CT Metrology Patents: Who Leads, Where the Gaps Are 2026
- Filing peaked in 2017 at 10 records and has not returned to that level since, though publication lag understates the most recent years.
- One assignee leads with 9 records against a ranked field of 13 companies, with a sharp drop to single digits by fifth place.
- G01N material analysis dominates at 66.7% of the 36 records in scope, leaving force, radiation and data-processing subclasses thinly claimed.
What this landscape covers
This landscape tracks patent filings at the intersection of computed tomography metrology and metrological traceability — the claims that let a CT scan’s dimensional output be trusted against a coordinate measuring machine or an international standard. The scope spans reference artefacts, measurement uncertainty analysis, surface determination and multi-material sample handling, pulled from records published between 2015 and 2026.
The dataset is small: 36 published records in total, ranked across 13 companies. That size matters for how the figures should be read — a single well-cited family can shift the picture, and the ranked leaders here are not a top-50 or top-100 cut but the entire ranking the underlying data returns.
Filing trend and technology composition
Two views of the same 36-record set: how filings moved year over year, and which IPC subclasses carry the claims.
Filing trend, 2017-2026
Filings ran at 10 in 2017, the peak year so far, and have declined toward 0 by 2026. With fewer than four complete years once the roughly 18-month publication lag is accounted for, no growth rate can be stated from this data.
IPC subclass composition
G01N (material analysis and testing) appears on 66.7% of the 36 records in scope, far ahead of C07K peptide/protein claims at 13.9% and the C12N, C12P and C12Q life-science subclasses each in the 8-11% range. G01J radiation measurement, G01L force measurement and G06F data processing each sit at 5.6%, the thinnest bands in the set. Because a record can carry more than one class, these shares sum to well over 100% and should not be read as a partition of the 36 records.
Shares are the percentage of the 36 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on Computed Tomography Metrology and Traceability with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about computed tomography metrology and traceability and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaMost-cited records in this landscape
Metrology system for measurement uncertainty analysis (US20190354915A1)
Certain aspects relate to systems and techniques for acquiring metrology inspection data of manufactured physical parts, identifying measurement uncertainty scores at various stages of the process of manufacturing and inspecting the physical parts, and leveraging the measurement uncertainty scores to evaluate manufacturing setups for the capability to make and/or inspect other parts. The scores can be specific to particular geometric features, and manufacturing setups can be identified for new parts based on the geometric features of those parts.Filed by Minds Mechanical, LLC, published 2019-11-21.


| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | WO2018204410A1 | Metrology system for machine learning-based manufacturing error predictions | 51 |
| 2 | WO2018090142A1 | Method and system for data processing for distributed spectrophotometric analyzers | 15 |
| 3 | WO2018206737A1 | Method for determination of members of the s100 family of calcium binding proteins by immunoturbidimetry | 12 |
| 4 | WO2018089252A1 | Metrology system for measurement uncertainty analysis | 11 |
| 5 | US20190078945A1 | Dynamic force contactor, providing a dynamic force, and calibrating a force sensor to be traceable to the int… | 10 |
| 6 | US20190354915A1 | Metrology system for measurement uncertainty analysis | 9 |
| 7 | US20210382044A1 | Method for determination of members of the s100 family of calcium binding proteins by immunoturbidimetry | 5 |
| 8 | US10641663B2 | Dynamic force contactor, providing a dynamic force, and calibrating a force sensor to be traceable to the int… | 2 |
| 9 | GB201421819D0 | PCR validation tubes | 2 |
| 10 | US20150160132A1 | PCR validation tubes | 2 |
Citation counts inside a searched corpus favour older records; read them as a signal of influence, not of current importance.
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Three findings that would not be obvious without pulling the underlying records.
One assignee sets the pace, but the field is small
The leader holds 9 records against a ranked field of 13 companies, with fifth place already down to 3 and tenth place to 2. That drop-off is steep for a field this size, but with only 36 total records, a single new entrant filing three or four continuations could change the ranking meaningfully.
Activity has cooled since 2017, but the tail is uncertain
The peak year on record is 2017 at 10 filings, with the count trailing toward 0 by 2026. Publication lag of roughly 18 months means the last one to two years are understated rather than genuinely quiet, so treat the recent decline as provisional.
Claim space is dense in material analysis, thin elsewhere
Two-thirds of the 36 records in scope sit under G01N (material analysis and testing), while G01J radiation measurement, G01L force measurement and G06F data processing each account for only 5.6%. Dense G01N filing means that claim space is occupied, not that the underlying measurement problem is solved.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to computed tomography metrology and traceability, with the prior art for and against each one.
| Assignee | Co-assignee | Shared families |
|---|---|---|
| Diasys Diagnostic Systems | Immundiagnostik AG | 5 |
The strongest co-assignee pairing in this dataset appears 5 times, linking Diasys Diagnostic Systems and Immundiagnostik AG — evidence of a joint filing programme rather than isolated collaboration.
Who is filing, and where the gaps sit
The ranked field spans corporate, government and university assignees, with filing activity thin at every recent-year checkpoint in the data.
The largest filer by family count
The top-ranked assignee holds 9 of the 36 records in scope, the clearest concentration point in an otherwise flat ranking. Recent-year momentum data shows 0 filings in the latest year across the assignees checked, consistent with the overall trend decline.
A sharp step down after the leader
Fifth place in the ranking holds 3 records, and tenth place holds 2 — a compressed mid-field rather than a long gradual tail. This shape suggests the technology has not yet attracted a broad base of repeat filers.
Public and academic assignees sit alongside corporates
The ranking includes a national metrology institute, a university, and a government health agency alongside corporate filers such as Boeing and Minds Mechanical. That mix points to standards-development activity running in parallel with product-oriented filing.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| STARNA SCIENTIFIC LTD | 0 | — |
| CMIC Holdings Co., Ltd. | 0 | — |
| Diasys Diagnostic Systems | 0 | — |
| Immundiagnostik AG | 0 | — |
| MINDS MECHANICAL LLC | 0 | — |
| The Government of the United States of America as represented by the Secretary, Department of Health & Human Services | 0 | — |
| The Boeing Company | 0 | — |
| Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg | 0 | — |
Where to take this analysis
The dataset points to a small, concentrated field with thin coverage outside its core material-analysis claims.
Map the leader's claim scope
With 9 of 36 records, the top assignee's claim boundaries are the first thing to check before drafting in this space.
Explore assignee claims in EurekaTest the thin IPC bands
G01J, G01L and G06F each sit at 5.6% of records — worth a freedom-to-operate check before assuming the space is open.
Run a white space search in EurekaTrack the co-filing pair
The Diasys/Immundiagnostik pairing recurs 5 times; understanding what they jointly protect clarifies one corner of the landscape.
Analyse co-assignee patterns in EurekaCommon questions on CT metrology patents
It means the claim ties a CT-derived dimensional measurement back to an international unit standard through an unbroken chain of calibrated references, typically involving a reference artefact of known dimensions. In this dataset that concept shows up alongside measurement uncertainty analysis and coordinate machine comparison claims, since traceability is usually proven by comparing CT results against a coordinate measuring machine reading. A claim that only describes a scanning method without this comparison or calibration chain is not normally considered a traceability claim in the patent sense. Practically, examiners and competitors will look for the specific artefact geometry and calibration procedure named in the claim, not just the phrase itself.
The ranked field in this dataset covers 13 companies, with the top assignee holding 9 of the 36 records in scope and a steep drop to single-digit counts by fifth place. The filers span corporate, government and academic assignees, including a national metrology institute and a university department, which points to standards work happening alongside commercial product filing. Because the ranking is the complete list the data returns rather than a top-50 cut, a new entrant filing even a handful of families could shift the ordering meaningfully. Anyone assessing freedom to operate should check the leader's claims first given the concentration at that position.
The trend data shows 10 filings in 2017, the peak year in this coverage window, declining toward 0 by 2026. Part of that apparent decline is real, but part of it is an artefact of publication lag: patent applications typically publish around 18 months after filing, so the last one to two years in any dataset are always undercounted. With fewer than four complete years of data once that lag is factored in, no reliable growth rate can be calculated from this evidence. Readers should treat the 2024-2026 figures as provisional rather than a confirmed slowdown.
The technology composition data shows G01N material analysis and testing claims dominate at 66.7% of the 36 records in scope, while radiation measurement (G01J), force measurement (G01L) and digital data processing (G06F) each sit at only 5.6%. That gap suggests fewer competing claims around dose calibration, dynamic force sensor traceability, and machine-learning-assisted uncertainty pipelines specifically. A thin IPC band is not proof the technology is unsolved, but it does mean less prior art stands between a new filing and grant in that corner. A proper freedom-to-operate search is still needed before relying on this as a filing strategy.
US20190354915A1, assigned to Minds Mechanical, LLC and published 2019-11-21, covers a metrology system that acquires inspection data from manufactured parts, computes measurement uncertainty scores tied to specific geometric features, and uses those scores to evaluate whether a manufacturing setup can make or inspect other parts. It is one of the more cited records in this landscape, closely related to a sibling filing on the same measurement-uncertainty concept from the same period. Anyone building an uncertainty-scoring pipeline for CT-based inspection should read its claim set closely, since the geometric-feature-specific scoring approach is the part most likely to create overlap. The abstract alone does not disclose full claim scope, so the granted claims need direct review before drawing conclusions on infringement risk.
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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.