Coalbed Methane Patents: Who Leads, Where the Gaps Are 2026
- 40.4% of all 94 records sit with just five assignees, and 68.1% sit with ten — a field with a concentrated core and a long single-filer tail.
- Filings peaked in 2023 at 7 then fell to 3 by 2024, a -50% move from 2021's 6 filings over that three-year span.
- China leads receiving offices with 34 well ahead of the United States at 19, pointing to where enforcement and freedom-to-operate work matters most.
Filing growth compares 2021 (6 records) with 2024 (3) — 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. Top-5 share is the combined record count of the five largest assignees divided by all 94 records in scope (CR5), not by the ranked leaders only.
What the coalbed methane patent record shows
Coalbed methane production sits at the intersection of drilling engineering, reservoir characterisation and mine safety, and the patent record reflects that split. Claims cluster around well construction and completion (E21B) and material analysis and testing (G01N) — together these two classes cover the bulk of the 94 records in scope, since a single family often claims both a drilling method and the measurement technique that supports it. Mine ventilation and safety (E21F) and specialty materials (C09K) form smaller but distinct clusters, while data-processing classes (G01V, G06F, G06Q) remain thin.
The filing trend runs from zero recorded publications in 2017 to a peak of 7 in 2023, with 2026 activity still partial as expected for the newest filings. Because publication typically lags filing by around 18 months, the apparent dip after 2023 should be read as an artefact of that lag rather than a real slowdown — the -50% change from 2021 to 2024 is the only complete-year comparison the data supports.
Filing trends and technology composition
The dataset covers 94 published records filed between 2015 and mid-2026, drawn from six main receiving offices and classified across eight IPC subclasses relevant to coalbed methane extraction, testing and safety.
A single peak year, then an understated tail
Filings rose from 0 in 2017 to a peak of 7 in 2023, then registered 3 in 2024 — a -50% change from the 6 filed in 2021. Years after 2024 are still filling in under the roughly 18-month publication lag, so they should not be read as a declining trend yet.
Drilling and testing dominate the classification mix
E21B (earth and rock drilling) appears on 60.6% of the 94 records and G01N (material analysis and testing) on 50.0%, confirming that most claims combine a physical extraction method with a measurement or characterisation step. E21F mine safety appears on 12.8% of records, and C09K materials on 10.6% — smaller but recurring secondary claim elements.
Shares are the percentage of the 94 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
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Methods of evaluating undersaturated coalbed methane reservoirs
The filing addresses evaluation and assessment of geologic formations comprising undersaturated coalbed methane reservoirs, including inductively quantifying critical desorption pressure from formation water rather than the coal itself. That lets an operator characterise gas content, dewatering behaviour and desorption pressure ratios more quickly and at lower cost than direct coal-sample testing.Filed by Yates Holdings LLP; published 2007-05-15.
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US20040060351A1 | Process for predicting porosity and permeability of a coal bed | 178 |
| 2 | WO1995033122A1 | Method for enhanced recovery of coal bed methane | 140 |
| 3 | US20070227732A1 | Method of fracturing a coalbed gas reservoir | 82 |
| 4 | US20070193737A1 | Method of intensification of natural gas production from coal beds | 56 |
| 5 | US5494108A | Method for stimulating a coal seam to enhance the recovery of methane from the coal seam | 46 |
| 6 | US6860147B2 | Process for predicting porosity and permeability of a coal bed | 45 |
| 7 | WO2012106749A1 | Structured gas desorption at constant temperature | 42 |
| 8 | US20050194133A1 | Methods of evaluating undersaturated coalbed methane reservoirs | 38 |
| 9 | US5419396A | Method for stimulating a coal seam to enhance the recovery of methane from the coal seam | 34 |
| 10 | US5741959A | Portable tester for determining gas content within a core sample | 32 |
Citation counts favour older filings that have had more time to accumulate references within the searched corpus — treat them as a signal of influence on later filings, not of current commercial relevance.
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Three patterns stand out once the concentration, classification and geography figures are read together.
The top of the field is narrow, the rest is thin
Five assignees hold 40.4% of the 94 records in scope and ten hold 68.1%, out of 57 ranked companies overall. That leaves a long tail of single or double-filing entrants — useful territory for a newcomer, since the leaders' grip loosens quickly past the top ten.
Claims pair drilling method with a measurement step
Over half of records touch both earth-drilling (E21B) and material analysis (G01N) classes, meaning a workable claim in this space usually needs to address both the physical operation and how gas content or permeability is measured or predicted.
China is now the primary filing venue
China accounts for the largest share of receiving-office filings, nearly double the United States, and well ahead of Canada, Australia, India and the EPO. Freedom-to-operate checks that skip Chinese filings will miss the largest single bloc of activity.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to coalbed methane production, with the prior art for and against each one.
Who is filing, and where the activity has cooled
The ranked leader holds 11 records; by fifth place that falls to 6, and by tenth place to 4 — a steep early drop that flattens into a long tail. Recent-year momentum data shows most named leaders, including Yates Petroleum, Amoco and the Schlumberger-affiliated entities, recording zero filings in the latest year, while at least one university assignee remains active.
A single leader well ahead of fifth place
The top-ranked assignee holds 11 records against 6 for the fifth-placed company, showing a clear but not overwhelming lead rather than dominance across the whole field.
Legacy filers have gone quiet
Several assignees that built early portfolios, including oilfield-services and legacy petroleum names, show zero filings in the latest tracked year, suggesting their coalbed methane claim positions are now static rather than expanding.
A university assignee is still filing actively
At least one academic assignee recorded 2 filings in the latest year, against zero for most corporate legacy names, pointing to research institutions as a source of newer technical claims worth monitoring.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Anhui University of Science and Technology | 2 | — |
| Yates Petroleum Corporation | 0 | — |
| Amoco Corporation | 0 | — |
| Prad Research and Development Ltd. | 0 | — |
| Schlumberger Holdings Limited | 0 | — |
| Schlumberger Technology B.V. | 0 | — |
| China Coal Technology and Engineering Group Chongqing Research Institute Co., Ltd. | 0 | -100% |
| Henan Polytechnic University | 0 | — |
Where to take this analysis
The figures above establish the shape of the field. Turning that into a filing or freedom-to-operate decision means going deeper on specific claims and specific competitors.
Map claim language against the leading citations
The most-cited records, several dating to the 1990s and 2000s, still anchor claim scope in dewatering and enhanced recovery methods. Check any new filing against these before drafting.
Explore prior art in Eureka →Track the quiet legacy filers
Several historically dominant assignees show zero recent filings. Confirm whether that reflects portfolio maturity or a shift in filing strategy elsewhere before assuming the space is open.
Set up assignee monitoring in Eureka →Common questions about coalbed methane patents
The dataset's top-ranked assignee holds 11 of the 94 records in scope, with the count dropping to 6 by fifth place and 4 by tenth place among 57 ranked companies. This is a moderately concentrated field: the top five assignees together hold 40.4% of all records and the top ten hold 68.1%, but no single company dominates outright. Oilfield-services groups and a handful of Chinese research institutes and universities make up most of the ranked leaders.
Filings rose from 0 in 2017 to a peak of 7 in 2023, then fell to 3 in 2024, a -50% change over that three-year span using the last two complete filing years. Because publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, 2025 and 2026 figures are still incomplete and should not yet be read as a downward trend. A clearer read on the 2024-2026 trajectory will only be possible once those later years finish publishing.
Earth and rock drilling (IPC class E21B) appears on 60.6% of the 94 records, and material analysis and testing (G01N) appears on 50.0%, meaning most claims combine a well-construction or completion method with a way to measure or predict reservoir properties. Mine safety and ventilation (E21F) and specialty materials (C09K) form smaller secondary clusters. Data-processing classes such as geophysics survey and business-process filings remain comparatively thin, which is where less-crowded claim space tends to sit.
China is the largest receiving office in this dataset with 34 filings, ahead of the United States at 19, Canada at 9, and Australia and India at 6 each, with the EPO covering 5. That distribution means a freedom-to-operate review focused only on US filings would miss the largest bloc of activity, and Chinese-language prior art needs to be part of any serious clearance search in this field.
US7216702B2, assigned to Yates Holdings LLP and published 2007-05-15, covers methods for evaluating undersaturated coalbed methane reservoirs, specifically inductively quantifying critical desorption pressure from formation water rather than from the coal itself. It affects work on gas-content characterisation and dewatering estimation methods that rely on the same indirect desorption-pressure technique. Filings that measure desorption pressure through other means, or that target saturated rather than undersaturated reservoirs, sit outside its core claim scope, but any new gas-content characterisation method should be checked against it specifically.
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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.