PlainPatent

CPC technology class · F17

F17C - Vessels FOR Containing OR Storing Compressed

Vessels for containing or storing compressed, liquefied or solidified gases; fixed-capacity gas-holders; filling vessels with, or discharging from vessels, compressed, liquefied, or solidified gases. 4,101 US utility patents granted 2015–2025, with the leading assignees and year-by-year filing trajectory.

4,101
US patents granted
F17
Parent CPC class
20
Active assignees
+49%
5-yr velocity

The verdict

Vessels FOR Containing OR Storing Compressed ranks #270 of 670 CPC technology areas - 4,101 US patents granted since 2015, with filing up 49% over five years.

#270
of 670 CPC technology areas
4,101
US patents granted, 2015–2025
Toyota Jidosha
leading assignee (195)
+49%
filing velocity, last 5 yrs
Top assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (195 patents)

CPC subclass F17C - VESSELS FOR CONTAINING OR STORING COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED OR SOLIDIFIED GASES; FIXED-CAPACITY GAS-HOLDERS; FILLING VESSELS WITH, OR DISCHARGING FROM VESSELS, COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED, OR SOLIDIFIED GASES - covers 4,101 US utility patents granted between 2015 and 2025 according to USPTO PatentsView records, within the broader CPC class F17 (STORING OR DISTRIBUTING GASES OR LIQUIDS). See our CPC classification guide for how the system works.

The competitive landscape in F17C is shaped by 20 distinct companies actively filing in this space. Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha leads with 195 patents, followed by Gaztransport ET Technigaz at 63 grants and Praxair Technology, Inc. at 49.

Filing activity in F17C is up 49% over the past five years versus 2015-2019, a sharp acceleration suggesting an emerging or fast-moving technology area. All counts come directly from USPTO PatentsView and reflect US granted utility patents only.

Is F17C innovation accelerating?

US utility-patent grants per year in F17C, 2015–2025 - recent five years are up 49% versus 2015–2019.

200300400500 20152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 352

Who leads F17C?

The 12 most active assignees in VESSELS FOR CONTAINING OR STORING COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED OR SOLIDIFIED GASES; FIXED-CAPACITY GAS-HOLDERS; FILLING VESSELS WITH, OR DISCHARGING FROM VESSELS, COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED, OR SOLIDIFIED GASES - wider bars mean more grants

patents

What this shows Toyota Jidosha is the most active filer in F17C, holding 195 of the 4,101 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 F17C
Rank Company Patents in F17C
#1 L'air Liquide, Societe Anonyme Pour L'etude Et L'exploitation Des Procedes Georges Claude 166
#2 Gaztransport ET Technigaz 63
#3 Praxair Technology, Inc. 49
#4 Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co., Ltd. 43
#5 Hexagon Technology AS 41
#6 Entegris, Inc. 36
#7 Chart Inc. 32
#8 Engineered Controls International, Llc 30
#9 Tatsuno Corporation 29
#10 Linde Gmbh 28
#11 AIR Products AND Chemicals, Inc. 28
#12 Amtrol Licensing Inc. 24
#13 Agility Fuel Systems Llc 21
#14 Scott Technologies, Inc. 18
#15 Marathon Petroleum Company Lp 17
#16 Intelligent Energy Limited 16
#17 Samsung Heavy IND. Co., Ltd. 16
#18 Hydrostor Inc. 16
#19 Westport Power Inc. 14
#20 Worthington Industries, Inc. 14

About This Class

CPC subclass F17C belongs to class F17.

4,101 patents were granted in this class between 2015 and 2025.

20 companies actively patent in this space.

Classification System

Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) is a hierarchical patent classification system used by the USPTO and EPO.

← All Technology Classes Technology Rankings →

Footprint here vs. claim strategy

Each dot is a leading F17C 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 F17C assignees by class footprint. Bubble size = patents in F17C. Source: USPTO PatentsView (claim depth is company-wide across all classes).

Top 14 F17C assignees by class footprint. Bubble size = patents in F17C. Source: USPTO PatentsView (claim depth is company-wide across all classes). Scatter plot of 14 data points (bubble-sized by third dimension). 5101520 050100150200 Patents in F17C Avg claims / patent (company-wide) L'air Liquide Societe…Gaztransport Et Techn…Praxair TechnologyDaewoo Shipbuilding &…Hexagon Technology AsEntegrisChartEngineered Controls I…TatsunoLindeAir Products And Chem…Amtrol LicensingAgility Fuel SystemsScott
Top 14 F17C assignees by class footprint. Bubble size = patents in F17C. Source: USPTO PatentsView (claim depth is company-wide across all classes).

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CPC class F17C?
CPC subclass F17C covers VESSELS FOR CONTAINING OR STORING COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED OR SOLIDIFIED GASES; FIXED-CAPACITY GAS-HOLDERS; FILLING VESSELS WITH, OR DISCHARGING FROM VESSELS, COMPRESSED, LIQUEFIED, OR SOLIDIFIED GASES. It belongs to CPC class F17 (STORING OR DISTRIBUTING GASES OR LIQUIDS), with 4,101 US utility patents granted since 2015.
How many patents have been filed in F17C?
4,101 US utility patents were granted in CPC subclass F17C between 2015 and 2025, based on USPTO PatentsView data.
Which company holds the most patents in F17C?
Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha leads F17C with 195 patents, making it the most active assignee in this technology area.
How is patent data for F17C collected?
Patent data comes from USPTO PatentsView, a public research dataset maintained by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. It covers all US granted utility patents and assigns CPC codes based on the technology described in each patent.
What is the difference between CPC class and subclass?
A CPC class (e.g., F17) is a broad technology category. Subclasses like F17C provide finer granularity within that category. PlainPatent organizes data at the subclass level (4-character codes) for the most useful view of technology domains.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Data sourced from USPTO PatentsView - official U.S. government patent data. See our methodology for computation details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainPatent Editorial

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.