FO Fouling & Flux-Decline Monitoring Patent Snapshot
The patent corpus for forward osmosis fouling and flux-decline monitoring is extremely small, with activity concentrated almost entirely in two academic institutions following a single filing peak in 2019. The field is in a post-peak, low-activity phase, making it an open area for organisations seeking to establish early IP positions in real-time membrane monitoring.
Two academic applicants account for all ranked activity in a nascent, highly concentrated field
The corpus contains 2 patent families in scope. Among ranked applicants, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) leads with 6 patent records, followed by the Research and Business Foundation of Sungkyunkwan University with 2 patent records.
The top five filers account for 100% of the combined total among the ranked applicants visible in this query — a level of concentration that is extreme even by emerging-technology standards, and reflects the field’s very early, academically driven origins rather than broad industrial uptake.
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | KING ABDULLAH UNIV OF SCI & TECH | 6 | |
| 2 | RES & BUSINESS FOUND SUNGKYUNKWAN UNIV | 2 |
KAUST’s visible position, spanning both membrane separation (B01D) and analytical testing (G01N) branches, indicates it has pursued the broadest technical scope in this space. The absence of major industrial or membrane-manufacturer applicants signals that commercial adoption of in-line monitoring technology has not yet translated into patent filings.
Because the most recent 18–24 months are subject to publication lag, the absence of post-2019 filings should be interpreted cautiously; some recent activity may not yet be visible in the corpus. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
A single 2019 activity peak and a split between separation-process and analytical-testing branches define this field
The filing trend and technology composition together reveal a narrow, academically initiated field that has not yet attracted sustained or diversified investment. Both charts point to an early-mover opportunity for any applicant willing to move into under-occupied technical sub-areas.
Annual filing trend
All recorded filings occur in 2019, with zero activity in every surrounding year. The lifecycle is classified as post-peak decline from that single-year burst. Publication lag means filings from 2024–2026 may not yet appear, so the current zero count for those years should not be read as confirmed absence.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
B01D (Separation processes, including filtration) accounts for 8 patent records and G01N (Material analysis and testing) for 6, indicating that applicants have split effort between core membrane-process protection and the analytical/sensing instrumentation layer. No other IPC classes appear in the corpus.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaHighly cited patent families surfaced by the query
Citation-heavy patent families returned by the query. Use this section as citation context, not as a curated list of the most topic-specific patents.
Device and method for real-time membrane fouling m…
The present invention relates to the technical field of water treatment and, more specifically, provides monitoring device and method for detecting real-time the degree of membrane fouling of a forward osmosis membrane vessel in a forward osmosis membrane treatment device. To this end, the present invention comprises an FO treatment simulation unit which… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | In-line quantification and characterization of mem… | 15 |
| 2 | In-line quantification and characterization of mem… | 5 |
| 3 | In-line quantification and characterization of mem… | 5 |
| 4 | Device and method for real-time membrane fouling m… | 2 |
| 5 | A assembly and method of real-time fouling monitor… | 2 |
| 6 | In-line quantification and characterization of mem… | 1 |
Ranked by total forward citations. Citation counts favour older and broadly cited patent families, and broad or adjacent patents may appear when they match the search scope. Treat this section as citation context, not as a curated list of the most topic-specific patents. Some patent titles may be shown in their original, non-English language where an accurate translation could not be guaranteed.
Assignee snapshot from the current evidence set
The applicants below are visible in this query result. Because the evidence set is relatively small, read this section as a directional snapshot rather than a full competitive ranking.
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
KAUST holds 6 patent records and is the sole applicant active across both B01D 61 (membrane separation processes), B01D 65 (membrane maintenance/fouling control), and G01N 17 (material analysis and testing) — the broadest technical scope in the corpus. This three-branch coverage suggests a deliberate strategy to protect both the monitoring instrumentation and the underlying membrane-process methods. Applicant momentum data for recent periods is not available in the evidence.
patent records: 6Research and Business Foundation of Sungkyunkwan University
Sungkyunkwan University’s foundation holds 2 patent records, focused on B01D 61 and B01D 65 — the membrane separation and fouling-control sub-classes — without extending into the G01N analytical-testing branch. This narrower footprint positions it as a separation-process specialist rather than a full-stack monitoring player. Recent-period momentum data is not available in the evidence.
patent records: 2Frequently asked questions
The evidence identifies 2 patent families in scope for this specific technology area, reflecting its very early and academically driven stage of development.
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) is the leading applicant, holding 6 patent records. The Research and Business Foundation of Sungkyunkwan University holds 2 patent records, making these the only two ranked applicants in the corpus.
The United States leads with 4 patent records, followed by WIPO PCT with 2, Europe (EPO) with 1, and South Korea with 1. Coverage outside these four jurisdictions is absent from the current corpus.
B01D (Separation processes, including filtration) accounts for 8 patent records and G01N (Material analysis and testing) for 6. These are the only two IPC classes represented, reflecting the field’s focus on membrane processes and inline analytical instrumentation.
All recorded filing activity occurred in 2019. The lifecycle is classified as Decline, with annual filings easing from that single-year peak. Publication lag means filings from the most recent 18–24 months may not yet be fully visible, so the zero counts in 2024–2026 are not confirmed absence of activity.
No co-filing or collaboration pairings are recorded in the evidence for this corpus. Both active filers are academic institutions, and no industrial partners appear in the ranked applicant list, suggesting the technology has not yet attracted formal joint-development arrangements with commercial membrane manufacturers.
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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.
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