Cryogenic Insulation Patents: Leaders, Trends & White Space 2026
Cryogenic and Multilayer Insulation Patents: Who Holds the Ground and Where It's Open
27.8% of all 180 records sit with just five assignees, but the ranked list runs 100 companies deep — concentration at the top, a long tail beneath it. Filings rose from 2 in 2017 to a peak of 12 in 2018, then eased. The 2021-to-2024 span shows a -100% change on the figures in scope; because publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, 2025 and 2026 are undercounted and should not be read as an active slowdown.
- 1CABOT CORP11
- 2UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AS REPRESENTED BY THE ADMINISTRATOR NAT AERONAUTICS & SPACE ADMINISTRATION11
- 3THERMOPAC10
- 4SLADE ROBERT ANDREW9
- 5FEE MICHAEL GRAEME9
See the full cryogenic and multilayer insulation 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 on cryogenic and multilayer insulation patents
Who are the leading patent holders in cryogenic and multilayer insulation?
The assignee ranking covers 100 companies, with the top-ranked holder at 11 records and the fifth-place holder at 9. The top five assignees combined hold 27.8% of the 180 records in scope, and the top ten hold 50.6% — real concentration at the top, but with a long tail of single- and few-filing entrants behind it. No single company dominates outright, so competitive tracking needs to cover more than just the leader.
Is patent filing in cryogenic insulation growing or slowing down?
Filings peaked in 2018 at 12 in this dataset, and the 2021-to-2024 span shows a -100% change on the recorded figures. However, publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, so the 2025 and 2026 counts are still incomplete and should not be read as a genuine drop in activity. The most reliable read on current momentum is 2024, the most recent year that can be treated as complete.
What does US6521077B1 actually cover?
US6521077B1 describes a method and a packaged multilayer insulation blanket for insulating cryogenic tanks, pipes or similar extreme-temperature elements. The blanket alternates heat-reflective foil with microfiberglass spacer material and is sealed between plastic sheeting layers that define an evacuated space around the insulation. It is a foundational packaging-and-installation method rather than a materials-composition patent, so it constrains how insulation is packaged and installed more than what the insulation itself is made from.
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 Cryogenic and Multilayer Insulation covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. 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.