Order-Tote Sequencing Patents: Who Leads, Where the Gaps Are 2026
Automated Storage & Retrieval: Order-Tote Sequencing Patents
A six-name ranking with a steep drop-off. the leading assignee holds 18 records against 7 for the fifth-placed name, and three of the strongest co-filing pairs all run through the same lead inventor. Filings ran as high as 13 in 2017. The tracked 2021-to-2024 window shows a -100% change, and the years after 2024 are still incomplete under normal publication lag — treat any apparent drop-off in 2025-2026 as an artefact of timing, not a signal of abandonment.
- 1AHMANN ROBERT D18
- 2TAKES DAVID L7
- 3STARNES WILLIAM D7
- 4GASCH GREGORY H7
- 5BULTZ NEIL D7
See the full automated storage & retrieval — order-tote sequencing patent landscape analysis in Eureka
- The complete ranking, not just the top five
- Every IPC branch with its share of the corpus
- The most-cited records, and where claim space is still thin
Common questions about order-tote sequencing patents
How many patents cover automated order-tote sequencing?
This dataset tracks 18 published records spanning 2015 through mid-2026 that match order-tote sequencing, tote sortation and related warehouse automation search terms. That is a narrow, specific scope rather than a broad warehouse-robotics category, so figures here should not be read as covering all automated storage and retrieval patents generally. Because a single record can carry several IPC classes, any classification breakdown you see will sum to more than the 18-record total.
Who are the leading patent holders in tote sequencing?
The assignee ranking returned by this dataset covers six names, led by one assignee holding 18 records against 7 for the name in fifth place. That gap is unusually steep, and three of the strongest co-assignee pairs all pair the same lead name with different collaborators at 7 shared records each — consistent with one inventor group filing across a related family of applications rather than a broad competitive field. Treat this as the whole ranking the dataset returns, not a top-50 or top-100 list.
Is the market for order-tote sequencing patents still growing?
Filing activity peaked in 2017 at 13 records and the tracked 2021-to-2024 window shows a -100% change, with no filings in the most recent complete year. However, publication typically lags actual filing by around 18 months, so the 2025-2026 figures in this dataset are still incomplete and should not be read as proof the field has gone quiet. A fair reading is that broad early claims were staked heavily around 2017 and activity has since concentrated rather than expanded.
Disclaimer. This analysis is based on Patsnap Eureka data drawn from a limited snapshot of global patent records and is provided for general information and reference only. Patent data carries inherent limitations — recent filings are under-counted because of publication lag, counts may be on a record or family basis, classification and applicant-name data may contain errors or duplicates, and the underlying search query defines the scope shown — so the analysis may be incomplete or inaccurate and may not reflect the full technology landscape.
Nothing here is an exhaustive prior-art, novelty, freedom-to-operate or validity search, nor does it constitute legal, financial or professional advice, and it should not be relied upon as such. Verify independently and review with qualified patent and legal professionals before acting on it.
Method: Filing trend and technology composition. Derived from a Patsnap search on Automated Storage & Retrieval — Order-Tote Sequencing Patent Landscape covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish. Every share divides by all records in scope. Data: Patsnap Eureka. See the full landscape report.