CGM Low-Power Design Patent Landscape 2026
CGM low-power design is a highly concentrated field dominated by a small number of established diabetes-care incumbents, with Dexcom holding the largest single position. Annual filing volume peaked in 2020 and has eased since, though publication lag means the most recent years remain under-counted.
Dexcom leads a tightly held field with two clear incumbents
Dexcom ranks first among all filers, holding 64 patent records, followed by Medtronic MiniMed with 41 and the University of Virginia. Patent Foundation with 18. The top five filers together account for 89% of the combined total of the hundred largest filers, signalling an unusually narrow competitive base.
The tier gap between first and second place is meaningful but not absolute: Dexcom leads by roughly 56% more patent records than Medtronic MiniMed, and the gap from second to third is similarly steep. Beyond the top three, Abbott Diabetes Care and Tandem Diabetes Care each hold single-digit counts, and all remaining ranked filers hold just one patent record apiece.
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dexcom Inc | 64 | |
| 2 | Medtronic MiniMed Inc | 41 | |
| 3 | University of Virginia Patent Foundation | 18 | |
| 4 | Abbott Diabetes Care Inc | 6 | |
| 5 | Tandem Diabetes Care Inc | 3 | |
| 6 | University of Louisiana at Lafayette | 3 | |
| 7 | SAVEETHA INST OF MEDICAL & TECH SCI | 1 | |
| 8 | GHR Labs and Research Centre | 1 | |
| 9 | Primewise Teknoloji AS | 1 | |
| 10 | Roche Diabetes Care Inc | 1 |
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | DR P RATNA KAMALA | 1 | |
| 12 | G H Raisoni College of Engineering | 1 | |
| 13 | SINGH SHIV SHANKER | 1 | |
| 14 | SWARNANDHRA COLLEGE OF ENG & TECH AUTONOMOUS | 1 | |
| 15 | UXN | 1 | |
| 16 | TEJVIR | 1 | |
| 17 | SINGH ANURAG KUMAR | 1 | |
| 18 | DR NIMMALA HARATHI | 1 | |
| 19 | Verily Life Sciences LLC | 1 |
Such concentration implies that any new entrant or challenger must either carve out a distinct technical niche not yet covered by Dexcom or Medtronic MiniMed, or accept operating in the shadow of their combined portfolio. Academic entrants such as the University of Virginia. Patent Foundation and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette signal that foundational sensing and algorithmic work still originates outside industry.
Figures for 2024–2026 are subject to typical patent-publication lag and likely understate actual filing activity in those years. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Filing peaked in 2020; diagnosis and informatics dominate the technology mix
The annual filing trend and technology-composition charts together show when competitive intensity was highest and which IPC branches have attracted the most coverage, revealing where density is greatest and where adjacent branches remain comparatively sparse.
Annual filing trend
Annual filings climbed from a standing start in 2017 to a peak of 26 patent records in 2020, then stepped down through 2021–2024. The 2025 figure shows a partial recovery to 13, and 2026 shows only 4 records to date — both recent years are almost certainly under-counted due to publication lag and should not be read as a confirmed trough.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
Diagnosis and surgery (A61B) is by far the dominant branch, reflecting the core sensing and monitoring function of CGM devices. Healthcare informatics (G16H) and devices for body fluids (A61M) form a secondary cluster, while electric digital data processing (G06F), wireless communication (H04W), and specific-application computing (G16Z) are present but considerably smaller — indicating that the connectivity and software layers of low-power CGM remain less densely claimed.
↗ 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.
Implantable continuous glucose monitor device
A continuous glucose monitor (CGM) sensor includes a glucose oxidation electrode and a counter electrode, and does not include a glucose-specific enzyme. The glucose oxidation electrode includes a nanoporous layer comprising metal nanoparticles. The CGM sensor generates an electrical signal indicative glucose oxidation in a liquid containing glucose, which… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Systems and methods for patient monitoring using a… | 172 |
| 2 | Use of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS… | 56 |
| 3 | Use of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS… | 44 |
| 4 | Methods for continuous glucose monitoring | 40 |
| 5 | Sensor systems, devices, and methods for continuou… | 28 |
| 6 | Accuracy continuous glucose monitoring method, sys… | 27 |
| 7 | Systems and methods for patient monitoring using a… | 21 |
| 8 | Multi-state engagement with continuous glucose mon… | 21 |
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.
What the competitive structure means for R&D investment decisions
Four lenses — maturity, concentration, collaboration, and geography — translate the raw patent data into actionable signals for engineers and strategy teams evaluating where to place bets in CGM low-power design.
Post-peak: core sensing well-established, software layers still developing
The lifecycle evidence indicates that annual filings have eased back from the 2020 peak, placing this field in a declining phase by filing-volume measures. This does not mean the technology is obsolete; it more likely reflects that fundamental low-power sensor architecture is maturing while newer software, AI, and connectivity sub-problems are beginning to attract attention. R&D investment focused on incremental sensor improvements faces a crowded prior-art landscape; investment in adjacent software and communication layers carries more freedom-to-operate.
Post-peak · 2020 peakTwo incumbents hold the dominant positions; third tier is fragmented
The top five filers account for 89% of the combined total of the hundred largest filers, and the top two alone — Dexcom and Medtronic MiniMed — together account for the vast majority of that share. This level of concentration is typical of medical-device subsectors where FDA regulatory history and clinical-validation costs reinforce incumbency. Challengers with fewer resources are likely better positioned in adjacent or enabling branches rather than in direct competition on the core A61B sensing claims.
High concentrationNo co-applicant partnerships detected in this corpus
The collaboration evidence for this corpus is empty — no co-filed patent records involving multiple applicants were identified. This is notable given that university groups such as the University of Virginia Patent Foundation and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette are active filers; their work appears to be filed independently rather than in formal partnership with industry. The absence of recorded co-development activity suggests that academic-industry technology transfer in this niche, if it occurs, is not captured through co-applicant filings.
No co-filings detectedUS-centric filing with limited international prosecution
The United States accounts for 96 of the patent records, making it the near-exclusive jurisdiction of record. Australia (15 records), Europe via the EPO (11 records), and WIPO PCT filings (10 records) are secondary, with Canada (7) and India (6) also represented. The skewed geographic profile suggests that most filers are not pursuing broad international prosecution strategies, which could create freedom-to-operate opportunities in major markets such as China, Japan, and South Korea — markets not listed in the top jurisdiction evidence.
US-dominantGo beyond the landscape: Eureka’s TRIZ Solution agent breaks down an R&D problem and returns patented concept solutions, each with a technical approach and cited patent & literature evidence.
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
Dexcom anchors the field; Medtronic MiniMed is a credible challenger with recent momentum
The two dominant players differ in their technology emphasis: Dexcom concentrates on sensing plus informatics and user-interface processing, while Medtronic MiniMed extends into drug-delivery devices and electrochemical analysis — a broader system-level approach.
Dexcom Inc
Dexcom holds 64 patent records, the largest single position in this corpus. Its technology emphasis is concentrated in A61B 5 (diagnosis and physiological sensing, 65 records), G16H 40 (healthcare informatics for device management, 42 records), and G06F 3 (human-machine interface processing, 23 records) — a profile that reflects end-to-end ownership from sensor to software interface. Recent momentum shows a decline of 53% in the most recent filing window versus the prior period, consistent with the overall post-peak trend, though publication lag may be masking some recent activity.
patent records: 64Medtronic MiniMed Inc
Medtronic MiniMed holds 41 patent records and enters the recent filing window as a new entrant in momentum terms, suggesting its activity in this specific low-power CGM sub-space is relatively recent or was concentrated outside the prior measurement window. Its technology emphasis spans A61B 5 (41 records), A61M 5 (drug-delivery devices for body fluids, 24 records), and G01N 27 (electrochemical material analysis, 14 records) — a profile that reflects its integrated insulin-pump and CGM system strategy rather than a pure sensor play.
patent records: 41| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Dexcom Inc | 15 | ▼ -53% |
| Medtronic MiniMed Inc | 7 | ▲ new entrant |
| University of Virginia Patent Foundation | 5 | ▲ new entrant |
| Abbott Diabetes Care Inc | 1 | ▲ new entrant |
| Tandem Diabetes Care Inc | 2 | ▲ new entrant |
Under-served branches adjacent to the dominant sensing core
Five IPC branches sit at the lower-share periphery of the corpus. Two stand out as having plausible technical relevance to low-power CGM design and a realistic entry path for new filers.
H04W · Wireless communication networks
With 17 patent records and a 4% share of corpus records, wireless communication is sparsely covered relative to the sensing and informatics core. Low-power CGM devices depend critically on Bluetooth Low Energy, NFC, and other short-range protocols for data offload — yet this branch remains thin. An entrant with expertise in ultra-low-power radio design or protocol optimization could establish a differentiated position here without directly confronting Dexcom’s dense A61B sensing portfolio.
Search this in Eureka →G06N · Computing based on AI models
Only 6 patent records fall under G06N (AI and machine-learning computing models), representing a 2% share — the smallest of the five identified adjacent branches. Given growing interest in on-device inference for glucose prediction and anomaly detection, this is a technically plausible area where coverage is thin. The realistic entry path involves combining low-power embedded ML techniques (e.g., quantized neural networks, edge inference) with CGM sensor data pipelines, a combination that the current corpus does not appear to cover densely.
Search this in Eureka →How leading filers differ by technology route
Route coverage across the main technology branches in the current evidence set.
| Player | A61B 5 · Diagnosis & surgery | G16H 40 · Healthcare informatics | A61M 5 · Devices for body fluids | G16H 50 · Healthcare informatics | G06F 3 · Electric digital data processing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dexcom Inc | Strong · 65 | Strong · 42 | Emerging · 2 | Moderate · 15 | Moderate · 23 |
| Medtronic MiniMed Inc | Strong · 41 | Absent | Strong · 24 | Absent | Absent |
| University of Virginia Patent Foundation | Strong · 18 | Strong · 12 | Strong · 12 | Strong · 14 | Absent |
| Abbott Diabetes Care Inc | Strong · 6 | Strong · 4 | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| Tandem Diabetes Care Inc | Strong · 3 | Absent | Strong · 3 | Absent | Absent |
| University of Louisiana at Lafayette | Strong · 3 | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
Frequently asked questions
The corpus contains 104 patent families in scope. The US Patent Office accounts for the largest share of prosecution activity, with 96 patent records filed there.
Dexcom Inc holds the top position with 64 patent records, well ahead of second-ranked Medtronic MiniMed Inc with 41 patent records. The University of Virginia Patent Foundation is third with 18 patent records.
It is highly concentrated. The top five filers account for 89% of the combined total of the hundred largest filers. Outside the top five, all remaining ranked applicants hold three or fewer patent records each.
Annual filing volume peaked in 2020 at 26 patent records, then declined through subsequent years. Figures for 2024–2026 are likely under-counted due to patent-publication lag and should not be interpreted as a confirmed long-term floor.
The United States dominates with 96 patent records. Australia (15), Europe via the EPO (11), WIPO PCT (10), Canada (7), and India (6) are secondary jurisdictions. Major markets such as China, Japan, and South Korea do not appear in the top jurisdiction evidence, suggesting potential freedom-to-operate in those regions.
The most under-served adjacent branches relative to the dominant A61B sensing core are H04W (wireless communication networks, 17 patent records) and G06N (AI and machine-learning models, 6 patent records). Both have plausible technical relevance to low-power CGM systems — particularly BLE/NFC radio optimization and on-device glucose-prediction inference — but remain thinly covered in the current corpus.
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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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