PlainPatent

CPC technology class · F15

F15C - Fluid-circuit Elements Predominantly Used For Computing O…

Fluid-circuit elements predominantly used for computing or control purposes. 136 US utility patents granted 2015–2025, with the leading assignees and year-by-year grant trajectory.

136
US patents granted
#3/3
in F15
1.7%
F15 class share
-20%
5-yr velocity

The verdict

According to USPTO PatentsView, Fluid-circuit Elements Predominantly Used For Computing O… ranks #615 of 670 CPC technology areas - 136 US patents granted since 2015, with recorded grant volume down 20% over five years.

#615
of 670 CPC technology areas
136
US patents granted, 2015–2025
Facebook
leading assignee (15)
-20%
grant velocity, last 5 yrs

How F15C's grant cadence moved

Between 2020–2024, F15C recorded 59 grants versus 74 in 2015–2019 (-20% equal-window velocity). Across complete years, output peaked in 2021 at 20 grants and bottomed in 2023 at 6 (+233% peak-over-trough). Lead assignee Vortex Pipe Systems LLC holds 7.4% of the class ; the top three share 16.9%.

Leaderboard read

F15C concentration, lead at 7.4%

Vortex Pipe Systems LLC leads this historical grant record at 7.4% of F15C - us corporation assignees hold 90% of class grants (36 of 40). Figures describe granted US utility patents in this CPC subclass, not current investment or legal strength.

Leader's share
7.4%

10 of 136 grants

Top three share
16.9%

of the class's recorded grants

Lead over #2
2

more grants than Applied Biosystems, LLC

Where F15C sits inside F15

Among 3 subclasses in F15 (Fluid-pressure ACTUATORS; Hydraulics OR Pneumatics IN General), F15C ranks #3 and holds 1.7% of the parent class's 8,154 recorded grants. Sibling chips below are the other subclasses in the same parent class, not the nationwide volume/lead-share peers further down.

F15B 7,094 F15D 924

Rising assignees active in F15C

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 Vortex Pipe Systems LLC 2.83x 6 → 17 company-wide · 10 in F15C
  2. #2 CYTONOME/ST, LLC 0.52x 23 → 12 company-wide · 5 in F15C
  3. #3 Applied Biosystems, LLC 0.19x 36 → 7 company-wide · 8 in F15C

F15C grants by year, peak 2021 (20)

US utility-patent grants per year in F15C, 2015–2025 - recent five years are down 20% versus 2015–2019.

0510152025 20152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 2

Who leads F15C?

The 12 most active assignees in Fluid-circuit Elements Predominantly Used FOR Computing OR Control Purposes - wider bars mean more grants

patents

What this shows Facebook is the most active filer in F15C, holding 15 of the 136 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 F15C
Rank Company Patents in F15C
#1 Vortex Pipe Systems LLC 10
#2 Applied Biosystems, LLC 8
#3 CYTONOME/ST, LLC 5
#4 Thru Tubing Solutions, Inc. 4
#5 Dlhbowles, Inc. 3
#6 Rheonix, Inc. 2
#7 Tactus Technology, Inc. 1
#8 Leggett & Platt Canada Co. 1
#9 Control Components, Inc. 1
#10 Stratec SE 1
#11 Iridia, Inc. 1
#12 Dolphin Fluidics S.R.L. 1
#13 Jansen's Aircraft Systems Controls, Inc. 1
#14 Silicon Biosystems S.P.A. 1

Footprint here vs. claim strategy

Each dot is a leading F15C 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 F15C assignees by class footprint. Bubble size = patents in F15C. Source: USPTO PatentsView (claim depth is company-wide across all classes). Scatter plot of 14 data points (bubble-sized by third dimension). 51015202530 024681012 Patents in F15C Avg claims / patent (company-wide) Vortex Pipe SystemsApplied BiosystemsCytonome/StThru Tubing SolutionsDlhbowlesRheonixTactus TechnologyLeggett & Platt CanadaControl ComponentsStratec SeIridiaDolphin Fluidics S R LJansen's Aircraft…Silicon Biosystems S…
Top 14 F15C assignees by class footprint. Bubble size = patents in F15C. Source: USPTO PatentsView (claim depth is company-wide across all classes).

Questions about F15C

Which company holds the most patents in F15C?
Facebook Technologies, LLC leads F15C with 15 patents (7.4% of the subclass). By PatentsView assignee type, us corporations account for 90% of class grants.
Which F15C assignees grew fastest recently?
Among assignees with ≥5 grants in F15C, Vortex Pipe Systems LLC shows the highest company-wide grant multiple (2.83x: 6 grants in 2019–2021 → 17 in 2022–2024) while holding 10 patents in this subclass. Growth is company-wide, not class-only.
How does F15C compare inside parent class F15?
Inside F15 (Fluid-pressure ACTUATORS; Hydraulics OR Pneumatics IN General), F15C ranks #3 of 3 subclasses by grant volume and holds 1.7% of the parent class total. The largest sibling is F15B (7,094 grants).

What to do with this data

F15C in context - here's where to go next.

  • Vortex Pipe Systems LLC leads F15C with 10 grants in this class. See full portfolio
  • F15C ranks #615 of 670 by grant volume among all tracked CPC technology areas. See the ranking
  • Inside parent class F15, the largest sibling subclass is F15B with 7,094 grants. Explore F15B

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

Methodology - F15C figures are USPTO PatentsView granted-utility totals for this subclass (136 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.