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Patent Leaderboard
USPTO Patent Rankings Data through Dec 31, 2025
Home › Technologies › Mechanical elements

Mechanical elements Patent Leaders in 2021 2021

Primary CPC class F16 · Section F

Rankings count each patent once by its primary Cooperative Patent Classification. All-time pages aggregate the full database; year pages use patent grant year.

Recent years: 2016201720182019202020212022202320242025

Patents per Year

Patents granted per year, 1996 to 2025Bar chart with a peak of 6,657 patents in 2019.peak 6,6571996: 3,188 patents19961997: 3,136 patents1998: 3,893 patents1999: 4,158 patents19992000: 4,369 patents2001: 4,412 patents2002: 4,399 patents20022003: 4,125 patents2004: 3,834 patents2005: 3,374 patents20052006: 3,815 patents2007: 3,072 patents2008: 2,949 patents20082009: 2,940 patents2010: 3,830 patents2011: 3,950 patents20112012: 4,706 patents2013: 5,087 patents2014: 5,503 patents20142015: 5,919 patents2016: 5,668 patents2017: 6,190 patents20172018: 5,880 patents2019: 6,657 patents2020: 6,310 patents20202021: 5,569 patents2022: 5,150 patents2023: 5,002 patents20232024: 5,035 patents2025: 4,534 patents2025

Top Inventors

Rank ↑ Inventor ↕ Patents ↕ Primary Company ↕
1 Chon Ok Kim 16 Hyundai Motor
2 Sun Sung Kwon 16 Hyundai Motor
3 Hideyuki Inoue 13 Eagle Industry Co.
#4 Yong Uk Shin 13 Hyundai Motor
#5 Guihui Zhong 12 Schaeffler
#6 Minho Chae 12 Hyundai Motor
#7 Nicolas Tronquoy 12 Aktiebolaget Skf
#8 Yuichiro Tokunaga 12 Eagle Industry Co.
#9 Yuta Negishi 11 Eagle Industry Co.
#10 Takeshi Hosoe 10 Eagle Industry Co.
#11 Chin-Jui Hung 9 Modernsolid Industrial Co.
#12 Michael Hodge 9 Schaeffler
#13 Nobuyuki Nishimura 9 Isuzu Motors Limited
#14 Seong Wook Hwang 9 Hyundai Motor
#15 Soonki Eo 9 Hyundai Motor
#16 Tatsuya Ooshima 9 Isuzu Motors Limited
#17 Scott David Poster 8 Textron Innovations
#18 Tomohiro Nakata 8 Fujikin Incorporated
#19 Tsutomu Shinohara 8 Fujikin Incorporated
#20 Aurelian Ioan Furcoiu 7 Mueller International
#21 Benoit Arnault 7 Aktiebolaget Skf
#22 Benoît Hauvespre 7 Aktiebolaget Skf
#23 Decai Li 7 Tsinghua University
#24 Dennis Roffe 7 Schaeffler
#25 Jean-Charles Michel Pierre Di Giovanni 7 Safran Transmission Systems
#26 Michael Heaton 7 Schaeffler
#27 Michael Tjader 7 Tt Technologies
#28 Satoru Yokoe 7 Nidec Sankyo
#29 Soon Ki Eo 7 Hyundai Motor
#30 Thomas Perrotin 7 Aktiebolaget Skf
#31 Alexis Claude Michel Dombek 6 Safran Transmission Systems
#32 Alain-Christophe Tiberghien 6 Staubli Faverges
#33 Christopher DeBoer 6 Eaton Cummins Automated Transmission Technologies
#34 Christophe Durieux 6 Staubli Faverges
#35 Ian Daniel McKenzie 6 Detroit Diesel
#36 Jair J. Gonzalez 6 Us Synthetic
#37 Jin Ho Kim 6 Samsung
#38 Jong Sool Park 6 Hyundai Motor
#39 Kai Bornträger 6 Zf Friedrichshafen Ag
#40 Keith Adams 6 GE
#41 Ken Okahara 6 Jatco
#42 Ma Ru Kang 6 Hyundai Motor
#43 Manfred Mattes 6 Aktiebolaget Skf
#44 Paul Kennedy 6 Kennedy Valve
#45 Peter Burke 6 Schaeffler
#46 Peter Ziemer 6 Zf Friedrichshafen Ag
#47 Ronald A. Vaccaro 6 Commscope Technologies
#48 Steven R. Fliearman 6 John Deere
#49 Thomas Connolly 6 Eaton Cummins Automated Transmission Technologies
#50 Yuji Kurematsu 6 Tsubakimoto Chain
#51 Adrien Louis Simon 5 Safran Transmission Systems
#52 Akifumi Ozeki 5 Yamada Manufacturing Co.
#53 Alfred Radina 5 Aktiebolaget Skf
#54 Aviral Joshi 5 Commscope Technologies
#55 Bart Stevens 5 The Boeing
#56 Christian Chimner 5 Eaton Cummins Automated Transmission Technologies
#57 Christian Pannek 5 Zf Friedrichshafen Ag
#58 Chien-Cheng Yeh 5 Syncmold Enterprise
#59 Ching-Hui Yen 5 Syncmold Enterprise
#60 Dmitry Yashin 5 North American Pipe
#61 Eric Stephen Olson 5 Textron Innovations
#62 FABIAN RUCH 5 Federal-Mogul Burscheid Gmbh
#63 Graeme Andrew Jackson 5 Eaton Cummins Automated Transmission Technologies
#64 Gregory Nicholas Stagliano Ohnemus 5 Asc Engineered Solutions
#65 Hans-Juergen Friedrich 5 Aktiebolaget Skf
#66 Hideyuki Imai 5 Kawasaki
#67 James O. Williams 5 Tyco Fire Products Lp
#68 Jeremy Choate 5 Baker Hughes Oilfield Operations
#69 Jens Fricke 5 Knorr-Bremse Systeme Fuer Nutzfahrzeuge Gmbh
#70 Jeremy Kracke 5 Goodrich Actuation Systems Limited
#71 Joshua E. Clapper 5 Graco Children'S Products
#72 Joshua D. Hand 5 Means Industries
#73 Junya Ono 5 Honda Motor Co.
#74 Kaoru Aono 5 Kabushiki Kaisha F.C.C.
#75 Kirk Spencer Francis 5 Trinity Bay Equipment Holdings
#76 Kippei Matsuda 5 Kawasaki
#77 Koji Sakaguchi 5 Denso
#78 Long Souers 5 Schaeffler
#79 Marcin CIS 5 Hamilton Sundstrand
#80 Matthew Allen Hegler 5 Trinity Bay Equipment Holdings
#81 Martina Jehle 5 Zf Friedrichshafen Ag
#82 Masaru Kobayashi 5 Harmonic Drive Systems
#83 Matthew R. O'Neil 5 Goodrich
#84 Maximilian Soellner 5 Aktiebolaget Skf
#85 Masanori Watanabe 5 Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
#86 Mikio Yamashita 5 Hitachi Automotive Systems
#87 Oday Amer Safry 5 Newfrey
#88 Piotr Sawicki 5 Hamilton Sundstrand
#89 Poly Puthur John 5 Goodrich
#90 Rosario Bonanno 5 Vitesco Technologies Gmbh
#91 Samuel Viault 5 Aktiebolaget Skf
#92 Sean Auffinger 5 The Boeing
#93 Shigeru Kamio 5 Denso
#94 Sipei Chen 5 Eaton Cummins Automated Transmission Technologies
#95 TING-JUI WANG 5 Fivetech Technology
#96 Virgil O'Neil 5 —
#97 Yanchong Zhao 5 Sz Dji Osmo Technology Co.
#98 Yuta Yokomichi 5 Kabushiki Kaisha F.C.C.
#99 Achim Mueller 4 Aktiebolaget Skf
#100 Agustin Sin Xicola 4 Itt Italia S.R.L.

Top Companies

Rank ↑ Company ↕ Patents ↕
1 Schaeffler 143
2 Toyota 101
3 Aktiebolaget Skf 90
#4 Hyundai Motor 76
#5 Zf Friedrichshafen Ag 70
#6 Kia Motors 65
#7 Honda Motor Co. 62
#8 RTX (Raytheon) 58
#9 The Boeing 56
#10 Hamilton Sundstrand 50
#11 Unknown 49
#12 General Motors 43
#13 Ford 41
#14 Ntn 39
#15 Illinois Tool Works 35
#16 Robert Bosch Gmbh 34
#17 Denso 33
#18 Goodrich 32
#19 Borgwarner 29
#20 Jtekt 29
#21 GE 29
#22 Eaton Intelligent Power Limited 26
#23 Fisher Controls International 26
#24 Textron Innovations 23
#25 Eagle Industry Co. 22
#26 Mitsubishi Electric 22
#27 John Deere 22
#28 Aisin Aw Co. 21
#29 BMW 21
#30 Jatco 21
#31 Mahle International Gmbh 21
#32 Harmonic Drive Systems 20
#33 Nsk 19
#34 Thk Co. 19
#35 Caterpillar 19
#36 Dana Automotive Systems Group 18
#37 Nissan Motor Co. 18
#38 Parker-Hannifin 18
#39 Rolls-Royce Plc 18
#40 Exedy 17
#41 Flowserve Management 17
#42 Mueller International 17
#43 Trinity Bay Equipment Holdings 17
#44 Fujikin Incorporated 16
#45 Gates 16
#46 Mandom 16
#47 Sz Dji Osmo Technology Co. 16
#48 Airbus Operations Limited 15
#49 Allison Transmission 15
#50 Nok 15
#51 Safran Transmission Systems 15
#52 Audi Ag 14
#53 Knorr-Bremse Systeme Fuer Nutzfahrzeuge Gmbh 14
#54 Mazda Motor 14
#55 Steering Solutions Ip Holding 14
#56 American Axle & Manufacturing 13
#57 Gkn Automotive Limited 13
#58 Isuzu Motors Limited 13
#59 Fox Factory 12
#60 Kawasaki 12
#61 Honeywell 12
#62 Akebono Brake Industry Co. 11
#63 Arvinmeritor Technology 11
#64 Ckd 11
#65 Emerson Process Management Regulator Technologies 11
#66 Kia 11
#67 Subaru 11
#68 Tenneco Automotive Operating Company 11
#69 Thyssenkrupp Ag 11
#70 Tsubakimoto Chain 11
#71 Dana Heavy Vehicle Systems Group 10
#72 Fanuc 10
#73 Hitachi Astemo 10
#74 Smc 10
#75 Victaulic 10
#76 LG 10
#77 Daido Metal Company 9
#78 Eaton Cummins Automated Transmission Technologies 9
#79 Federal-Mogul Motorparts 9
#80 Freni Brembo S.P.A. 9
#81 Goodrich Actuation Systems Limited 9
#82 Modernsolid Industrial Co. 9
#83 Shimano 9
#84 Sumitomo Riko Company Limited 9
#85 Vibracoustic Ag 9
#86 Vitesco Technologies Gmbh 9
#87 Volkswagen 9
#88 Volvo Truck 9
#89 Yamaha Motor 9
#90 Zf Active Safety Gmbh 9
#91 Advics Co. 8
#92 Buerkert Werke Gmbh & Co. Kg 8
#93 Commscope Technologies 8
#94 Dr. Ing. H.C. F. Porsche Ag 8
#95 Hilti Aktiengesellschaft 8
#96 Hitachi Automotive Systems 8
#97 Kabushiki Kaisha F.C.C. 8
#98 Newfrey 8
#99 Nidec Sankyo 8
#100 Reliance Industries Limited 8