PlainPatent

CPC technology class · G01

G01C - Measuring Distances

Measuring distances, levels or bearings; surveying; navigation; gyroscopic instruments; photogrammetry or videogrammetry. 32,360 US utility patents granted 2015–2025, with the leading assignees and year-by-year filing trajectory.

32,360
US patents granted
G01
Parent CPC class
20
Active assignees
+37%
5-yr velocity

The verdict

Measuring Distances ranks #57 of 670 CPC technology areas - 32,360 US patents granted since 2015, with filing up 37% over five years.

#57
of 670 CPC technology areas
32,360
US patents granted, 2015–2025
Here Global B V
leading assignee (826)
+37%
filing velocity, last 5 yrs
Top assignee: HERE Global B.v. (826 patents)

CPC subclass G01C - MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY - covers 32,360 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 G01C is shaped by 20 distinct companies actively filing in this space. HERE Global B.v. leads with 826 patents, followed by Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha at 715 grants and Google Llc at 642.

Filing activity in G01C is up 37% 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 G01C innovation accelerating?

US utility-patent grants per year in G01C, 2015–2025 - recent five years are up 37% versus 2015–2019.

2,0002,5003,0003,500 20152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 2,171

Who leads G01C?

The 12 most active assignees in MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY - wider bars mean more grants

patents

What this shows Here Global B V is the most active filer in G01C, holding 826 of the 32,360 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 G01C
Rank Company Patents in G01C
#1 HERE Global B.v. 826
#2 Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha 715
#3 Google Llc 642
#4 Honeywell International Inc. 596
#5 Apple Inc. 567
#6 State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company 411
#7 Honda Motor Co., Ltd. 394
#8 Robert Bosch Gmbh 387
#9 Seiko Epson Corporation 386
#10 Denso Corporation 359
#11 Uber Technologies, Inc. 314
#12 Waymo Llc 310
#13 Microsoft Technology Licensing, Llc 268
#14 Topcon Corporation 264
#15 Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc. 192
#16 Lyft, Inc. 191
#17 Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft 184
#18 Rockwell Collins, Inc. 180
#19 Mobileye Vision Technologies Ltd. 174
#20 Thales 162

About This Class

CPC subclass G01C belongs to class G01.

32,360 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 G01C 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 G01C assignees by class footprint. Bubble size = patents in G01C. Source: USPTO PatentsView (claim depth is company-wide across all classes).

Top 14 G01C assignees by class footprint. Bubble size = patents in G01C. Source: USPTO PatentsView (claim depth is company-wide across all classes). Scatter plot of 14 data points (bubble-sized by third dimension). 5101520 2004006008001000 Patents in G01C Avg claims / patent (company-wide) Here Global B VToyota JidoshaGoogleHoneywell Internation…AppleState Farm Mutual Aut…Honda MotorRobert BoschSeiko EpsonDensoUberWaymoMicrosoft Technology…Topcon
Top 14 G01C assignees by class footprint. Bubble size = patents in G01C. Source: USPTO PatentsView (claim depth is company-wide across all classes).

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CPC class G01C?
CPC subclass G01C covers MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY. It belongs to CPC class G01 (MEASURING; TESTING), with 32,360 US utility patents granted since 2015.
How many patents have been filed in G01C?
32,360 US utility patents were granted in CPC subclass G01C between 2015 and 2025, based on USPTO PatentsView data.
Which company holds the most patents in G01C?
HERE Global B.v. leads G01C with 826 patents, making it the most active assignee in this technology area.
How is patent data for G01C 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 G01C 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.