CFRP Environmental Durability Patent Snapshot 2026
The CFRP environmental durability patent field is highly concentrated, with Toray Industries holding the strongest position among a compact set of active filers spanning aerospace, automotive, and chemical sectors. The field is still expanding on a multi-year basis, with recent three-year filing volume far above the prior period, though annual activity has eased from its 2022 peak and the most recent years remain understated by publication lag.
Toray leads a concentrated field with a clear tier gap
Toray Industries heads the applicant ranking with 8 patent records, followed by Sumitomo Seika Chemicals with 6 and University of Surrey and Airbus Defence & Space GmbH each with 4. The top five filers collectively account for 71% of the combined total among the ranked applicants visible in this query, signalling a tightly held competitive space.
The tier gap between the top two applicants and the rest is pronounced: the majority of ranked filers hold only a single patent record each, suggesting limited depth of commitment outside the leading group.
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toray Industries, Inc. | 8 | |
| 2 | Sumitomo Seika Chemicals Co., Ltd. | 6 | |
| 3 | University of Surrey | 4 | |
| 4 | AIRBUS DEFENCE & SPACE GMBH | 4 | |
| 5 | GM Global Technology Operations LLC | 2 | |
| 6 | Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences | 1 | |
| 7 | Southwest Jiaotong University | 1 | |
| 8 | Hyundai Motor Company | 1 |
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Central South University | 1 | |
| 10 | JX NIPPON OIL & ENERGY CORP | 1 | |
| 11 | Resonac Corporation | 1 | |
| 12 | CRRC Qingdao Sifang Co., Ltd. | 1 | |
| 13 | Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation | 1 | |
| 14 | China National Electric Apparatus Research Institute | 1 | |
| 15 | RES & BUSINESS FOUND SUNGKYUNKWAN UNIV | 1 |
Toray’s and Sumitomo Seika’s positions reflect long-standing materials expertise in polymer processing and fiber treatment, while Airbus Defence & Space and the University of Surrey represent the aerospace-academia axis — a combination that shapes the technology agenda of this field.
Filing counts for the most recent 18–24 months are understated due to standard patent publication lag and should not be read as indicative of waning activity. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
A 2022 filing surge and a polymer-processing core define the field
The annual filing trend reveals a sharp concentration of activity around 2022, while the technology composition chart shows polymer processing and composite shaping as the visible technical axes, with several adjacent branches remaining sparsely populated.
Annual filing trend
Filing activity was negligible through 2021, then jumped sharply in 2022 before returning to a lower but non-zero pace in 2023–2025. The 2022 spike drives the overall multi-year growth figure of 700% versus the prior window. Years 2024–2025 should be treated as understated due to publication lag, so the apparent easing does not indicate contraction.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
C08J (Polymer processing & solutions) is the largest branch by patent record count, followed by B29C (Shaping of plastics) and B32B (Layered products & laminates). Together these three branches account for the bulk of technical activity, pointing to matrix chemistry and laminate architecture as the primary routes to environmental durability improvement. Branches such as G01N (Material analysis & testing), C09D (Coatings, paints & inks), and B05D (Coating processes) are notably sparse relative to their technical relevance.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaHighly cited patent families surfaced by the query
Citation-heavy patent families returned by the query. Use this section as citation context, not as a curated list of the most topic-specific patents.
Cfrp plate material and method for preparation the…
A light-weight, highly rigid, high-strength environment-friendly fiber-reforced plastic (hereinafter, CFRP) board having a surface quality that can endure long-term use suitable for use in automobiles and the like is provided. A method for making the same is also provided. The CFRP board comprising a board member comprising a CFRP comprising a woven fabric… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cfrp plate material and method for preparation the… | 32 |
| 2 | CFRP plate material and method for preparation the… | 31 |
| 3 | Cosmetic Repair Of A Thermoplastic Carbon Fiber Co… | 16 |
| 4 | Fiber treatment agent, carbon fibers treated with … | 5 |
| 5 | 一种连续碳纤维增强聚芳醚腈复合材料预浸带及其制备方法 | 4 |
| 6 | Composite tool moisture/wrinkle barrier | 4 |
| 7 | A thin film barrier coating for cfrp | 4 |
| 8 | 轨道车辆复合材料结构湿热力耦合试验方法及系统 | 2 |
Ranked by total forward citations. Citation counts favour older and broadly cited patent families, and broad or adjacent patents may appear when they match the search scope. Treat this section as citation context, not as a curated list of the most topic-specific patents. Some patent titles may be shown in their original, non-English language where an accurate translation could not be guaranteed.
Assignee snapshot from the current evidence set
The applicants below are visible in this query result. Because the evidence set is relatively small, read this section as a directional snapshot rather than a full competitive ranking.
Toray Industries
Toray Industries holds 8 patent records, the highest count in the corpus. Its technology emphasis spans B29C (Shaping of plastics), B32B (Layered products & laminates), and C08J (Polymer processing & solutions), pointing to a laminate-and-shaping route to environmental durability. Toray is flagged as a new entrant in the recent filing window, meaning its current lead was established quickly and may indicate a deliberate strategic push into this application space.
patent records: 8Sumitomo Seika Chemicals
Sumitomo Seika Chemicals holds 6 patent records and concentrates activity across C08J (Polymer processing & solutions), C08K (Use of additives in polymers), and D06M (Textile chemical treatment), reflecting a surface-chemistry and fiber-sizing approach distinct from Toray’s laminate focus. This differentiated route positions Sumitomo Seika as a credible upstream supplier to composite fabricators rather than a direct competitor on end-part architecture.
patent records: 6Frequently asked questions
The corpus in scope contains 10 patent families. This is a compact, specialist field rather than a broadly populated technology area, which means individual filers can have an outsized influence on the overall assignee snapshot.
Toray Industries leads with 8 patent records, the highest count in the ranking. Sumitomo Seika Chemicals is second with 6 records. Together the top five filers account for 71% of the combined total among the ranked applicants visible in this query.
Polymer processing and solutions (C08J) is the most populated IPC branch, followed by shaping of plastics (B29C) and layered products and laminates (B32B). Matrix chemistry and laminate architecture are the primary technical routes being patented.
The field is at the Growth lifecycle stage. Recent three-year filing volume is substantially above the prior three-year window (700% growth), but annual volume has eased from its 2022 peak. Filing counts for 2024 and 2025 are further understated by publication lag, so the current pace of activity is likely higher than the raw numbers suggest.
The United States leads with 12 patent records, followed by Europe (EPO) with 9 and China with 4. Canada holds 3 records. Despite the presence of Japanese and Chinese applicants in the ranking, home-office coverage in those jurisdictions is comparatively thin, suggesting that current filers are prioritising the largest aerospace and automotive end-use markets.
The strongest co-filing relationship is between Airbus Defence & Space GmbH and the University of Surrey, with 4 joint patent records. GM Global Technology Operations co-files with Teijin (2 records), and Hyundai Motor co-files with Sungkyunkwan University (1 record). These pairings show that OEMs are pursuing durability solutions through academic and specialist-supplier partnerships.
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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.
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