PlainPatent

CPC technology class · F21

F21K - Non-electric Light Sources Using Luminescence

Non-electric light sources using luminescence; light sources using electrochemiluminescence; light sources using charges of combustible material; light sources using semiconductor devices as light-generating elements; light sources not otherwise provided for. 7,021 US utility patents granted 2015–2025, with the leading assignees and year-by-year filing trajectory.

7,021
US patents granted
F21
Parent CPC class
20
Active assignees
-34%
5-yr velocity

The verdict

Non-electric Light Sources Using Luminescence ranks #206 of 670 CPC technology areas - 7,021 US patents granted since 2015, with filing down 34% over five years.

#206
of 670 CPC technology areas
7,021
US patents granted, 2015–2025
Signify Holding B V
leading assignee (276)
-34%
filing velocity, last 5 yrs
Top assignee: Signify Holding B.v. (276 patents)

CPC subclass F21K - NON-ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES USING LUMINESCENCE; LIGHT SOURCES USING ELECTROCHEMILUMINESCENCE; LIGHT SOURCES USING CHARGES OF COMBUSTIBLE MATERIAL; LIGHT SOURCES USING SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES AS LIGHT-GENERATING ELEMENTS; LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - covers 7,021 US utility patents granted between 2015 and 2025 according to USPTO PatentsView records, within the broader CPC class F21 (LIGHTING). See our CPC classification guide for how the system works.

The competitive landscape in F21K is shaped by 20 distinct companies actively filing in this space. Signify Holding B.v. leads with 276 patents, followed by LG Innotek Co., Ltd. at 260 grants and Cree, Inc. at 248.

Filing activity in F21K is down 34% over the past five years versus 2015-2019, a notable slowdown that may signal a maturing field. All counts come directly from USPTO PatentsView and reflect US granted utility patents only.

Is F21K innovation accelerating?

US utility-patent grants per year in F21K, 2015–2025 - recent five years are down 34% versus 2015–2019.

02004006008001,000 20152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 200

Who leads F21K?

The 12 most active assignees in NON-ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES USING LUMINESCENCE; LIGHT SOURCES USING ELECTROCHEMILUMINESCENCE; LIGHT SOURCES USING CHARGES OF COMBUSTIBLE MATERIAL; LIGHT SOURCES USING SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES AS LIGHT-GENERATING ELEMENTS; LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - wider bars mean more grants

patents

What this shows Signify Holding B V is the most active filer in F21K, holding 276 of the 7,021 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 F21K
Rank Company Patents in F21K
#1 Signify Holding B.v. 276
#2 LG Innotek Co., Ltd. 260
#3 Cree, Inc. 248
#4 Jiaxing Super Lighting Electric Appliance Co., Ltd 210
#5 Philips Lighting Holding B.v. 161
#6 Nichia Corporation 144
#7 Osram Gmbh 140
#8 Ledvance Gmbh 138
#9 Xiamen ECO Lighting Co. Ltd. 114
#10 Lumileds Llc 106
#11 Epistar Corporation 96
#12 Quarkstar Llc 65
#13 GE Lighting Solutions Llc 64
#14 FEIT Electric Company, Inc. 60
#15 Seoul Semiconductor Co., Ltd. 51
#16 Bridgelux, Inc. 47
#17 Ilumisys, Inc. 46
#18 Ideal Industries Lighting Llc 45
#19 Ecosense Lighting Inc. 44
#20 Cooper Technologies Company 42

About This Class

CPC subclass F21K belongs to class F21.

7,021 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 F21K 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 F21K assignees by class footprint. Bubble size = patents in F21K. Source: USPTO PatentsView (claim depth is company-wide across all classes).

Top 14 F21K assignees by class footprint. Bubble size = patents in F21K. Source: USPTO PatentsView (claim depth is company-wide across all classes). Scatter plot of 14 data points (bubble-sized by third dimension). 10152025 050100150200250300 Patents in F21K Avg claims / patent (company-wide) Signify Holding B VLg InnotekCreeJiaxing Super Lightin…Philips Lighting Hold…NichiaOsramLedvanceXiamen Eco LightingLumiledsEpistarQuarkstarGe Lighting SolutionsFeit Electric
Top 14 F21K assignees by class footprint. Bubble size = patents in F21K. Source: USPTO PatentsView (claim depth is company-wide across all classes).

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CPC class F21K?
CPC subclass F21K covers NON-ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES USING LUMINESCENCE; LIGHT SOURCES USING ELECTROCHEMILUMINESCENCE; LIGHT SOURCES USING CHARGES OF COMBUSTIBLE MATERIAL; LIGHT SOURCES USING SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES AS LIGHT-GENERATING ELEMENTS; LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR. It belongs to CPC class F21 (LIGHTING), with 7,021 US utility patents granted since 2015.
How many patents have been filed in F21K?
7,021 US utility patents were granted in CPC subclass F21K between 2015 and 2025, based on USPTO PatentsView data.
Which company holds the most patents in F21K?
Signify Holding B.v. leads F21K with 276 patents, making it the most active assignee in this technology area.
How is patent data for F21K 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., F21) is a broad technology category. Subclasses like F21K 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.