Fiber Spinning Patents: Top Companies & Filing Trends 2026
- 25.3% concentration at the top. The five leading assignees account for 4,836 of the 19,137 records in scope — a field where a handful of chemicals and nonwovens majors hold a real position, not a fragmented one.
- Filing has pulled back sharply from its 2018 peak. Complete-year filings ran from 539 in 2021 to 214 in 2024, a 60% drop over that span, though the most recent years are still filling in as publications lag behind filing.
- D01F and C08L dominate the claim space. Chemical filament/fibre features (34.8% of records) and polymer compositions (19.5%) are the two densest classes — nonwovens (D04H, 18.5%) is the next-largest cluster.
Filing growth compares 2021 (539 records) with 2024 (214) — 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 19,137 records in scope (CR5), not by the ranked leaders only.
What this landscape covers
This landscape draws on 19,137 published records filed between 2015 and 2026 that combine fiber spinning process language with downstream characterisation terms such as fiber diameter, tensile strength, web structure and surface treatment. The scope spans synthetic filament spinning, nonwoven web formation, and the polymer chemistry that determines how a spun fiber behaves once it is converted into yarn, nonwoven fabric or a technical textile. Patent families, rather than raw publication counts, are the fairer unit for comparing filing activity across jurisdictions because they neutralise continuation practice and multi-country filing of the same invention.
Coverage runs through the 2026-08-31 cut-off. Because publication typically lags filing by around 18 months, the most recent one to two years in any trend chart will always understate true filing activity — a pattern to keep in mind rather than a sign the field has gone quiet.
Filing trend and technology composition
Two views matter here: how filing volume has moved year over year, and which IPC subclasses carry the claim density that defines where the field is crowded versus open.
Filing trend
Filings rose to a peak of 642 in 2018, then eased. Complete-year data puts 2021 at 539 and 2024 at 214 — a 60% decline across that three-year window. Treat 2025 and 2026 figures as provisional; they will revise upward as more publications clear the pipeline.
Technology composition (IPC subclass)
D01F (chemical filament and fibre features) touches 34.8% of the 19,137 records in scope, the single densest class in the dataset. C08L (polymer compositions, 19.5%) and D04H (nonwovens and felts, 18.5%) follow, with D01D (man-made filament spinning, 13.5%) rounding out the core cluster. Because records can carry multiple IPC codes, these shares sum to more than 100% and should be read individually against the full record count, not against each other as a pie.
Shares are the percentage of the 19,137 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on Fiber Spinning & Yarn Patent Landscape with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about fiber spinning & yarn patent landscape and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaMost-cited records and a representative filing
Electrode for polymer electrolyte fuel cell, membrane/electrode assembly and process for producing catalyst layer (Asahi Glass)
The filing describes a nonwoven catalyst-layer structure built from ion-exchangeable fluoropolymer fiber with a fiber diameter specified between 0.1 and 30 micrometres and nonwoven bulk density between 0.1 and 1.1 g/cc, produced by spinning a fiber-spinning stock solution using an electrical-field spinning process.Illustrates how fiber-diameter and bulk-density claims from this field cross over into fuel-cell electrode manufacturing — a good example of claim scope reaching well beyond textiles.
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US6838493B2 | Medical devices and applications of polyhydroxyalkanoate polymers | 1,833 |
| 2 | US6867248B1 | Polyhydroxyalkanoate compositions having controlled degradation rates | 1,629 |
| 3 | US5444113A | End use applications of biodegradable polymers | 1,616 |
| 4 | US20040110439A1 | Native protein mimetic fibers, fiber networks and fabrics for medical use | 1,498 |
| 5 | US20120004636A1 | Hemostatic fibrous material | 1,424 |
| 6 | US8273404B2 | Extraction of solvents from drug containing polymer reservoirs | 1,352 |
| 7 | US8790684B2 | Vascular closure device | 1,309 |
| 8 | US20080170982A1 | Fabrication and Application of Nanofiber Ribbons and Sheets and Twisted and Non-Twisted Nanofiber Yarns | 1,266 |
| 9 | WO2005090427A2 | Catalyst composition comprising shuttling agent for ethylene multi-block copolymer formation | 1,178 |
| 10 | US7964206B2 | Porous medical device and method for its manufacture | 1,138 |
Citation counts inside a searched corpus tend to favour older filings simply because they have had more time to accumulate citations — read this as a signal of influence on the field, not as a ranking of current technical importance.
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Three patterns stand out once concentration, technology mix and citation weight are read together.
The top of the field is genuinely concentrated
Five assignees hold 4,836 of the 19,137 records in scope, and the top ten extend that to 35.9%. That is enough concentration that a new entrant should expect to design around, not simply outfile, the leaders in D01F and C08L.
Volume has pulled back from its 2018 peak
Complete-year filings dropped from 539 in 2021 to 214 in 2024. That is a real pullback, not a publication-lag artefact, since both years are fully reported; whether it continues past 2024 cannot yet be read from the still-filling 2025–2026 data.
Fiber and filament feature claims dominate the mix
D01F (chemical filament and fibre features) appears in over a third of records, well ahead of polymer composition claims under C08L (19.5%) and nonwoven structure claims under D04H (18.5%). Layered-product claims under B32B sit further down at 8.6%, suggesting composite and laminate integration is comparatively under-claimed relative to the core fiber classes.
Medical and biodegradable-polymer fiber applications carry outsized influence
The most-cited records in this dataset cluster around biodegradable polymer compositions and medical-use nonwoven fibers, not conventional textile yarn. That signals where downstream application claims have drawn the most subsequent filing activity, even though citation counts favour older filings by construction.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to fiber spinning & yarn patent landscape, with the prior art for and against each one.
Who is filing, and where the gaps sit
The ranked leaders are drawn from chemicals, nonwovens and specialty polymer majors rather than pure textile mills, which tells you the commercial value in this field sits in the polymer chemistry and web structure, not the loom.
A diversified chemicals leader tops the ranking
The leading assignee's filing volume alone exceeds 8% of all records in scope, built across polymer composition, nonwoven and fiber-diameter claims rather than a single narrow application.
A tight cluster forms behind the leader
Fifth place sits at 700 records and tenth at 282 — a meaningful drop-off that shows filing weight thins out quickly past the first few names, even though the top ten still command 35.9% of all records.
Recent-year activity has cooled even among active filers
Latest-year momentum among tracked assignees is flat to negative across the board — several show zero or single-digit filings in the latest year, with year-over-year changes ranging from 0% to a 71% decline, consistent with the broader post-2021 pullback.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| BASF SE | 2 | -71% |
| Dow Global Technologies LLC | 1 | 0% |
| Toray Industries, Inc. | 1 | 0% |
| Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LP | 1 | — |
| Procter & Gamble Co. | 0 | -100% |
| DSM IP Assets B.V. | 0 | — |
| E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. | 0 | — |
| Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc. | 0 | -100% |
Where to take this next
The dataset points to two practical next steps depending on whether the goal is freedom-to-operate or identifying open claim space.
Map freedom-to-operate against the top 10
With 35.9% of records held by ten assignees, a freedom-to-operate review should start with their D01F and C08L claim families before broadening to the long tail.
Explore assignee claims in EurekaTest claim language in the under-claimed branches
Composite integration and process-parameter claims show lower filing density than core fiber-feature classes, which is worth validating against a live claim chart before committing R&D direction.
Run a white space search in EurekaCommon questions about fiber spinning patents
The dataset's leading assignee holds 1,563 of the 19,137 records in scope, ahead of a cluster of chemicals and nonwovens majors that fill out the top ten. The top five combined hold 25.3% of all records, and the top ten hold 35.9%, so filing weight is concentrated but not monopolised by a single company. Most of the leaders are diversified polymer or fiber chemical companies rather than dedicated textile mills, reflecting where the commercial value in this field actually sits.
Filing peaked in 2018 at 642 records and has declined since; complete-year data shows a drop from 539 filings in 2021 to 214 in 2024, a 60% decrease over that span. Figures for 2025 and 2026 are still incomplete because publication typically lags filing by about 18 months, so the true recent trend cannot yet be read from the most current years. Based on the complete-year data available, the field has cooled meaningfully from its 2018 peak.
The densest classes are D01F, covering chemical filament and fibre features, at 34.8% of the 19,137 records, followed by C08L (polymer compositions, 19.5%) and D04H (nonwovens and felts, 18.5%). D01D, man-made filament spinning specifically, covers 13.5% of records. Because a single record can carry multiple IPC codes, these percentages overlap and should be read as individual claim-density measures rather than as slices of a single pie.
Layered-product and laminate claims under B32B cover only 8.6% of records compared with 34.8% for core fiber-feature claims under D01F, suggesting composite and laminate integration is comparatively under-claimed. Electrical-field spinning process parameters and additive-loaded spinning stock formulations also show lower filing density relative to the core classes. A first claim in these branches would typically pair a specific process condition, such as a bulk-density or fiber-diameter range, with a defined end-use structure rather than claiming the base spinning method alone.
The five most-cited records in this dataset relate to biodegradable polymer compositions and medical-use nonwoven fibers, including hemostatic materials and protein-mimetic fiber networks, rather than conventional apparel or industrial yarn. Citation counts inside any searched corpus tend to favour older filings because they have simply had more time to accumulate citations, so this reflects historical influence rather than where current filing activity is concentrated. Readers should treat high citation counts as a sign a filing shaped downstream research, not as evidence the technology remains the most active area today.
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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.