Cold-Chain Logistics Patents: Who Leads, Where the Gaps Are 2026
Cold-chain logistics patents: who holds the claims and where they cluster
80.9% of records sit with the five leading assignees out of 68 records in scope — a tight concentration for a field this operationally broad. Filings rose from zero in 2017 to a peak of 11 in 2023, then eased — the 2021-to-2024 span shows an 8-to-6 decline, a 25% drop over three years. Readings for 2025 and 2026 are still incomplete because publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, so the apparent recent dip should not be read as a slowdown yet.
- 1TRANE INTERNATIONAL INC28
- 2CARRIER CORP16
- 3SALENREDERIERNA4
- 4ASAHI KASEI KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA4
- 5VERMA PARMESH3
See the full cold-chain logistics patent landscape analysis in Eureka
- The complete ranking, not just the top five
- Every IPC branch with its share of the corpus
- The most-cited records, and where claim space is still thin
Common questions about cold-chain logistics patents
Who holds the most cold-chain logistics patents?
Within this dataset of 68 records, one assignee leads clearly with 28 records, compared with 3 at fifth place and 2 at tenth. The top five assignees combined account for 80.9% of all records in scope, and the top ten reach 98.5%, so the field is heavily concentrated at the top with a long tail of single- or low-volume filers behind it. Anyone assessing freedom to operate should start with the leading assignee’s portfolio rather than the tail.
Is cold-chain logistics patent filing growing or shrinking?
Filing rose from zero in 2017 to a peak of 11 records in 2023, then eased to 6 by 2024 — a 25% decline from the 8 records filed in 2021, using 2024 as the last year with a complete publication picture. Because publication typically lags filing by about 18 months, the lower counts shown for 2025 and 2026 are still filling in and should not yet be read as a genuine slowdown. A clearer picture of the most recent trend will only be available once those years finish publishing.
What technology areas dominate cold-chain logistics patents?
Refrigeration and air-handling hardware dominate: F24F (air conditioning and ventilation) covers 30.9% of the 68 records and F25B (refrigeration and heat pumps) covers 29.4%. Business and data-processing claims under G06Q, which would cover inventory tracking and routing logic, sit at only 13.2%, tied with fluid-heater claims under F24H. This means the mechanical side of temperature control is far more heavily claimed than the identification and tracking side implied by cold-chain logistics as a full system.
Disclaimer. This analysis is based on Patsnap Eureka data drawn from a limited snapshot of global patent records and is provided for general information and reference only. Patent data carries inherent limitations — recent filings are under-counted because of publication lag, counts may be on a record or family basis, classification and applicant-name data may contain errors or duplicates, and the underlying search query defines the scope shown — so the analysis may be incomplete or inaccurate and may not reflect the full technology landscape.
Nothing here is an exhaustive prior-art, novelty, freedom-to-operate or validity search, nor does it constitute legal, financial or professional advice, and it should not be relied upon as such. Verify independently and review with qualified patent and legal professionals before acting on it.
Method: Filing trend and technology composition. Derived from a Patsnap search on Cold-Chain Logistics Patent Landscape covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-08-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish. Every share divides by all records in scope. Data: Patsnap Eureka. See the full landscape report.