PlainPatent

CPC technology class · C06

C06C - Detonating Or Priming Devices

Detonating or priming devices; fuses ; chemical lighters; pyrophoric compositions. 165 US utility patents granted 2015–2025, with the leading assignees and year-by-year grant trajectory.

165
US patents granted
#2/3
in C06
18.2%
C06 class share
-29%
5-yr velocity

The verdict

According to USPTO PatentsView, Detonating Or Priming Devices ranks #611 of 670 CPC technology areas - 165 US patents granted since 2015, with recorded grant volume down 29% over five years.

#611
of 670 CPC technology areas
165
US patents granted, 2015–2025
The United States of…
leading assignee (16)
-29%
grant velocity, last 5 yrs

How C06C's grant cadence moved

Between 2020–2024, C06C recorded 64 grants versus 90 in 2015–2019 (-29% equal-window velocity). Across complete years, output peaked in 2017 at 24 grants and bottomed in 2020 at 11 (+118% peak-over-trough). Lead assignee Matrix X, LLC holds 4.2% of the class ; the top three share 11.5%.

Leaderboard read

C06C concentration, lead at 4.2%

Matrix X, LLC leads this historical grant record at 4.2% of C06C - us corporation assignees hold 65% of class grants (51 of 78). Figures describe granted US utility patents in this CPC subclass, not current investment or legal strength.

Leader's share
4.2%

7 of 165 grants

Top three share
11.5%

of the class's recorded grants

Lead over #2
1

more grants than Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems, Inc.

Where C06C sits inside C06

Among 3 subclasses in C06 (EXPLOSIVES; Matches), C06C ranks #2 and holds 18.2% of the parent class's 908 recorded grants. Sibling chips below are the other subclasses in the same parent class, not the nationwide volume/lead-share peers further down.

C06B 579 C06D 164

Rising assignees active in C06C

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. #1 Ensign-Bickford Aerospace & Defense Company 1.00x 8 → 8 company-wide · 6 in C06C
  2. #2 Ruag Ammotec GmbH 0.71x 14 → 10 company-wide · 5 in C06C
  3. #3 Spectre Materials Sciences, Inc. 0.33x 3 → 1 company-wide · 6 in C06C
  4. #4 Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems, Inc. 0.02x 46 → 1 company-wide · 6 in C06C

C06C grants by year, peak 2017 (24)

US utility-patent grants per year in C06C, 2015–2025 - recent five years are down 29% versus 2015–2019.

0510152025 20152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 4

Who leads C06C?

The 12 most active assignees in Detonating OR Priming DEVICES; Fuses ; Chemical LIGHTERS; Pyrophoric Compositions - wider bars mean more grants

patents

What this shows The United States of… is the most active filer in C06C, holding 16 of the 165 patents in this class. Concentration at the top signals how contestable this technology area is for new entrants.

Source USPTO PatentsView, granted utility patents As of 2015–2025 grant years
View data table
Top patent holders in CPC subclass C06C
Rank Company Patents in C06C
#1 Matrix X, LLC 7
#2 Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems, Inc. 6
#3 Ensign-Bickford Aerospace & Defense Company 6
#4 Spectre Materials Sciences, Inc. 6
#5 Ruag Ammotec GmbH 5
#6 DynaEnergetics Europe GmbH 4
#7 TK Holdings, LLC 4
#8 Armtec Defense Products Co. 4
#9 Detnet South Africa (PTY) Ltd 3
#10 Owen Oil Tools LP 3
#11 Fike Corporation 3
#12 Terves, LLC 2
#13 Orica International Pte Ltd 2
#14 Nexter Munitions 2
#15 Dyno Nobel Inc. 2
#16 Diehl BGT Defence GmbH & Co. KG 2
#17 AEL Mining Services Limited 2
#18 Viettel Group 1
#19 University of Rhode Island Board of Trustees 1
#20 DynaEnergetics GmbH & Co. KG 1

Footprint here vs. claim strategy

Each dot is a leading C06C 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.

Top 14 C06C assignees by class footprint. Bubble size = patents in C06C. Source: USPTO PatentsView (claim depth is company-wide across all classes). Scatter plot of 14 data points (bubble-sized by third dimension). 5101520253035 02468 Patents in C06C Avg claims / patent (company-wide) Matrix XNorthrop Grumman…Ensign-bickford…Spectre Materials…Ruag AmmotecDynaenergetics EuropeTk HoldingsArmtec Defense…Detnet South Africa…Owen Oil ToolsFikeTervesOrica International…Nexter Munitions
Top 14 C06C assignees by class footprint. Bubble size = patents in C06C. Source: USPTO PatentsView (claim depth is company-wide across all classes).

Questions about C06C

Which company holds the most patents in C06C?
The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army leads C06C with 16 patents (4.2% of the subclass). By PatentsView assignee type, us corporations account for 65% of class grants.
Which C06C assignees grew fastest recently?
Among assignees with ≥5 grants in C06C, Ensign-Bickford Aerospace & Defense Company shows the highest company-wide grant multiple (1.00x: 8 grants in 2019–2021 → 8 in 2022–2024) while holding 6 patents in this subclass. Growth is company-wide, not class-only.
How does C06C compare inside parent class C06?
Inside C06 (EXPLOSIVES; Matches), C06C ranks #2 of 3 subclasses by grant volume and holds 18.2% of the parent class total. The largest sibling is C06B (579 grants).

What to do with this data

C06C in context - here's where to go next.

Figures reflect USPTO PatentsView grant data through 2026-05-15; pending applications not yet granted are not counted.

Methodology - C06C figures are USPTO PatentsView granted-utility totals for this subclass (165 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.