Construction Methods Patents: Leaders, Trends & White Space 2026
- No single filer dominates. the leader holds 44 records and the ranked top 5 combine for just 8.6% of all 1,801 records in scope — this field is a long tail, not a concentrated one.
- Building structures and foundations carry the claim density. E04B alone touches 26.6% of records, with E02D foundations work close behind at 12.2%, while additive manufacturing (B33Y) sits at only 5.2%.
- Filing kept climbing through the last complete year. activity rose from 97 records in 2021 to 118 in 2024, a 22% increase, even after a 2020 peak of 122 records.
Filing growth compares 2021 (97 records) with 2024 (118) — 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 1,801 records in scope (CR5), not by the ranked leaders only.
What this landscape covers
This dataset tracks 1,801 published records filed between 2015 and 2026 that combine construction-method language with terms tied to structural load, foundation condition, deformation sensing and construction materials. It spans building structures, foundation systems, formwork and scaffolding, cement and ceramic materials, and additive-manufacturing approaches to construction — a wide net across both how structures get built and what they are built from.
Because publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, the most recent one or two years in any trend understate real filing activity; 2024 is the last year in this dataset that can be read as complete.
Filing trend and technology composition
Two views of the same 1,801 records: how filing volume has moved year over year, and how it splits across the IPC subclasses that make up the field.
A long build-up, then a plateau
Filings rose from 61 records in 2017 to a peak of 122 in 2020, and after a dip climbed again from 97 in 2021 to 118 in 2024 — a 22% increase over that span. The 2025 and 2026 figures are still filling in as publications catch up to filing dates, so they should not be read as a decline.
Structural elements and foundations lead the classification mix
E04B (building structures & elements) appears on 26.6% of records and E04C (structural building components) on 14.8%, making the structural core of the field the densest claim territory. E02D (foundations & earth drilling) follows at 12.2% and C04B (cement and ceramics) at 10.4%. Additive manufacturing (B33Y) and scaffolding/formwork (E04G) sit at the lighter end of the mix, each around 5-7% of records — smaller footprints that leave more room to define new claim positions.
Shares are the percentage of the 1,801 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on Construction Methods & Equipment Patent Landscape with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about construction methods & equipment patent landscape and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaA representative record: modular foundation systems for soil conditions
Prefabricated, modular hydropower foundation system for soil conditions
A foundation system for modular hydropower systems built for loose or compressible soils, using pipe piles, transverse sheet piles, pile caps seated on the piles, and a beam base slab positioned on the pile caps. A kit form of the system is also disclosed, aimed at faster, repeatable deployment of low-head modular hydropower foundations.Filed as US20220325492A1 by Littoral Power Systems, published 2022-10-13.
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US5041089A | Vascular dilation catheter construction | 626 |
| 2 | US5189606A | Totally integrated construction cost estimating, analysis, and reporting system | 620 |
| 3 | US20110304497A1 | Athletic Performance Monitoring Systems and Methods in a Team Sports Environment | 304 |
| 4 | US20060070321A1 | Fire-resistant panel and method of manufacture | 241 |
| 5 | US20130130843A1 | Athletic Performance Monitoring Systems and Methods in a Team Sports Environment | 230 |
| 6 | US20110061321A1 | Fatigue reistant foundation system | 212 |
| 7 | US7735274B2 | Hydraulic cements comprising carbonate compound compositions | 198 |
| 8 | US8231506B2 | Athletic performance monitoring systems and methods in a team sports environment | 194 |
| 9 | US20180071949A1 | Method of reinforced cementitious constrauction by high speed extrusion printing and apparatus for using same | 191 |
| 10 | US20060122794A1 | System, method and computer program product for aquatic environment assessment | 181 |
Citation counts reflect influence within the searched corpus and skew toward older records; they are not a measure of current commercial importance.
Each row carries its publication number; clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
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Three patterns stand out once volume, concentration and classification are read together.
The leader board is shallow
With the top 5 assignees together holding only 8.6% of all 1,801 records and the leader itself at 44 records, no single company has locked up this field. That favours new entrants who can carve out a defensible position rather than having to displace an incumbent.
Structural building elements are the densest ground
E04B claims touch over a quarter of all records, and E04C adds another 14.8% on top of that overlap. Anyone filing new structural-element claims should expect to search against a crowded set before assuming an idea is open.
Growth held through the last complete year
Filing volume rose from 97 records in 2021 to 118 in 2024, a 22% increase, even after the field had already passed a 2020 peak of 122. That is sustained activity, not a technology winding down.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to construction methods & equipment patent landscape, with the prior art for and against each one.
| Assignee | Co-assignee | Shared families |
|---|---|---|
| GCP Applied Technologies Inc. | SNF SA | 11 |
| GCP Applied Technologies Inc. | Liebherr-Betonpumpen GmbH | 4 |
| GCP Applied Technologies Inc. | W.R. Grace & Co. | 4 |
| Nike, Inc. | Nike International Ltd. | 2 |
Only 4 co-assignee pairs appear across the dataset, and the strongest pairing recurs at a modest 11 shared filings — most work here is filed by a single assignee rather than through joint ventures.
A wide field with no dominant filer
The ranked assignee table lists 100 companies, not a top-50 or top-100 by definition of the field — it is the entire ranking the dataset returns. Reading it alongside the recent-year momentum figures shows a field where leadership by cumulative volume does not always translate into recent-year activity.
A modest lead at the top
The top-ranked assignee holds 44 records against a fifth-place figure of 25 and a tenth-place figure of 21 — a gentle slope rather than a cliff, consistent with the low 8.6% combined share for the top 5.
Recent-year activity has gone quiet for cumulative leaders
Several assignees with strong cumulative totals show zero filings in the latest tracked year, including one with a -100% year-on-year change. Given the 18-month publication lag, this is as likely to reflect pending publications as an actual pullback.
Joint filing is rare
Only 4 co-assignee pairs show up across the full dataset, with the strongest recurring pairing at 11 shared records. Most participants file independently rather than through joint development structures.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| GCP Applied Technologies Inc. | 0 | — |
| Nike, Inc. | 0 | — |
| Voxeljet AG | 0 | -100% |
| LOVELAND INNOVATIONS LLC | 0 | — |
| Sano Development Ltd. | 0 | — |
| Yoshino Gypsum Co., Ltd. | 0 | — |
| KRUSE GMBH & CO KG | 0 | — |
| Armatron Systems LLC | 0 | — |
Where to take this analysis
The dataset points to specific next questions rather than a single conclusion.
Map the white space in foundation and sensor claims
With E02D foundations at 12.2% of records and deformation-sensor language appearing as a search term rather than a dense subclass, there is room to define claims that combine the two more explicitly.
Explore white space in EurekaTrack momentum, not just cumulative rank
Cumulative leaders showing zero recent-year filings may be paused, restructured, or simply not yet published. Watching quarter-by-quarter filing activity closes that gap faster than annual totals.
Set up momentum tracking in EurekaCheck freedom-to-operate against the structural core
E04B and E04C together touch a large share of records, so any new structural-element concept should be checked against this claim set before development spend, not after.
Run a freedom-to-operate search in EurekaCommon questions about construction methods and equipment patents
No single company dominates this field. The top-ranked assignee holds 44 records, and the five leading assignees together account for only 8.6% of the 1,801 records in scope. This is a long-tail landscape where a large number of companies each hold a modest slice, rather than one where two or three players control the claim space, which generally makes it easier for a new entrant to find room to file.
Building structures and elements (IPC class E04B) lead, appearing on 26.6% of the 1,801 records, followed by structural building components (E04C) at 14.8% and foundations and earth drilling (E02D) at 12.2%. Cement and ceramic materials (C04B) add another 10.4%. Additive manufacturing for construction (B33Y) is comparatively light at 5.2%, suggesting it is still an emerging rather than a saturated branch of the field.
Filing volume grew from 97 records in 2021 to 118 in 2024, a 22% increase over that three-year span, following an earlier peak of 122 records in 2020. Because publications lag filing by roughly 18 months, the lower counts shown for 2025 and 2026 reflect incomplete data rather than an actual slowdown, so 2024 is the most reliable recent year to judge momentum from.
US20220325492A1, filed by Littoral Power Systems and published in October 2022, covers a prefabricated modular foundation system built from pipe piles, transverse sheet piles, pile caps and a beam base slab, designed for loose or compressible soils in low-head modular hydropower applications. It is offered as a kit, which extends its practical reach to installers assembling the system on site. Anyone developing modular foundation hardware for soft-soil or hydropower contexts should review its specific structural combination before finalising a design.
The lighter-density branches of this dataset — additive manufacturing applied to formwork, deformation-sensor integration within foundation systems, and modular foundation kits tuned to variable soil conditions — carry fewer records relative to the structural core covered by E04B and E04C. Lower filing density in a branch does not guarantee an idea is novel, but it does mean fewer existing claims to search against and design around before committing to a filing strategy.
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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.