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CPC technology class · G16

G16Z - Information AND Communication Technology [ICT] Specially…

Information and communication technology [ict] specially adapted for specific application fields, not otherwise provided for. 3,767 US utility patents granted 2015–2025, with the leading assignees and year-by-year filing trajectory.

3,767
US patents granted
G16
Parent CPC class
20
Active assignees
-49%
5-yr velocity

The verdict

Information AND Communication Technology [ICT] Specially… ranks #281 of 670 CPC technology areas - 3,767 US patents granted since 2015, with filing down 49% over five years.

#281
of 670 CPC technology areas
3,767
US patents granted, 2015–2025
Nike
leading assignee (94)
-49%
filing velocity, last 5 yrs
Top assignee: NIKE, Inc. (94 patents)

CPC subclass G16Z - INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR SPECIFIC APPLICATION FIELDS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - covers 3,767 US utility patents granted between 2015 and 2025 according to USPTO PatentsView records, within the broader CPC class G16 (INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR SPECIFIC APPLICATION FIELDS). See our CPC classification guide for how the system works.

The competitive landscape in G16Z is shaped by 20 distinct companies actively filing in this space. NIKE, Inc. leads with 94 patents, followed by Abbott Diabetes CARE Inc. at 61 grants and Cerner Innovation, Inc. at 57.

Filing activity in G16Z is down 49% 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 G16Z innovation accelerating?

US utility-patent grants per year in G16Z, 2015–2025 - recent five years are down 49% versus 2015–2019.

0200400600800 20152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 88

Who leads G16Z?

The 12 most active assignees in INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR SPECIFIC APPLICATION FIELDS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - wider bars mean more grants

patents

What this shows Nike is the most active filer in G16Z, holding 94 of the 3,767 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 G16Z
Rank Company Patents in G16Z
#1 Strong Force Iot Portfolio 2016, Llc 93
#2 Abbott Diabetes CARE Inc. 61
#3 Cerner Innovation, Inc. 57
#4 Medtronic, Inc. 53
#5 ZOLL Medical Corporation 49
#6 Fitbit, Llc 48
#7 Dexcom, Inc. 43
#8 OMNI Medsci, Inc. 38
#9 Heartflow, Inc. 34
#10 Align Technology, Inc. 29
#11 Siemens Healthcare Limited 25
#12 Hill-rom Services, Inc. 25
#13 Boston Scientific Neuromodulation Corporation 20
#14 KHN Solutions, Llc 20
#15 Cardiac Pacemakers, Inc. 19
#16 Medtronic Minimed, Inc. 19
#17 Masimo Corporation 19
#18 Onpoint Medical, Inc. 18
#19 Peloton Interactive, Inc. 17
#20 Zimmer, Inc. 16

About This Class

CPC subclass G16Z belongs to class G16.

3,767 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 G16Z 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 G16Z assignees by class footprint. Bubble size = patents in G16Z. Source: USPTO PatentsView (claim depth is company-wide across all classes).

Top 14 G16Z assignees by class footprint. Bubble size = patents in G16Z. Source: USPTO PatentsView (claim depth is company-wide across all classes). Scatter plot of 14 data points (bubble-sized by third dimension). 10152025 020406080100 Patents in G16Z Avg claims / patent (company-wide) Strong Force Iot Port…Abbott Diabetes CareCerner InnovationMedtronicZoll MedicalFitbitDexcomOmni MedsciHeartflowAlign TechnologySiemens HealthcareHill-rom ServicesBoston Scientific Neu…Khn Solutions
Top 14 G16Z assignees by class footprint. Bubble size = patents in G16Z. Source: USPTO PatentsView (claim depth is company-wide across all classes).

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CPC class G16Z?
CPC subclass G16Z covers INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR SPECIFIC APPLICATION FIELDS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR. It belongs to CPC class G16 (INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR SPECIFIC APPLICATION FIELDS), with 3,767 US utility patents granted since 2015.
How many patents have been filed in G16Z?
3,767 US utility patents were granted in CPC subclass G16Z between 2015 and 2025, based on USPTO PatentsView data.
Which company holds the most patents in G16Z?
NIKE, Inc. leads G16Z with 94 patents, making it the most active assignee in this technology area.
How is patent data for G16Z 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., G16) is a broad technology category. Subclasses like G16Z 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.