Core Acquisition Patents: Top Companies & Filing Trends 2026
- 55.1% of all 494 records sit with the top five assignees, so most of the field's claim space is already staked by a handful of drilling-services firms.
- Filing fell 88% from 16 records in 2021 to 2 in 2024, the last year the dataset treats as complete.
- 94.3% of records classify under E21B earth and rock drilling, while AI-based control (G06N) and imaging (G06T) each sit at just 1.0% — a thin, largely open edge.
Filing growth compares 2021 (16 records) with 2024 (2) — 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 494 records in scope (CR5), not by the ranked leaders only.
What this landscape covers
Core acquisition and preservation spans the mechanical hardware that cuts and retains a rock core intact — coring bits, inner core tubes, and anti-jamming or anti-gripping collars — together with the methods used to keep that core representative once it reaches surface: pressure coring, sponge coring, and core orientation tracking that preserves the sample’s original spatial reference. The search underlying this page pairs those hardware terms with the failure modes and preservation techniques that define whether a run is usable: core recovery ratio, jamming, stress relief cracking, and contamination control.
The 494 records in scope run from 2015 through the 2026 partial year, giving a decade-plus view of how drilling-services and oilfield-equipment companies have claimed this space, and how much of it remains open to a new entrant.
Let an AI agent run this analysis on your own technology
Pick a task. Every answer cites the patents behind it.
Filing trend and technology mix
Two views of the same 494-record dataset: how filing volume has moved year over year, and which IPC subclasses the records fall under.
Filing trend, 2017 peak to present
Filings peaked in 2017 at 64 records, then declined through the period; 2021 (16 records) to 2024 (2 records) marks an -88% drop, and 2024 is the most recent year the dataset treats as complete. Later years are still filling in as publication catches up with filing, typically by around 18 months, so the 2025-2026 figures should not be read as a continuation of the decline.
Technology composition by IPC subclass
E21B (earth and rock drilling) covers 94.3% of the 494 records, confirming this is fundamentally a drilling-hardware field. Supporting classes are thinner: G01V (geophysics) at 8.1%, G01N (material analysis) at 7.7%, and F16K (valves) and G05B (control systems) each at 4.3%. AI-based methods (G06N) and image processing (G06T) each appear in only 1.0% of records, marking the smallest and newest slices of the mix.
Shares are the percentage of the 494 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on Core Acquisition and Preservation with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about core acquisition and preservation and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaThe most-cited records in this space
Method and system for enabling at surface core orientation data transfer
This filing from Reflex Instruments Asia Pacific describes a contactless system for transferring core-orientation data at surface: an instrument guide couples to the inner core tube so its axis runs parallel to the core axis, then a step captures orientation data referenced to the core face before it is transferred to a record carrier associated with the sample.Abstract trimmed for length; see the full record for the complete claim scope.
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US4866983A | Analytical methods and apparatus for measuring the oil content of sponge core | 296 |
| 2 | US4566545A | Coring device with an improved core sleeve and anti-gripping collar with a collective core catcher | 172 |
| 3 | US6216804B1 | Apparatus for recovering core samples under pressure | 99 |
| 4 | US5482123A | Method and apparatus for pressure coring with non-invading gel | 98 |
| 5 | US4598777A | Method and apparatus for preventing contamination of a coring sponge | 97 |
| 6 | US5667025A | Articulated bit-selector coring tool | 95 |
| 7 | US4716974A | Method and apparatus for coring with an in situ core barrel sponge | 75 |
| 8 | US5439065A | Rotary sidewall sponge coring apparatus | 74 |
| 9 | US5360074A | Method and composition for preserving core sample integrity using an encapsulating material | 69 |
| 10 | US20020033281A1 | System for recovering core samples under pressure | 65 |
Ranked by citation count within the searched corpus; older records tend to accumulate more citations simply by being available longer, so treat this as a signal of influence rather than current commercial relevance.
Each row carries its publication number; clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
Put your own technology through the same analysis
Eureka on the web
When you want the answer in the next five minutes.
The agent works the prompt against patents and technical literature, citing every source.
Run your analysis now →MCP server & REST API
When it has to run inside your own pipeline.
Patent search, landscape analysis and assignee resolution as MCP tools. Drop them into any agent framework, or call REST directly.
Browse MCP servers →What the data means for a filing decision
Three patterns stand out once the ranking, the trend line and the class breakdown are read together.
The top of the field is dense
The top five assignees hold 55.1% of all 494 records and the top ten hold 73.7%. A new entrant filing squarely on coring bit or pressure-coring hardware is filing into occupied claim space, not open ground.
Volume has come down from its 2017 peak
Filings dropped from 16 records in 2021 to 2 in 2024, the last year the dataset can treat as complete. That does not necessarily mean the technology is exhausted — it may mean the core mechanical approaches are settled and activity has shifted toward adjacent, thinly-claimed methods.
Digital methods are a small, recent slice
AI-based control (G06N) and image-based analysis (G06T) each appear in only 1.0% of records, versus 94.3% for core drilling hardware (E21B). That gap suggests most of the intelligence layer around core handling — automated orientation checks, image-based recovery assessment — is still lightly claimed.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to core acquisition and preservation, with the prior art for and against each one.
The assignee landscape
The ranking covers 79 companies returned by the data endpoint — not a top-50 or top-100 cut, the full ranked set for this search.
One firm sits well ahead of the field
The leading assignee's 108 records outpace the fifth-placed firm's 24 and the tenth-placed firm's 16, showing a steep drop-off rather than a gradual one after the top position.
Some filings are joint efforts
The strongest co-assignee pairing in the dataset shares 33 records, well ahead of the next strongest pair at 8, pointing to a structural partnership between those two filers rather than incidental overlap.
Even active filers are pulling back
The top assignee by co-filing volume shows a sharp year-on-year drop into the latest year, while several other named filers show flat or zero latest-year activity — consistent with the broader post-2021 decline in filing volume.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| GLOBALTECH CORP PTY LTD | 1 | -86% |
| REFLEX INSTRUMENTS ASIA PACIFIC PTY LTD | 1 | 0% |
| IMDEX Global BV | 1 | — |
| Longyear TM Inc | 0 | — |
| Baker Hughes Holdings LLC | 0 | — |
| National Oilwell Varco LP | 0 | — |
| ConocoPhillips Co | 0 | — |
| Saudi Arabian Oil Co (Saudi Aramco) | 0 | — |
Where to take this analysis
The dataset points to a field with a settled hardware core and a thin, newer digital layer around it.
Map the white space claims
Use the under-claimed branches — image-based recovery assessment, AI-assisted orientation, automated crack detection — as starting points for freedom-to-operate work before drafting.
Explore white space in EurekaTrack the concentrated leaders
With 73.7% of records held by the top ten assignees, watching their continuation filings and co-assignee partnerships is more informative than scanning the long tail.
Set up assignee monitoring in EurekaCommon questions on core acquisition and preservation patents
The dataset's assignee ranking covers 79 companies, with the leading assignee holding 108 records against 24 for the fifth-placed firm and 16 for the tenth. That is a steep concentration curve: the top five assignees combined hold 55.1% of all 494 records in scope, and the top ten hold 73.7%. This pattern means most of the fundamental coring-bit and pressure-coring hardware claims are already held by a small group of drilling-services and oilfield-equipment companies, so new entrants typically need to file around or beyond that occupied space rather than into it.
Filing peaked in 2017 at 64 records and has declined since; comparing the last two years the dataset treats as complete, filings fell from 16 in 2021 to 2 in 2024, an 88% drop. Because publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, the 2025-2026 figures in the raw trend are still filling in and should not be read as confirming a continued decline. The honest read is that the core mechanical approaches to coring bits and pressure coring look mature and heavily claimed, which is consistent with fewer new filings on the base hardware.
By IPC subclass, AI-based computing methods (G06N) and image data processing (G06T) each appear in only 1.0% of the 494 records, compared with 94.3% for core drilling hardware (E21B). Control and regulating systems (G05B) and valve technology (F16K) sit higher at 4.3% each but are still thin relative to the hardware base. This suggests the biggest open opportunity is less in new mechanical coring tools and more in the digital layer around them: automated orientation verification, image-based recovery assessment, and sensor-driven contamination detection.
US20190040735A1, filed by Reflex Instruments Asia Pacific, describes a method for transferring core orientation data at surface using a contactless system coupled to an inner core tube. The core steps involve coupling an instrument guide to the tube so its axis runs parallel to the core axis, then capturing and transferring orientation data referenced to the core face to a record carrier associated with the sample. Anyone building a surface-side, contactless orientation-transfer workflow for core tubes should review this filing's specific claim language before designing a similar data-transfer step.
The most-cited record in this dataset is US4866983A, covering analytical methods for measuring oil content in sponge core, cited 296 times, followed by US4566545A on anti-gripping coring devices at 172 citations. Both are decades-old filings, and high citation counts in a searched corpus tend to favour older records simply because they have had longer to accumulate citations, not because they remain the most commercially relevant art today. Newer filers should treat these as foundational reference points for sponge coring and anti-jamming mechanisms rather than as a guide to current competitive activity.
Research Core Acquisition and Preservation in depth with Eureka
Go past this page: query the whole core acquisition and preservation corpus yourself, in your own scope.
Every answer comes back with patent numbers you can open.
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.