Coarse Particle Flotation Patents: Leaders & Filing Trends 2026
- A two-family cluster dominates citations. US20160310956A1 and WO2016170437A1, both titled "Process for recovering value metals from ore," carry 27 and 22 citations respectively — far ahead of anything else in the set.
- Filing activity peaked in 2017 at 12 records and has since thinned. the tracked span from 2021 (7) to 2024 (3) shows a 57% decline, the clearest complete-year signal in the dataset.
- One company is still filing while others have gone quiet. Weir Minerals Australia logged 3 filings in the latest year while several previously active assignees, including Newcrest Mining and the Anglo American entities, show zero.
Filing growth compares 2021 (7 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.
What coarse particle flotation patenting actually covers
Coarse particle flotation addresses a specific mineral-processing problem: conventional flotation cells lose recovery efficiency once particle size grows beyond a certain threshold, because coarse particles detach from bubbles before they can report to concentrate. The patent activity in this dataset clusters around fluidized-bed separators, bubble-particle aggregate stability, and coarse gangue rejection — approaches that let operations either process coarser feed directly or reject coarse waste earlier in the circuit, cutting downstream grinding energy.
The 74 records in scope span WIPO, Australian, US, Canadian, South African and Chilean filings, reflecting a technology tied closely to hard-rock mining jurisdictions rather than electronics or consumer manufacturing centers. Class overlap between C22B, B03D and B03B confirms that most filings sit at the intersection of extraction metallurgy and flotation equipment, not in a single isolated discipline.
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Filing trend and technology composition
Two views of the same 74-record set: how filing activity has moved year over year, and which IPC subclasses the records fall into.
A 2017 peak followed by a thinning trend
Filings hit their tracked high of 12 in 2017. The last complete-year comparison available, 2021 to 2024, shows a drop from 7 to 3 filings — a 57% decline. Records from 2025 onward are still incomplete because publication typically lags filing by around 18 months, so the most recent bars understate real activity and should not be read as a continued fall.
Concentrated in extraction and flotation classes
C22B (metal extraction and refining) appears in 70.3% of the 74 records and B03D (flotation) in 68.9%, with B03B (wet separation of solids) close behind at 64.9%. Because a single record can carry several IPC classes, these shares sum to well over 100%; the pattern still shows that most inventive activity sits squarely at the overlap of extraction metallurgy and physical separation, with comminution (B02C, 16.2%) and water treatment (C02F, 12.2%) as secondary threads.
Shares are the percentage of the 74 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on Coarse Particle Flotation with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about coarse particle flotation and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaThe families setting the citation benchmark
WO2023212777A1 — Processing mined ore
A method of processing a mined ore that contains a valuable metal includes producing a coarse concentrate in a coarse flotation unit in one or more "non-hub" mines and transporting the coarse concentrate to a "hub" mine, where it is processed into a marketable metal-containing product. The tailings produced at the non-hub mines are free-draining coarse tailings.Filed by Newcrest Mining, published 2023-11-09.
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US20160310956A1 | Process for recovering value metals from ore | 27 |
| 2 | WO2016170437A1 | Process for recovering value metals from ore | 22 |
| 3 | WO2020037357A1 | Recovering valuable material from an ore | 11 |
| 4 | WO2020152651A1 | Apparatus and method for uniformly introducing air into a fluidized bed separator | 7 |
| 5 | WO2021090220A2 | Heap leach structure | 3 |
| 6 | WO2018067642A1 | Classification particle size distribution modification technique based on hydrophobic media for enhanced flui… | 3 |
| 7 | WO2023044464A2 | Increasing flotation recovery and throughput | 2 |
| 8 | US20210154681A1 | Recovering valuable material from an ore | 2 |
| 9 | US20190234854A1 | Classification particle size distribution modification technique based on hydrophobic media for enhanced flui… | 2 |
| 10 | US10124346B2 | Process for recovering value metals from ore | 2 |
Citation counts are drawn from the searched corpus and favor older filings; treat them as a signal of influence on later filers, not of current commercial importance.
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Browse MCP servers →What the numbers mean for a filing decision
Three findings that shape where a new filing would land in relation to existing claims.
Two related families anchor the field's prior art
US20160310956A1 and WO2016170437A1 share a title and a common lineage, and together they carry the highest citation counts in the set by a wide margin. Any new filing on value-metal recovery from coarse flotation circuits should expect examiners to cite this pair as a starting reference point.
Complete-year filings have thinned since the 2017 peak
The tracked decline from 7 filings in 2021 to 3 in 2024 is the clearest complete-year comparison in the dataset. It does not mean the technology is exhausted — it means fewer new entrants are filing, which can also indicate that early movers have already staked the obvious claim territory.
Activity has narrowed to a smaller set of active filers
While several previously prolific assignees show zero filings in the latest tracked year, Weir Minerals Australia continues to file, alongside a single filing from Cidra Corporate Services. That narrowing is worth watching for anyone benchmarking who is still investing in this space.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to coarse particle flotation, with the prior art for and against each one.
A ranked field of 13 assignees with one clear leader
The assignee ranking returned by the dataset covers 13 companies, led by a mining major at 18 records; fifth place sits at 9 and tenth place at just 1 — a steep drop-off rather than a flat distribution.
A mining major leads by a wide margin
The top-ranked assignee holds roughly double the filings of the fifth-placed company, consistent with a technology where a small number of large mining operators run sustained internal R&D programs rather than relying on outside equipment suppliers alone.
A cluster of equipment and engineering firms fills the mid-field
Below the leader, filings come from a mix of mineral-processing equipment makers and engineering services firms, reflecting that coarse particle flotation is as much a hardware problem — separator and fluidized-bed design — as a metallurgical one.
A long tail of single- and few-filing entrants
Beyond the top ranks, filing counts fall quickly to single digits and then to one, including at least one individual inventor alongside corporate assignees. This pattern suggests the core equipment claims are held by a handful of firms while narrower process refinements remain open to smaller entrants.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Weir Minerals Australia Ltd | 3 | — |
| Cidra Corporate Services Inc | 1 | — |
| NEWCREST MINING | 0 | — |
| Anglo American Services (UK) Ltd | 0 | — |
| Anglo American Tech & Sustainability Services Ltd | 0 | — |
| FLSmidth & Co A/S | 0 | — |
| Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties Inc | 0 | — |
| Boliden Mineral AB | 0 | — |
Where to take this analysis
The dataset points to specific next steps depending on whether the goal is freedom-to-operate, competitive tracking, or identifying open claim space.
Map the citation cluster in detail
The two highest-cited families share lineage and a title; a claim-by-claim comparison against any planned filing on value-metal recovery from coarse concentrate would clarify how much room remains around that core process.
Explore citation network in EurekaTrack the active filers, not just the leader
Recent-year momentum has shifted toward a smaller set of assignees still filing; monitoring their newest publications is more informative than watching the overall leader, which has gone quiet in the latest tracked year.
Set up assignee monitoring in EurekaTest the under-claimed branches
Sub-areas like fluidization water rate control and collector coverage for coarse feed show thinner coverage relative to the core extraction and flotation classes, which may leave room for a narrowly drafted first claim.
Run a white space search in EurekaCommon questions about coarse particle flotation patents
The dataset's ranked list of 13 assignees is led by a company with 18 records, roughly double the count of the fifth-placed assignee at 9. The leader is a mining operator rather than an equipment supplier, which reflects that large mining companies in this field often run their own internal process-engineering patent programs alongside the equipment makers. Below the top few positions, filing counts drop quickly into single digits and eventually to a single filing at tenth place, so the field has a clear leader but no dominant duopoly.
Filings peaked in 2017 at 12 records in this dataset and the last complete year-over-year comparison, from 2021 (7) to 2024 (3), shows a 57% decline. However, publication typically lags filing by around 18 months, so 2025 and later years in any trend chart are still incomplete and should not be read as continued decline. The honest read is that complete-year data through 2024 shows fewer new filings than the 2017 peak, not that the technology has stopped moving.
US20160310956A1, titled "Process for recovering value metals from ore," carries 27 citations in this corpus, with its related family member WO2016170437A1 close behind at 22. Both significantly outpace the next most-cited records, WO2020037357A1 at 11 and WO2020152651A1 at 7. Because citation counts inside a searched corpus tend to favor older filings, these numbers indicate lasting influence on later applicants rather than current commercial dominance.
Recent-year momentum data shows Weir Minerals Australia with 3 filings in the latest tracked year and Cidra Corporate Services with 1, while several previously prolific assignees — including Newcrest Mining and the Anglo American entities — show zero filings in that same period. This narrowing suggests the field's active filing base has shrunk to a smaller group even as the overall ranked list of 13 companies includes firms that filed earlier but have since gone quiet. Anyone tracking competitive activity should weight recent filings more heavily than lifetime totals.
Relative to the dominant C22B and B03D classes, which each cover roughly two-thirds of the 74 records, narrower technical threads like fluidization water rate control, bubble-particle aggregate stability, and collector coverage tuned for coarse feed appear far less often. These are process-control and reagent-optimization angles layered on top of the core separator and extraction claims already held by the leading filers. A first claim drafted around a specific sensing or control method for one of these sub-areas is more likely to clear existing art than a broad claim on coarse flotation itself.
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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.