PlainPatent

CPC technology class · G02

G02F - Optical Devices OR Arrangements FOR THE Control OF Light…

Optical devices or arrangements for the control of light by modification of the optical properties of the media of the elements involved therein; non-linear optics; frequency-changing of light; optical logic elements; optical analogue/digital converters. 52,876 US utility patents granted 2015–2025, with the leading assignees and year-by-year filing trajectory.

52,876
US patents granted
G02
Parent CPC class
20
Active assignees
+7%
5-yr velocity

The verdict

Optical Devices OR Arrangements FOR THE Control OF Light… ranks #31 of 670 CPC technology areas - 52,876 US patents granted since 2015, with filing up 7% over five years.

#31
of 670 CPC technology areas
52,876
US patents granted, 2015–2025
Samsung
leading assignee (5,656)
+7%
filing velocity, last 5 yrs
Top assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (5,656 patents)

CPC subclass G02F - OPTICAL DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF LIGHT BY MODIFICATION OF THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIA OF THE ELEMENTS INVOLVED THEREIN; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; FREQUENCY-CHANGING OF LIGHT; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS - covers 52,876 US utility patents granted between 2015 and 2025 according to USPTO PatentsView records, within the broader CPC class G02 (OPTICS). See our CPC classification guide for how the system works.

The competitive landscape in G02F is shaped by 20 distinct companies actively filing in this space. Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. leads with 5,656 patents, followed by BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd. at 4,930 grants and Japan Display Inc. at 3,130.

Filing activity in G02F is up 7% 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 G02F innovation accelerating?

US utility-patent grants per year in G02F, 2015–2025 - recent five years are up 7% versus 2015–2019.

2,0003,0004,0005,0006,000 20152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 2,581

Who leads G02F?

The 12 most active assignees in OPTICAL DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF LIGHT BY MODIFICATION OF THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIA OF THE ELEMENTS INVOLVED THEREIN; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; FREQUENCY-CHANGING OF LIGHT; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS - wider bars mean more grants

patents

What this shows Samsung is the most active filer in G02F, holding 5,656 of the 52,876 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 G02F
Rank Company Patents in G02F
#1 Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. 5,656
#2 BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd. 4,930
#3 Japan Display Inc. 3,130
#4 LG Display Co., Ltd. 1,653
#5 Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha 1,589
#6 Tencent Technology (shenzhen) Company Limited 1,457
#7 Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd. 1,397
#8 Beijing BOE Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd. 848
#9 Innolux Corporation 840
#10 Wuhan China STAR Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd. 787
#11 Beijing BOE Display Technology Co., Ltd. 701
#12 HKC Corporation Limited 543
#13 Au Optronics Corporation 542
#14 Fujifilm Corporation 533
#15 Seiko Epson Corporation 496
#16 LG CHEM, Ltd. 491
#17 E Ink Holdings Inc. 477
#18 Hefei Xinsheng Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd. 419
#19 Panasonic Liquid Crystal Display Co., Ltd. 418
#20 Chongqing BOE Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd. 400

About This Class

CPC subclass G02F belongs to class G02.

52,876 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 G02F 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 G02F assignees by class footprint. Bubble size = patents in G02F. Source: USPTO PatentsView (claim depth is company-wide across all classes).

Top 14 G02F assignees by class footprint. Bubble size = patents in G02F. Source: USPTO PatentsView (claim depth is company-wide across all classes). Scatter plot of 14 data points (bubble-sized by third dimension). 81012141618 0200040006000 Patents in G02F Avg claims / patent (company-wide) SamsungBoe Technology GroupJapan DisplayLg DisplaySharpTencent Technology (S…Semiconductor Energy…Beijing Boe Optoelect…InnoluxWuhan China Star Opto…Beijing Boe Display T…HkcAu OptronicsFujifilm
Top 14 G02F assignees by class footprint. Bubble size = patents in G02F. Source: USPTO PatentsView (claim depth is company-wide across all classes).

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CPC class G02F?
CPC subclass G02F covers OPTICAL DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF LIGHT BY MODIFICATION OF THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIA OF THE ELEMENTS INVOLVED THEREIN; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; FREQUENCY-CHANGING OF LIGHT; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS. It belongs to CPC class G02 (OPTICS), with 52,876 US utility patents granted since 2015.
How many patents have been filed in G02F?
52,876 US utility patents were granted in CPC subclass G02F between 2015 and 2025, based on USPTO PatentsView data.
Which company holds the most patents in G02F?
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. leads G02F with 5,656 patents, making it the most active assignee in this technology area.
How is patent data for G02F 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., G02) is a broad technology category. Subclasses like G02F 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.