PlainPatent

CPC technology class · G01

G01B - Measuring Length

Measuring length, thickness or similar linear dimensions; measuring angles; measuring areas; measuring irregularities of surfaces or contours. 22,043 US utility patents granted 2015–2025, with the leading assignees and year-by-year filing trajectory.

22,043
US patents granted
G01
Parent CPC class
20
Active assignees
+18%
5-yr velocity

The verdict

Measuring Length ranks #90 of 670 CPC technology areas - 22,043 US patents granted since 2015, with filing up 18% over five years.

#90
of 670 CPC technology areas
22,043
US patents granted, 2015–2025
Mitutoyo
leading assignee (434)
+18%
filing velocity, last 5 yrs
Top assignee: Mitutoyo Corporation (434 patents)

CPC subclass G01B - MEASURING LENGTH, THICKNESS OR SIMILAR LINEAR DIMENSIONS; MEASURING ANGLES; MEASURING AREAS; MEASURING IRREGULARITIES OF SURFACES OR CONTOURS - covers 22,043 US utility patents granted between 2015 and 2025 according to USPTO PatentsView records, within the broader CPC class G01 (MEASURING; TESTING). See our CPC classification guide for how the system works.

The competitive landscape in G01B is shaped by 20 distinct companies actively filing in this space. Mitutoyo Corporation leads with 434 patents, followed by FARO Technologies, Inc. at 262 grants and Kla-tencor Corporation at 230.

Filing activity in G01B is up 18% over the past five years versus 2015-2019, a relatively steady filing pace. All counts come directly from USPTO PatentsView and reflect US granted utility patents only.

Is G01B innovation accelerating?

US utility-patent grants per year in G01B, 2015–2025 - recent five years are up 18% versus 2015–2019.

1,0001,5002,0002,5003,000 20152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 1,295

Who leads G01B?

The 12 most active assignees in MEASURING LENGTH, THICKNESS OR SIMILAR LINEAR DIMENSIONS; MEASURING ANGLES; MEASURING AREAS; MEASURING IRREGULARITIES OF SURFACES OR CONTOURS - wider bars mean more grants

patents

What this shows Mitutoyo is the most active filer in G01B, holding 434 of the 22,043 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 G01B
Rank Company Patents in G01B
#1 Mitutoyo Corporation 434
#2 FARO Technologies, Inc. 262
#3 Kla-tencor Corporation 230
#4 ASML Netherlands B.v. 209
#5 Nikon Corporation 152
#6 Carl Zeiss Industrielle Messtechnik Gmbh 145
#7 Applied Materials, Inc. 130
#8 Halliburton Energy Services, Inc. 103
#9 Omron Corporation 102
#10 Keyence Corporation 98
#11 DR. Johannes Heidenhain Gmbh 95
#12 Hexagon Technology Center Gmbh 93
#13 KLA Corporation 92
#14 Align Technology, Inc. 89
#15 Renishaw Plc 88
#16 Olympus Corporation 87
#17 Topcon Corporation 86
#18 Hitachi High-technologies Corporation 81
#19 Carl Zeiss Meditec Ag 75
#20 Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation 74

About This Class

CPC subclass G01B belongs to class G01.

22,043 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 G01B 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 G01B assignees by class footprint. Bubble size = patents in G01B. Source: USPTO PatentsView (claim depth is company-wide across all classes).

Top 14 G01B assignees by class footprint. Bubble size = patents in G01B. Source: USPTO PatentsView (claim depth is company-wide across all classes). Scatter plot of 14 data points (bubble-sized by third dimension). 510152025 0100200300400500 Patents in G01B Avg claims / patent (company-wide) MitutoyoFaroKla-tencorAsml Netherlands B VNikonCarl Zeiss Industriel…Applied MaterialsHalliburton Energy Se…OmronKeyenceDr Johannes HeidenhainHexagon Technology Ce…KlaAlign Technology
Top 14 G01B assignees by class footprint. Bubble size = patents in G01B. Source: USPTO PatentsView (claim depth is company-wide across all classes).

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CPC class G01B?
CPC subclass G01B covers MEASURING LENGTH, THICKNESS OR SIMILAR LINEAR DIMENSIONS; MEASURING ANGLES; MEASURING AREAS; MEASURING IRREGULARITIES OF SURFACES OR CONTOURS. It belongs to CPC class G01 (MEASURING; TESTING), with 22,043 US utility patents granted since 2015.
How many patents have been filed in G01B?
22,043 US utility patents were granted in CPC subclass G01B between 2015 and 2025, based on USPTO PatentsView data.
Which company holds the most patents in G01B?
Mitutoyo Corporation leads G01B with 434 patents, making it the most active assignee in this technology area.
How is patent data for G01B 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., G01) is a broad technology category. Subclasses like G01B 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.