B03D |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | Cidra Corporate Services LLC | 36 |
| #2 | Outotec (FINLAND) OY | 17 |
| #3 | Kemira OYJ | 9 |
| #4 | Eriez Manufacturing Co. | 9 |
| #5 | Central South University | 7 |
| #6 | Exterran Water Solutions ULC | 7 |
| #7 | Akzo Nobel Chemicals International B.V | 6 |
| #8 | Nouryon Chemicals International B.V. | 6 |
| #9 | Georgia-Pacific Chemicals LLC | 6 |
| #10 | Sanuwave, Inc. | 6 |
| #11 | Vale S.A. | 5 |
| #12 | Cytec Technology Corp. | 5 |
| #13 | ICM, Inc. | 5 |
| #14 | Anglo American Services (UK) Ltd | 5 |
| #15 | Kurita Water Industries Ltd. | 4 |
| #16 | FLSmidth A/S | 4 |
| #17 | Arr-Maz Products, L.P. | 4 |
| #18 | Newcastle Innovation Limited | 4 |
| #19 | Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies Support | 3 |
| #20 | Metso Outotec Finland Oy | 3 |
Footprint here vs. claim strategy
Each dot is a leading B03D assignee, placed by how many patents it holds in this class (horizontal) against its company-wide average claims per patent (vertical) - a read on whether the class is led by broad-but-shallow filers or focused deep-claim players.
Classes near B03D's 611-grant footprint
Nationwide nearest neighbors for B03D (#519 of 670 by volume ; lead share 5.9%) - not the B03 parent-class siblings above.
Questions about B03D
Which company holds the most patents in B03D?
Which B03D assignees grew fastest recently?
How does B03D compare inside parent class B03?
What to do with this data
B03D in context - here's where to go next.
- Cidra Corporate Services LLC leads B03D with 36 grants in this class. See full portfolio
- B03D ranks #519 of 670 by grant volume among all tracked CPC technology areas. See the ranking
- Inside parent class B03, the largest sibling subclass is B03C with 2,224 grants. Explore B03C
Figures reflect USPTO PatentsView grant data through 2026-05-15; pending applications not yet granted are not counted.
Methodology - B03D figures are USPTO PatentsView granted-utility totals for this subclass (611 grants in the tracked window).
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.