CPC technology class · E01
E01B - Permanent Way
Permanent way; permanent-way tools; machines for making railways of all kinds. 981 US utility patents granted 2015–2025, with the leading assignees and year-by-year grant trajectory.
- 981
- US patents granted
- #3/5
- in E01
- 13.4%
- E01 class share
- +12%
- 5-yr velocity
The verdict
According to USPTO PatentsView, Permanent Way ranks #460 of 670 CPC technology areas - 981 US patents granted since 2015, with recorded grant volume up 12% over five years.
- #460
- of 670 CPC technology areas
- 981
- US patents granted, 2015–2025
- Plasser & Theurer Export…
- leading assignee (58)
- +12%
- grant velocity, last 5 yrs
How E01B's grant cadence moved
Between 2020–2024, E01B recorded 456 grants versus 406 in 2015–2019 (+12% equal-window velocity). Across complete years, output peaked in 2024 at 101 grants and bottomed in 2015 at 73 (+38% peak-over-trough). Lead assignee Plasser & Theurer Export von Bahnbaumaschinen Gesellschaft m.b.H. holds 5.9% of the class ; the top three share 11.1%.
Leaderboard read
E01B concentration, lead at 5.9%
Plasser & Theurer Export von Bahnbaumaschinen Gesellschaft m.b.H. leads this historical grant record at 5.9% of E01B - foreign corporation assignees hold 51% of class grants (279 of 547). Figures describe granted US utility patents in this CPC subclass, not current investment or legal strength.
- Leader's share
- 5.9%
- Top three share
- 11.1%
- Lead over #2
- 30
58 of 981 grants
of the class's recorded grants
more grants than B & B Metals, Inc.
Where E01B sits inside E01
Among 5 subclasses in E01 (Construction OF Roads, Railways, OR Bridges), E01B ranks #3 and holds 13.4% of the parent class's 7,343 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 E01B
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 Plasser & Theurer Export von Bahnbaumaschinen GmbH 11x 2 → 21 company-wide · 23 in E01B
- #2 S.W.N.G., Inc. 7.00x 1 → 7 company-wide · 9 in E01B
- #3 Herzog Railroad Services, Inc. 5.00x 1 → 5 company-wide · 13 in E01B
- #4 Bnsf Railway Company 4.19x 21 → 88 company-wide · 7 in E01B
- #5 Nordco Inc. 2.00x 3 → 6 company-wide · 19 in E01B
E01B grants by year, peak 2024 (101)
US utility-patent grants per year in E01B, 2015–2025 - recent five years are up 12% versus 2015–2019.
Who leads E01B?
The 12 most active assignees in Permanent WAY; Permanent-way TOOLS; Machines FOR Making Railways OF ALL Kinds - wider bars mean more grants
- Plasser & Theurer…
Plasser & Theurer Export von Bahnbaumaschinen Gesellschaft m.b.H.
58 patents
- B & B Metals
B & B Metals, Inc.
28 patents
- Plasser & Theurer… 23
Plasser & Theurer Export von Bahnbaumaschinen GmbH
23 patents
- Harsco 20
Harsco Technologies LLC
20 patents
- Nordco 19
Nordco Inc.
19 patents
- Pandrol 19
Pandrol Limited
19 patents
- Robel Bahnbaumaschinen 19
Robel Bahnbaumaschinen GmbH
19 patents
- Vossloh-werke 17
Vossloh-Werke GmbH
17 patents
- Matisa Matériel… 14
Matisa Matériel Industriel S.A.
14 patents
- Progress Rail Services 13
Progress Rail Services Corporation
13 patents
- Hyperloop 13
Hyperloop Technologies, Inc.
13 patents
- Herzog Railroad… 13
Herzog Railroad Services, Inc.
13 patents
What this shows Plasser & Theurer… is the most active filer in E01B, holding 58 of the 981 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 E01B |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | Plasser & Theurer Export von Bahnbaumaschinen Gesellschaft m.b.H. | 58 |
| #2 | B & B Metals, Inc. | 28 |
| #3 | Plasser & Theurer Export von Bahnbaumaschinen GmbH | 23 |
| #4 | Harsco Technologies LLC | 20 |
| #5 | Nordco Inc. | 19 |
| #6 | Pandrol Limited | 19 |
| #7 | Robel Bahnbaumaschinen GmbH | 19 |
| #8 | Vossloh-Werke GmbH | 17 |
| #9 | Matisa Matériel Industriel S.A. | 14 |
| #10 | Progress Rail Services Corporation | 13 |
| #11 | Hyperloop Technologies, Inc. | 13 |
| #12 | Herzog Railroad Services, Inc. | 13 |
| #13 | HP3 Real GmbH | 11 |
| #14 | Alstom Transport Technologies | 10 |
| #15 | Voestalpine VAE GMBH | 10 |
| #16 | L.B. Foster Company | 9 |
| #17 | MOW Equipment Solutions, Inc. | 9 |
| #18 | S.W.N.G., Inc. | 9 |
| #19 | Harsco Corporation | 8 |
| #20 | Bnsf Railway Company | 7 |
Footprint here vs. claim strategy
Each dot is a leading E01B 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 E01B's 981-grant footprint
Nationwide nearest neighbors for E01B (#460 of 670 by volume ; lead share 5.9%) - not the E01 parent-class siblings above.
Questions about E01B
Which company holds the most patents in E01B?
Which E01B assignees grew fastest recently?
How does E01B compare inside parent class E01?
What to do with this data
E01B in context - here's where to go next.
- Plasser & Theurer Export von Bahnbaumaschinen Gesellschaft m.b.H. leads E01B with 58 grants in this class. See full portfolio
- E01B ranks #460 of 670 by grant volume among all tracked CPC technology areas. See the ranking
- Inside parent class E01, the largest sibling subclass is E01C with 3,503 grants. Explore E01C
Figures reflect USPTO PatentsView grant data through 2026-05-15; pending applications not yet granted are not counted.
Methodology - E01B figures are USPTO PatentsView granted-utility totals for this subclass (981 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.