FO Fouling-Prediction ML Patent Snapshot 2026
The forward osmosis fouling-prediction ML patent field is small but growing on a multi-year basis, with King Abdullah University of Science and Technology and Asahi Kasei each holding the largest share among a tight group of nine filers. Filing activity is highly concentrated, with the top five filers accounting for three-quarters of the hundred largest filers’ combined total, signaling both early-mover advantage and significant room for new entrants.
A highly concentrated early-stage field dominated by two co-leading filers
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology and Asahi Kasei Kogyo each lead the applicant ranking with 3 patent records apiece, placing them in a shared first position ahead of Saudi Arabian Oil Co, Yangali Quintanilla Victor, and Linares Rodrigo Valladares, who each hold 2 patent records.
The top five filers hold 75% of the ranked applicants visible in this query’ combined total, indicating sharp concentration in what remains a nascent corpus. The gap between the top tier and the remaining applicants — each holding a single patent record — is pronounced.
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | KING ABDULLAH UNIV OF SCI & TECH | 3 | |
| 2 | Asahi Kasei Corporation | 3 | |
| 3 | Saudi Arabian Oil Company | 2 | |
| 4 | Yangali Quintanilla Victor | 2 | |
| 5 | Linares Rodrigo Valladares | 2 | |
| 6 | James Patrick Ismail | 1 | |
| 7 | Water Conservation Technology International Inc | 1 | |
| 8 | KOREA UNIV RES & BUSINESS FOUND | 1 | |
| 9 | Gambro Lundia AB | 1 |
The dominance of an academic institution (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology) alongside an industrial membrane manufacturer (Asahi Kasei) and a national oil company (Saudi Arabian Oil Co) suggests the field is being shaped by research-driven groups rather than established IP-intensive corporates, which may lower barriers for technically capable new entrants.
The most recent one to two years of filing data are likely under-counted due to standard patent publication lag and should not be interpreted as a plateau or decline. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Multi-year growth with a 2023 activity peak and a separation-process core
Two charts together show when activity accelerated and which technology branches define the field. The trend line reveals the field’s growth trajectory, while the composition chart maps the spread across IPC classes.
Annual filing trend
Filings were sparse from 2017 through 2020, with at most one per year. Activity stepped up from 2021 onward, reaching a peak of 3 records in 2023 before easing to 1 in 2024. The 2024 and 2025 figures are subject to publication lag and almost certainly understate actual filing activity; the multi-year growth rate of 67% confirms the field is still expanding on that basis.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
B01D (Separation processes, including filtration and membrane technology) is the visible branch, reflecting forward osmosis membrane science as the core substrate for ML fouling-prediction work. C02F (Water and wastewater treatment) forms a strong secondary cluster. C10G (Hydrocarbon oils and refining), A61M (Devices for body fluids), G05B (Control and regulating systems), and H04L (Digital information transmission) each appear at low counts, indicating that ML-driven fouling prediction has barely been extended beyond water-treatment membranes.
↗ 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.
Apparatus for predicting membrane fouling in forwa…
An apparatus for predicting membrane fouling in forward osmosis, according to one embodiment of the present invention, comprises: a membrane fouling simulation unit having a forward osmosis separation membrane and simulating fouling of the forward osmosis separation membrane during a forward osmosis process; an influent water supplying unit for providing… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apparatus, System, and Method for Forward Osmosis … | 58 |
| 2 | Method for electrochemical separation and regenera… | 12 |
| 3 | Conserving fresh wash water in crude oil desalting… | 5 |
| 4 | Apparatus, system, and method for forward osmosis … | 3 |
| 5 | Apparatus for predicting membrane fouling in forwa… | 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
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology holds 3 patent records focused on B01D 61 separation processes, C02F 1 water treatment, and C02F 103 water treatment subclasses — a profile squarely aligned with desalination and water-reuse applications of forward osmosis. The university serves as the hub of all documented co-filing activity in the corpus. Momentum data for this entity is not separately listed in the recent-entrant tracking, consistent with it being an established filer across the full window.
patent records: 3Asahi Kasei
Asahi Kasei holds 3 patent records and entered the corpus as a new entrant in the recent period (trend: new entrant). Its technology focus is concentrated entirely within B01D subclasses 61, 69, and 71 — membrane module design and materials — without direct C02F water-treatment claims, suggesting an approach oriented toward membrane engineering rather than process-level fouling prediction. As an established membrane manufacturer pivoting into ML-assisted fouling prediction, Asahi Kasei represents the most commercially scaled challenger in the field.
patent records: 3Frequently asked questions
The in-scope corpus contains 9 patent families. This is a small but growing field; the most recent filing years are understated due to publication lag, so the true current count is likely modestly higher.
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology and Asahi Kasei each lead with 3 patent records. Saudi Arabian Oil Co, Yangali Quintanilla Victor, and Linares Rodrigo Valladares each hold 2 records. The remaining filers — Water Conservation Technology International Inc, Korea University Research and Business Foundation, Gambro Lundia AB, and James Patrick Ismail — each hold 1 record.
The field is assessed as Growth stage. Recent three-year filings sit well above the prior three-year window, giving a 67% growth rate on a multi-year basis. Annual volume eased from a 2023 peak of 3 records, but the most recent years are further understated by publication lag.
The United States leads with 7 patent records, followed by WIPO PCT with 3 and Europe (EPO) with 2. India has 1 record. Asia-Pacific national jurisdictions such as Japan, China, and South Korea have no documented coverage in the current corpus.
B01D (Separation processes including filtration) is the visible branch, with C02F (Water and wastewater treatment) as a strong secondary cluster. The peripheral branches — C10G (Hydrocarbon oils and refining), A61M (Devices for body fluids), G05B (Control and regulating systems), and H04L (Digital information transmission) — each appear at 1–2 patent records, indicating sparse coverage adjacent to the membrane-water-treatment core.
Yes. King Abdullah University of Science and Technology is the hub of all recorded co-filing activity, appearing as a co-applicant with Yangali Quintanilla Victor, Li Zhenyu, Amy Gary, and Linares Rodrigo Valladares, each pair sharing 2 joint records. No co-filing relationships among other applicants are documented in the evidence.
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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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