FO Membrane Quality Control Patent Snapshot 2026
The FO membrane quality control patent field is small but in active Growth, with a sharp filing uptick concentrated among a tight cluster of six applicants. Asahi Kasei is the single dominant filer, and Europe (EPO) is the primary filing jurisdiction, signalling an early-stage but intensifying competitive environment.
Asahi Kasei leads a highly concentrated, nascent field
With 8 patent families in scope and the top applicant, Asahi Kasei, holding 3 patent families, the FO membrane quality control evidence snapshot is in an early, concentrated phase. The top five filers together account for 89% of the ranked applicants visible in this query’ combined total, underscoring how few organisations have staked IP positions here.
A clear two-tier structure exists: Asahi Kasei sits alone at the top with 3 patent families, Mothers Milk Is Best Inc holds 2, and the remaining four applicants each hold 1. The gap between the leader and the rest is substantial given the corpus size.
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Asahi Kasei Corporation | 3 | |
| 2 | Mothers Milk Is Best Inc. | 2 | |
| 3 | Nanjing Tech University | 1 | |
| 4 | Dayananda Sagar College of Engineering | 1 | |
| 5 | GAOQ Functional Materials | 1 | |
| 6 | THE STATE OF OREGON ACTING BY & THROUGH THE OREGON… | 1 |
Asahi Kasei’s lead position, focused on membrane separation sub-classes B01D 61, 69, and 71, implies that a follower entering this space would immediately face a well-resourced incumbent covering core filtration process claims. New entrants would need to differentiate at the materials or system-integration level.
Filing activity in 2024–2026 is likely under-counted due to standard patent publication lag; the field’s true recent momentum is probably higher than the raw numbers suggest. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
A late-decade filing surge across membrane separation and water treatment branches
The annual filing trend and IPC technology composition together reveal a field that was dormant from 2017 through 2023 before seeing a pronounced surge in 2024. The technology mix is dominated by separation-process classes, with smaller clusters in water treatment, dairy, and medical fluid handling.
Annual filing trend
No families were filed from 2017 through 2022, with a single record appearing in 2020. Activity then surged to 4 families in 2024 and 3 in 2025, representing a 300% recent growth rate. The 2025–2026 counts should be treated as provisional given publication lag; actual recent output is likely higher.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
B01D (separation processes including filtration) is by far the visible branch, reflecting the membrane-engineering core of the field. C02F (water and wastewater treatment) is the second branch, consistent with FO membrane deployment in water purification. A23C (dairy products) and A61M (devices for body fluids) appear as smaller adjacent clusters, driven by specialised applicants in breast-milk processing.
↗ 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.
Sustainable nutrient water recovery by hybrid elec…
An integrated electrodialysis/forward osmosis process and system. (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Biomimetic membranes and uses thereof | 9 |
| 2 | Biometric membranes with vesicles comprisin aquapo… | 2 |
| 3 | Method and Apparatus for Processing Breast Milk | 1 |
| 4 | 膜通量仪 | 1 |
| 5 | Biomimetric membranes and uses thereof | 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.
Asahi Kasei Corporation
Asahi Kasei holds 3 patent families, the largest position in the corpus, concentrated across membrane separation sub-classes B01D 61, B01D 69, and B01D 71 — covering process, membrane geometry, and membrane material angles simultaneously. Momentum data classify Asahi Kasei as a new entrant in the recent filing window, meaning all 3 families were filed recently, signalling a deliberate, accelerating IP build rather than a legacy portfolio.
families: 3Mothers Milk Is Best Inc.
Mothers Milk Is Best Inc. holds 2 patent families, focused on A23C 9 (dairy products) and B01D 61 and 63, reflecting an application-specific strategy: using FO membranes to process and quality-control breast milk. This niche is technically distinct from industrial water treatment and carries minimal overlap with Asahi Kasei’s claims, making it an isolated application cluster rather than a direct competitive threat to the leader.
families: 2Frequently asked questions
The corpus contains 8 patent families in scope. It is a small, nascent field with a pronounced filing uptick concentrated in 2024 and 2025, suggesting it is in early Growth rather than maturity.
Asahi Kasei Corporation is the leading applicant with 3 patent families, focused across membrane separation sub-classes B01D 61, B01D 69, and B01D 71. All of Asahi Kasei’s filings are recent, classifying it as a new entrant in momentum terms.
Europe (EPO) is the visible jurisdiction. The United States is second, followed by China, Denmark, India, and WIPO (PCT). This distribution suggests applicants prioritise European market protection for FO membrane quality control IP.
The field is classified as Growth. Annual filings are still rising from a near-zero base, with a 300% recent growth rate. The most recent filing years are likely under-counted due to patent publication lag, so the true current pace is probably higher than raw counts indicate.
One co-applicant collaboration is recorded: Nanjing High-Qian Functional Materials Technology (GAOQ Functional Materials) and Nanjing Tech University jointly filed 1 family focused on B01D 65 membrane performance monitoring. No other co-filing relationships appear in the corpus.
The most-cited patent in the corpus is titled ‘Biomimetic membranes and uses thereof’ with 9 citations, followed by ‘Biometric membranes with vesicles comprising aquaporins’ with 2 citations. ‘Method and Apparatus for Processing Breast Milk’ and a membrane flux instrument record each carry 1 citation. Patent numbers were not provided in the evidence for these titles.
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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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