Electronic Interconnects & Connectors Patents: Who Leads, Gaps 2026
Electronic Interconnects & Connectors Patents: Filing Trends and Who Holds the Claims
31.8% concentration at the top. The five leading assignees hold 212 of 666 records in scope, a level of concentration that narrows where a new entrant can file without colliding with existing claims. Filings rose to a peak of 45 records in 2020, then eased; comparing the last complete years, 2021 (30 records) to 2024 (19 records) is a 37% decline. 2025 and 2026 figures are still incomplete due to publication lag and should not be read as confirming a continued drop.
- 1THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE UNIV OF ILLINOIS75
- 2KX TECHNOLOGIES LLC43
- 3NORTHWESTERN UNIV37
- 4LIFELENS TECH INC31
- 5TRUSTEES OF TUFTS COLLEGE26
See the full electronic interconnects & connectors patent landscape 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 this landscape
Who are the leading patent holders in electronic interconnects and connectors?
The ranked assignee list covers 100 companies, and it is concentrated at the top: the leading assignee holds 75 of 666 records in scope, with a steep drop to 26 records at fifth place and 17 at tenth. Together the top five hold 31.8% of all records and the top ten hold 46.7%, which leaves a substantial long tail of single- or few-filing entrants. This pattern means a new filer is unlikely to face a single dominant blocker, but should expect dense coverage from a handful of established players in the core semiconductor and printed-circuit classes.
Is patent filing in this field growing or slowing down?
Filing activity peaked at 45 records in 2020 and has since pulled back; comparing the last two complete years available, 2021 (30 records) to 2024 (19 records), volume fell 37%. Because publication typically lags filing by around 18 months, the 2025 and 2026 figures in this dataset are still incomplete and should not be read as continuing that decline. The honest read is that activity cooled after 2020 through 2024, with the most recent one to two years simply not yet fully reported.
Which technology classes carry the most patent activity?
Semiconductor devices (H01L) lead at 30.9% of the 666 records in scope, followed by printed circuits and assemblies (H05K) at 25.7%. Optical elements (G02B, 14.3%), the H10W class (13.2%) and diagnosis and surgery (A61B, 12.2%) each hold double-digit shares, showing the field’s claims spill into optical, wireless, and medical-device hardware rather than staying confined to packaging. Because a single record can carry multiple IPC codes, these shares sum to more than 100% of records and should not be read as parts of a single pie.
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 Electronic Interconnects & Connectors Patent Landscape covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-08-31. 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.