CPC technology class · G04

G04F - Time-interval Measuring

Time-interval measuring. 1,418 US utility patents granted 2015–2025, with the leading assignees and year-by-year grant trajectory.

Compiled by PlainPatent · May 15, 2026

1,418
US patents granted: #3/6
in G04: 17.3%
G04 class share: +7%
5-yr velocity

The verdict

According to USPTO PatentsView, Time-interval Measuring ranks #414 of 670 CPC technology areas - 1,418 US patents granted since 2015, with recorded grant volume up 7% over five years.

#414
of 670 CPC technology areas: 1,418
US patents granted, 2015–2025: Seiko Epson
leading assignee (150): +7%
grant velocity, last 5 yrs

How G04F's grant cadence moved

Between 2020–2024, G04F recorded 662 grants versus 617 in 2015–2019 (+7% equal-window velocity). Across complete years, output peaked in 2020 at 182 grants and bottomed in 2018 at 105 (+73% peak-over-trough). Lead assignee The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd holds 1.0% of the class ; the top three share 2.5%.

Leaderboard read

G04F concentration, lead at 1.0%

The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd leads this historical grant record at 1.0% of G04F - foreign corporation assignees hold 60% of class grants (165 of 277). Figures describe granted US utility patents in this CPC subclass, not current investment or legal strength.

Leader's share: 1.0%
Top three share: 2.5%
Lead over #2: 3

Where G04F sits inside G04

Among 6 subclasses in G04 (Horology), G04F ranks #3 and holds 17.3% of the parent class's 8,190 recorded grants. Sibling chips below are the other subclasses in the same parent class, not the nationwide volume/lead-share peers further down.

G04G 2,450 G04B 2,356 G04C 1,040 G04R 623 G04D 303

Rising assignees active in G04F

Company-wide grant multiples (2022–2024 vs 2019–2021) among assignees with ≥5 patents in this subclass. Growth is company-wide; class patent counts are subclass-specific.

#1 Vector Atomic, Inc. 8.00x 1 → 8 company-wide · 7 in G04F
#2 ColdQuanta, Inc. 4.67x 9 → 42 company-wide · 7 in G04F
#3 HI LLC 2.19x 41 → 90 company-wide · 6 in G04F
#4 Blancpain SA 2.09x 11 → 23 company-wide · 5 in G04F
#5 ETA SA Manufacture HORLOGÈRE Suisse 1.60x 58 → 93 company-wide · 7 in G04F

G04F grants by year, peak 2020 (182)

US utility-patent grants per year in G04F, 2015–2025 - recent five years are up 7% versus 2015–2019.

The Swatch Group…

14
Rolex

11
Montres Breguet

10
Omega

10
Vision Works Ip

9
Stmicroelectronics…

8
Eta Manufacture…

7
Coldquanta

7
Time Timer

7
Vector Atomic

7
Hi

6
Formlabs

5

What this shows Seiko Epson is the most active filer in G04F, holding 150 of the 1,418 patents in this class. Concentration at the top signals how contestable this technology area is for new entrants.

View data table

Top patent holders in CPC subclass G04F
Rank	Company	Patents in G04F
#1	The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd	14
#2	Rolex SA	11
#3	Montres Breguet S.A.	10
#4	Omega SA	10
#5	Vision Works IP Corporation	9
#6	STMicroelectronics (Research & Development) Limited	8
#7	ETA SA Manufacture HORLOGÈRE Suisse	7
#8	ColdQuanta, Inc.	7
#9	Time Timer, LLC	7
#10	Vector Atomic, Inc.	7
#11	HI LLC	6
#12	Formlabs Inc.	5
#13	Vital Connect, Inc.	5
#14	Blancpain SA	5
#15	Patek Philippe SA Geneve	5
#16	IQ-Analog Corporation	5
#17	Detnet South Africa (PTY) Ltd	4
#18	Quantum Valley Ideas Laboratories	4
#19	Swiss Timing Ltd	4
#20	Short Circuit Technologies LLC	4

Footprint here vs. claim strategy

Each dot is a leading G04F 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 G04F assignees by class footprint. Bubble size = patents in G04F. Source: USPTO PatentsView (claim depth is company-wide across all classes).

Classes near G04F's 1,418-grant footprint

Nationwide nearest neighbors for G04F (#414 of 670 by volume ; lead share 10.6%) - not the G04 parent-class siblings above.

Nearest by grant volume

D21C 1,427 B65F 1,429 B07B 1,431 D02G 1,439

Nearest by lead-assignee share

B64G 10.6% G03F 10.6% G02F 10.7% F02M 10.4%

Questions about G04F

Which company holds the most patents in G04F?

Seiko Epson Corporation leads G04F with 150 patents (1.0% of the subclass). By PatentsView assignee type, foreign corporations account for 60% of class grants.

Which G04F assignees grew fastest recently?

Among assignees with ≥5 grants in G04F, Vector Atomic, Inc. shows the highest company-wide grant multiple (8.00x: 1 grants in 2019–2021 → 8 in 2022–2024) while holding 7 patents in this subclass. Growth is company-wide, not class-only.

How does G04F compare inside parent class G04?

Inside G04 (Horology), G04F ranks #3 of 6 subclasses by grant volume and holds 17.3% of the parent class total. The largest sibling is G04G (2,450 grants).

What to do with this data

G04F in context - here's where to go next.

The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd leads G04F with 14 grants in this class. See full portfolio
G04F ranks #414 of 670 by grant volume among all tracked CPC technology areas. See the ranking
Inside parent class G04, the largest sibling subclass is G04G with 2,450 grants. Explore G04G

Figures reflect USPTO PatentsView grant data through 2026-05-15; pending applications not yet granted are not counted.

Methodology - G04F figures are USPTO PatentsView granted-utility totals for this subclass (1,418 grants in the tracked window).

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.