Borehole Imaging and Dipmeter Patents: Who Leads, Where the Gaps Are 2026
- One family dominates the field. the leading assignee holds 53 families against a fifth-place count of 14 and a tenth-place count of 7 — a steep drop-off rather than an even spread.
- Filing has cooled from its 2019 peak. annual filings ran as high as 9 in 2019, and the tracked 2021-to-2024 span shows a 100% decline to zero, though 2025-26 counts are still filling in under publication lag.
- Claims concentrate in two IPC subclasses. G01V (geophysics/gravity surveying) and E21B (earth/rock drilling) cover 81.1% and 45.0% of the 169 records respectively, leaving image-processing and AI-adjacent classes comparatively thin.
Filing growth compares 2021 (3 records) with 2024 (0) — a three-year span. 2024 is the most recent year we treat as complete: publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, so 2025 onwards are still filling in and any growth rate that ends there would understate the field.
What this landscape covers
This landscape maps 169 patent families published between 2015 and mid-2026 that combine borehole imaging or dipmeter tool claims with a second, more specific technical element: fracture aperture measurement, bedding dip computation, borehole breakout detection, image orientation, pad contact mechanics, or oil-based mud compatibility. That second-element requirement narrows the set from the broader wireline logging literature to filings that actually engage with the harder problems of turning raw microresistivity or acoustic images into usable structural or mechanical interpretations.
The assignee ranking is dominated by a small set of large oilfield services entities filing across multiple corporate and jurisdictional shells, alongside a long tail of single- or few-filing entrants. Family counts, rather than raw publication counts, are the more reliable unit here given how aggressively continuations and multi-jurisdiction refiling can inflate document totals for the same underlying invention.
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Filing trend and technology composition
Two views of the same 169-record dataset: annual filing activity, and how records distribute across IPC subclasses. Because a single record can carry several IPC codes, the composition shares sum to more than 100% of records.
Filing activity, 2015–2026
Filings peaked at 9 in 2019. The tracked decline from 3 filings in 2021 to 0 in 2024 is a -100% move over that three-year span; 2025 and 2026 counts will rise as publication catches up with filing, so the most recent years should not be read as a continuing collapse.
IPC subclass composition
G01V (geophysics and gravity surveying) appears in 81.1% of the 169 records and E21B (drilling) in 45.0%, confirming that most filings are grounded in core formation-evaluation and drilling-mechanics claims. Data-processing classes — G06F, G06T, G06N, G06V — each sit under 8% of records, marking the image- and AI-processing layer as comparatively under-claimed relative to the sensing and drilling core.
Shares are the percentage of the 169 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on Borehole Imaging and Dipmeter with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about borehole imaging and dipmeter and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaMost-cited prior art and a representative recent filing
US9645275B2 — Integrated dip from 3D resistivity tool and borehole imaging tool
A method for determining the dip of a geological structure combines two independently generated intermediate results — one from 3D resistivity data collected by a resistivity analyzer, the other from a borehole image collected by a borehole image analyzer — into a single integrated dip determination using a computer processor and a pre-determined combination criterion.Filed by Schlumberger Technology Corporation; published 2017-05-09.
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US6191588B1 | Methods and apparatus for imaging earth formation with a current source, a current drain, and a matrix of vol… | 236 |
| 2 | US20070294034A1 | Method for designing and optimizing drilling and completion operations in hydrocarbon reservoirs | 192 |
| 3 | US4545242A | Method and apparatus for measuring the depth of a tool in a borehole | 118 |
| 4 | US20040222019A1 | Measurement-while-drilling assembly using real-time toolface oriented measurements | 91 |
| 5 | US4845433A | Apparatus for microinductive investigation of earth formations | 78 |
| 6 | US4594552A | Logging method and apparatus for measuring earth formation resistivity as well as arm mechanism for the same | 72 |
| 7 | US7953587B2 | Method for designing and optimizing drilling and completion operations in hydrocarbon reservoirs | 58 |
| 8 | US4780678A | Apparatus for microinductive investigation of earth formations | 57 |
| 9 | US20040001388A1 | Method of using electrical and acoustic anisotropy measurements for fracture identification | 54 |
| 10 | US7114565B2 | Measurement-while-drilling assembly using real-time toolface oriented measurements | 50 |
Citation counts favour older, foundational filings within this searched corpus and should be read as a signal of influence rather than current commercial relevance.
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Browse MCP servers →What the numbers mean for a filing decision
Three patterns stand out once family counts, IPC shares and the citation table are read together.
One assignee dominates by a wide margin
The leading assignee's 53 families are more than three times the fifth-place count of 14, and more than seven times the tenth-place count of 7. Filing into this space means competing directly against a portfolio built through decades of continuations across the same corporate family rather than against a level field.
Foundational claims sit on current-source imaging and depth tracking
The most-cited record (US6191588B1, 236 citations) claims a current-source/current-drain electrode matrix for formation imaging; the next tier covers drilling-and-completion design and mechanical depth measurement. New filings in adjacent image-interpretation claims are still working around art laid down well before this dataset's filing window.
The interpretation layer is thin relative to the sensing layer
G01V and E21B together anchor the great majority of records, but the software and AI-adjacent classes (G06F, G06T, G06N, G06V) each remain under 8% of the 169-record set. That gap is where image-orientation and automated dip-computation claims have room to be filed without walking into the densest prior art.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to borehole imaging and dipmeter, with the prior art for and against each one.
Who is filing, and where the field is still open
The ranked leaders are almost entirely large oilfield services groups filing under multiple corporate and jurisdictional entities, with a long tail of smaller entrants each holding a handful of families.
A single group sets the ceiling
The top assignee's family count is large enough that any new entrant should assume core imaging and dip-computation claims are already occupied, and should look instead to the processing and orientation layers.
Filings cluster within one corporate family
The strongest co-assignee pairs are internal to the same corporate group filing under different national or historical entity names, rather than joint ventures between competitors. That pattern is a filing-strategy artefact, not evidence of cross-company collaboration.
Momentum has gone quiet across every major filer
Every one of the top assignees tracked shows zero filings in the most recent complete year. Combined with the sector-wide -100% move from 2021 to 2024, this points to either a lull in new imaging-tool R&D disclosure or a shift toward trade-secret protection for interpretation software rather than patenting.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Halliburton Energy Services, Inc. | 0 | — |
| Baker Hughes Holdings LLC | 0 | — |
| Schlumberger Technology Corporation | 0 | — |
| SCHLUMBERGER KK | 0 | — |
| Schlumberger Canada Limited | 0 | — |
| Schlumberger Holdings Limited | 0 | — |
| Schlumberger Technology B.V. | 0 | — |
| Schlumberger Limited | 0 | — |
Where to take this analysis
The dataset points to specific next steps depending on whether the goal is defensive clearance or a new filing strategy.
Map the interpretation-layer white space
Run a focused search across G06F, G06T, G06N and G06V claims that also cite borehole imaging hardware, to confirm how much of the automated dip-computation and image-orientation space is genuinely open versus quietly filed but under-cited.
Explore the technology in EurekaTrack the lull before it ends
Because publication lags filing by around 18 months, the zero counts across 2024-26 are not yet a reliable signal that the leading assignees have stopped filing. Re-run this landscape in a year to see whether momentum has genuinely paused or is simply working through the lag.
Set up monitoring in EurekaClear around the foundational citation cluster
Before drafting new imaging or depth-tracking claims, check freedom to operate against the most-cited records in this set, particularly the current-source electrode matrix and mechanical depth-measurement patents that sit underneath much of the newer art.
Run a clearance search in EurekaCommon questions on borehole imaging and dipmeter patents
One assignee leads this dataset with 53 patent families, well ahead of the fifth-ranked holder at 14 and the tenth-ranked holder at 7. The gap reflects decades of continuation filing by a small number of large oilfield services groups, several of which appear in the ranking under multiple corporate and jurisdictional entity names for the same underlying group. A new entrant should treat the top of this ranking as a single effective portfolio rather than several independent competitors.
Filings peaked at 9 in 2019 and the tracked span from 2021 (3 filings) to 2024 (0 filings) shows a 100% decline. However, patent publication typically lags filing by around 18 months, so the low counts recorded for 2025 and 2026 in this dataset are still incomplete and should not be read as evidence that R&D activity itself has stopped. A clearer read on the most recent two years will only be available once those filings work through the publication pipeline.
The core sensing and drilling classes, G01V and E21B, cover 81.1% and 45.0% of the 169 records in scope, while data-processing-adjacent classes like G06F, G06T, G06N and G06V each sit under 8%. That gap suggests automated dip computation, image orientation correction and AI-assisted breakout classification are comparatively open relative to the dense hardware and drilling-mechanics claims. Anyone filing new claims should look at how those processing-layer applications interact with the underlying imaging hardware claims already held by the leading assignees.
US9645275B2 claims a method that combines an intermediate dip result from 3D resistivity data with an intermediate dip result from a borehole image, merging the two using a computer processor under a pre-determined combination criterion. It is a data-fusion claim rather than a claim over either sensing modality alone, so it blocks specific combination methods rather than 3D resistivity dip computation or borehole imaging dip computation individually. Filed by Schlumberger Technology Corporation and published in 2017, it sits within a broader portfolio of dip-integration claims from the same corporate group.
The most-cited record in this dataset, US6191588B1, has 236 citations and claims a current-source and current-drain electrode matrix used for formation imaging; it underpins much of the microresistivity imaging hardware still referenced today. Other heavily cited records cover drilling-and-completion optimisation and mechanical depth-of-tool measurement. Because citation counts inside a searched corpus tend to favour older filings, these figures are best read as a map of foundational influence rather than a ranking of current commercial importance.
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Disclaimer. This page is generated from Patsnap Eureka data drawn from a limited snapshot of global patent and scientific-literature records, and is provided for general information and reference only.
Patent data carries inherent limitations: recent filings (typically the most recent 18–24 months) are under-counted due to standard publication lag; counts may be reported at either a patent-family or a patent-record basis and are not always directly comparable; classification, applicant-name, and citation data may contain errors, duplicates, or omissions; and the underlying search query defines and constrains the scope shown. As a result, the analysis may be incomplete or inaccurate and may not reflect the full technology landscape.
Nothing on this page constitutes an exhaustive prior-art, novelty, freedom-to-operate, or validity search, nor does it constitute legal, financial, investment, or professional advice, and it should not be relied upon as such. Any patent, commercial, or strategic decision should be verified independently and reviewed with qualified patent, legal, and domain professionals. Patsnap makes no warranties, express or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness, or fitness for any particular purpose of the information presented.
Machine translation. Assignee and organisation names originally recorded in Chinese, Japanese or Korean have been rendered into English by an AI translation step so that the tables stay readable. These renderings are best-effort and may not match a company’s registered English name; the original name is what the underlying patent record carries, and it is what any Eureka query launched from this page uses.