Compression Therapy Patents: Who Leads, Where the Gaps Are 2026
- 73.0% of all 74 records sit with just five assignees — this field is concentrated at the top, not a level playing field for new entrants.
- Filing peaked in 2020 at 18 records, with the 2021→2024 span down 100% — though 2025-2026 figures are still filling in as publication catches up.
- A61H carries 73.0% of records while electrotherapy (A61N) sits at just 4.1% — a strong signal of where claim space is still open.
Filing growth compares 2021 (1 records) with 2024 (0) — 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 74 records in scope (CR5), not by the ranked leaders only.
What this landscape covers
This dataset tracks 74 published records filed between 2015 and 2026 that combine compression therapy language with technical claim terms such as sub-bandage pressure, compression profile, patient adherence and recurrence prevention. The scope captures both mechanical wrap and bandage hardware and the software and monitoring layers built around it, which is why classes like G16Z (specific-application computing) and A61N (electrotherapy) appear alongside the dominant physical-therapy class.
Filing activity is not evenly spread across the period: it builds toward a peak in 2020 and pulls back sharply afterward, a pattern worth reading carefully given that publication typically lags filing by around 18 months and the most recent two years are understated as a result.
Filing trends and technology composition
The two views below cover the full 74-record scope: one tracks filing activity year over year, the other breaks the same records down by IPC subclass so multi-classed filings are visible rather than hidden.
Filing trend, 2017-2026
Filings ran from 9 in 2017 up to a peak of 18 in 2020, then declined; the 2021-to-2024 span shows a documented -100% change, from 1 filing in 2021 to 0 in 2024. Figures from 2025 onward are still incomplete because of publication lag, so they should not be read as a continued decline.
Technology composition by IPC subclass
A61H (physical therapy & massage) appears in 73.0% of the 74 records, making it the dominant class by a wide margin, ahead of A61F implants (41.9%) and A61B diagnosis/surgery (35.1%). Smaller classes — footwear, sterilising, computing, garments and electrotherapy — each sit at 13.5% or below, marking the narrower technical branches within the field.
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 Compression Therapy and Venous Ulcer Care with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about compression therapy and venous ulcer care and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaRepresentative filing and most-cited records
Compression therapy apparatus, systems, and methods (US20140276274A1)
A compression therapy apparatus for applying therapeutic compression to a limb includes a bandage having a trunk, a first end, a second end, and a compression line between the first end and the second end. The apparatus also includes a plurality of compression control members disposed on the trunk along the compression line. Each compression control member defines a compression zone and is adapted to independently control a therapeutic compression associated with the compression zone. The plurality of compression control members are configured to provide a substantially continuous compression profile along the compression line.Filed by KCI Licensing, Inc., published 2014-09-18.
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US20170312161A1 | Adaptive compression therapy systems and methods | 88 |
| 2 | US20170312165A1 | Adaptive compression therapy systems and methods | 71 |
| 3 | US20120083712A1 | Monitoring Compliance Using Venous Refill Detection | 67 |
| 4 | US20110196269A1 | Treatment Devices and Methods | 65 |
| 5 | US10076462B2 | Adaptive compression therapy systems and methods | 38 |
| 6 | US20200268592A1 | Adaptive compression therapy systems and methods | 34 |
| 7 | WO2014159706A2 | Compression therapy apparatus, system and method | 25 |
| 8 | US10166164B2 | Adaptive compression therapy systems and methods | 22 |
| 9 | WO2017189926A1 | Adaptive compression therapy systems and methods | 22 |
| 10 | EP2436308A1 | Monitoring compliance using venous refill detection | 22 |
Citation counts reflect influence within the searched corpus and favour older filings; treat them as a signal of historical impact, not current commercial importance.
Each row carries its publication number; clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
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Browse MCP servers →What the numbers mean for a filing decision
Three patterns stand out once the records are pulled apart by assignee, class and citation weight, and each has a direct implication for where new claims are likely to clear versus collide with existing art.
The leading tier holds most of the field
Five assignees account for 73.0% of all 74 records in scope, and the top ten reach 98.6%. That leaves a genuinely thin long tail below the leader group — new entrants are filing into a space where the core mechanical bandage and compression-control claims are already well covered by a handful of firms.
Peak activity has passed, recent years still filling in
Filings peaked at 18 in 2020 and the documented change from 2021 (1 filing) to 2024 (0 filings) is a full -100%. Because publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, 2025 and 2026 figures are not yet complete and should not be read as confirming a continued drop.
Electrotherapy and garment classes are thin
A61N (electrotherapy) sits at just 4.1% of records and A41D (outerwear & garments) at 6.8%, far below the dominant A61H and A61F classes. That gap is where mechanical compression claims have not yet been paired heavily with electro-stimulation or wearable-garment integration.
Influence concentrates in a small cluster of older filings
The most-cited records in this landscape — led by a filing cited 88 times — cluster around adaptive compression therapy systems and monitoring compliance, both filed years before the 2020 peak. High citation counts here reflect early foundational claims, not necessarily current filing activity.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to compression therapy and venous ulcer care, with the prior art for and against each one.
Who is filing, and where the field is still open
The ranked list covers 23 companies counted in records, with activity heavily weighted toward the leader and a fast-thinning tail below the top ten.
One filer sets the pace
The top-ranked assignee holds 16 records, well ahead of the field, with the fifth-ranked assignee at 8 and the tenth at just 2 — a steep drop-off that marks this as a leader-plus-tail structure rather than an evenly distributed field.
A small inventor cluster files together repeatedly
Ten co-assignee pairs appear in the data, with the strongest pairings each recurring 5 times around a single inventor group. That repetition suggests a stable internal team driving a meaningful share of one assignee's output rather than scattered individual inventors.
Even the leader has slowed in the most recent year
Recent-year momentum shows the leading assignee filing 2 records in the latest year while several other tracked assignees, including past top-ten names, show 0. Given publication lag, this should be read as an early signal rather than a confirmed stop in activity.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| L&R USA Inc. | 2 | — |
| KCI Licensing, Inc. | 0 | — |
| Covidien LP | 0 | — |
| RADIAL MEDICAL INC | 0 | — |
| KPR U.S., LLC | 0 | — |
| WALL JAMES K | 0 | — |
| SALINAS CONRAD | 0 | — |
| LUCATERO SYLVESTER | 0 | — |
Where to take this from here
The dataset points to specific next steps depending on whether the goal is freedom-to-operate, portfolio strategy, or spotting an entry point.
Check freedom-to-operate against the leader's claims
With one assignee holding 16 of 74 records and the top five holding 73.0%, any new compression-control or bandage claim should be checked against this group's granted claims first, not just the most-cited filings.
Run a claim comparison in Eureka →Scope the under-claimed branches before drafting
Electrotherapy (4.1% of records) and garment-integration (6.8%) classes are thin relative to the dominant mechanical-compression classes, which narrows the prior art a new claim in those areas would need to clear.
Explore white space in Eureka →Watch for the 2025-2026 filing catch-up
Because publication lags filing by about 18 months, the apparent post-2020 decline should be re-checked once 2025 and 2026 records finish publishing, rather than treated as a settled trend today.
Track filing trends in Eureka →Common questions on the compression therapy patent landscape
The ranked list covers 23 companies, with the leading assignee holding 16 of the 74 records in scope — well ahead of the fifth-ranked assignee at 8 and the tenth at 2. The top five assignees combined account for 73.0% of all records, so filing activity is concentrated rather than spread evenly. Anyone assessing competitive position in this space should treat that leading group as the primary reference point for prior art and freedom-to-operate checks.
Filing activity peaked in 2020 at 18 records and the documented change from 2021 (1 filing) to 2024 (0 filings) is a full -100% over that span. However, because patent publication typically lags actual filing by around 18 months, the 2025 and 2026 figures in this dataset are still incomplete and should not be read as proof the field has stopped. The safest read is that 2024 is the most recent year that can be treated as a complete picture, and it shows a clear pullback from the 2020 peak.
Relative to the dominant physical-therapy class (A61H, 73.0% of the 74 records) and implants (A61F, 41.9%), electrotherapy (A61N) sits at only 4.1% and garment-integration (A41D) at 6.8%. Footwear-based delivery and sterilising/disinfecting classes each sit at 13.5%. These narrower classes represent branches where fewer claims have been filed, which typically means thinner prior art for a well-drafted new application to work around.
US20140276274A1, assigned to KCI Licensing, Inc. and published in 2014, claims a compression therapy apparatus using a bandage with multiple independently-controlled compression control members along a compression line, producing a substantially continuous compression profile. Any new design using independently addressable pressure zones along a single wrap or bandage trunk should be checked against this claim structure specifically. It does not on its own cover electrotherapy-based approaches or garment-integrated sensing, which sit in the thinner technology classes in this dataset.
The most-cited record in this landscape has been cited 88 times, followed by related filings in the 65-71 citation range, and they cluster around adaptive compression therapy systems and compliance monitoring via venous refill detection. These filings predate the 2020 filing peak by several years, which is typical — citation counts in any searched patent corpus tend to favour older documents because they have simply had more time to accumulate citations. High citation counts signal foundational influence on later filings, not that the underlying technology is currently the most active area of filing.
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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.