Friction Modifier Tribofilm Patents: Leaders & Filing Trends 2026
- Filing activity has cooled sharply since its 2017 peak of 38 records, with the midpoint year 2022 showing no filings recorded in this dataset — a flat-to-declining signal rather than a growing field.
- One assignee accounts for 82 of the records in the 14-company ranking, while the fifth-ranked company holds only 4 and the tenth just 1 — a steep drop-off after the leader.
- The most-cited record in the set, US6333298B1, has 65 citations, and the next four most-cited records are all molybdenum-free or 2-hydroxyalkylamide friction-modifier chemistries — the prior art anyone filing here has to clear first.
Filing growth compares 2021 (5 records) with 2024 (0) — 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.
What this landscape covers
Friction modifier tribofilm formation sits at the intersection of lubricant chemistry and surface tribology: additives such as organic friction modifiers and molybdenum dithiocarbamates react with steel surfaces under boundary lubrication to build a low-friction film. The 130 records in scope span 2015 through the 2026 data cut-off and were pulled using claim and description language tied to tribofilm composition, thickness, antiwear interaction and fuel economy retention. Publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, so the most recent year in any trend understates real filing activity.
The technology composition skews heavily toward lubricant formulation classes rather than surface-engineering or materials classes, which tells you where the drafting activity has actually concentrated versus where it has not.
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Filing trend and technology composition
Two views of the same 130-record set: how filing volume has moved year over year, and which IPC subclasses the records actually sit in.
Filing trend, 2017-2026
Filings peaked at 38 in 2017 and the dataset shows 0 records by 2026; the 2022 midpoint also reads 0, consistent with a field that is flat or declining rather than one still building momentum. Treat the final year or two as undercounted given publication lag.
IPC subclass distribution
C10M (Lubricants) covers 66.2% of the 130 records and C10N (lubricant property indexing) a further 25.4%, confirming this is overwhelmingly a formulation-chemistry field. F16D (clutches & brakes) at 17.7% and C09K (misc. materials) at 11.5% mark the main application-side classes; C04B, B62J, B62K and C08G each sit under 4%, showing surface-engineering and polymer-composite framings are lightly claimed by comparison. Shares sum above 100% because records carry multiple classes.
Shares are the percentage of the 130 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on Friction Modifier Tribofilm Formation with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about friction modifier tribofilm formation and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaMost-cited filings and a representative claim
WO2001059037A2 — Lubricating oils having improved fuel economy retention properties
This invention relates to a lubricating oil composition with improved fuel economy and fuel economy retention properties and comprising a major amount of an oil of lubricating viscosity and a minor amount of an oil soluble (a) organic friction modifier other than ashless alkyldithiodicarbamates and (b) trinuclear organomolybdenum compound of the generic formula Mo3Sx-(Q), wherein x is from 4 to 10 and Q is a core which may be a ligand, the trinuclear molybdenum compound being present in such an amount as to provide 10-1000 ppm of molybdenum in the composition.Filed by ExxonMobil Research & Engineering Company, 2001-08-16.
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US6333298B1 | Molybdenum-free low volatility lubricating oil composition | 65 |
| 2 | US20020137636A1 | Lubricating oil composition | 40 |
| 3 | WO2001005917A1 | Molybdenum-free low volatility lubricating oil composition | 34 |
| 4 | US9562207B2 | Lubricants comprising 2-hydroxyalkylamide friction modifying compositions | 28 |
| 5 | US20160251591A1 | Method for reducing engine wear with lubricants comprising 2-hydroxyalkylamide friction modifying / Anti-wear… | 24 |
| 6 | EP1657292A1 | Lubricating oil additive concentrates | 15 |
| 7 | US20150376537A1 | Lubricants Comprising 2-Hydroxyalkylamide Friction Modifying Compositions | 13 |
| 8 | US20060105925A1 | Lubricating oil additive concentrates | 13 |
| 9 | US20110030648A1 | Marine Diesel Cylinder Lubricants for Fuel Efficiency | 12 |
| 10 | US20180313420A1 | Friction material | 9 |
Citation counts inside a searched corpus favour older filings; read this as a signal of influence on later drafting, not of which chemistry is currently strongest.
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Browse MCP servers →What the numbers mean for a filing decision
Three patterns stand out once volume, citation weight and class distribution are read together.
One assignee dominates a shallow ranking
The leader holds 82 of the records across a 14-company ranking, while fifth place holds only 4 and tenth place just 1. That is a steep drop after the top position rather than a broad competitive field, and it means most of the ranked companies are single- or low-digit filers.
Activity has not sustained its 2017 peak
Filings peaked at 38 in 2017 and the trend shows 0 by the midpoint year 2022 and again at the 2026 cut-off. Recent-year momentum by assignee also shows 0 in the latest year for every one of the leading filers, though the most recent year or two is understated by publication lag.
Molybdenum-free chemistry anchors the citation graph
The most-cited record and two of the next four most-cited records describe molybdenum-free low-volatility lubricating oil compositions or 2-hydroxyalkylamide friction-modifying additives. Anyone drafting new claims in this space will be measured against this handful of foundational filings first.
Formulation chemistry, not surface engineering, dominates
C10M and C10N together touch over 90% of records between them (as separate, overlapping shares), while surface-engineering-adjacent classes like C04B sit at 3.1%. The claim space is heavily occupied on the additive-formulation side and comparatively open on the ceramics/coatings side.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to friction modifier tribofilm formation, with the prior art for and against each one.
Who is filing, and where the gaps sit
The ranked field is short and top-heavy, with a handful of individual inventors alongside the corporate filers.
Infineum holds the largest single share
Infineum's filing count dwarfs every other entrant in the ranking, and its co-assignee pairs with named inventors such as Waddoups Malcolm, Miyoshi Taisuke and Hartley Rolfe John each recur twice — a sign of a stable internal filing team rather than shifting authorship.
Most ranked companies are shallow filers
Below the leader, filing counts fall off quickly: fifth place holds 4 records and tenth place holds just 1. This pattern is typical of a mature, formulation-heavy field where a small set of incumbents set the prior art and later entrants file narrowly around specific additive packages.
Europe and the US lead filing venues
The EPO (31) and the United States (28) are the two largest receiving offices, with Canada (17), India (13), Singapore (10) and Austria (8) trailing behind. That spread suggests filers are protecting core formulation claims in the largest lubricant-consuming markets first.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Infineum International Ltd | 0 | — |
| Nisshinbo Brake Inc. | 0 | — |
| The Lubrizol Corporation | 0 | — |
| Chemtura Corporation | 0 | — |
| ExxonMobil Technology & Engineering Company | 0 | — |
| WADDOUPS MALCOLM | 0 | — |
| TORKELSON JEFFREY ROBERT | 0 | — |
| MIYOSHI TAISUKE | 0 | — |
Where to take this next
The dataset points to a formulation-heavy, top-heavy field with a narrow set of foundational citations. Two follow-up moves are worth taking before committing a filing strategy.
Map the leader's full claim set
With 82 of 130 records, Infineum's filings define the boundaries of the occupied claim space. Reviewing claim language across its portfolio, rather than just the most-cited records, shows exactly where a new formulation would overlap.
Explore assignee portfolios in EurekaCheck the ceramics and polymer branches
C04B, B62J, B62K and C08G each cover under 4% of records. Before assuming that reflects a dead end, run a claim-level search in those classes to confirm whether it is genuinely open or simply outside this search string's scope.
Run a claim-level search in EurekaCommon questions on this landscape
Tribofilm formation refers to the thin, low-friction film that builds up on steel surfaces when certain lubricant additives — organic friction modifiers and molybdenum dithiocarbamates among them — react under boundary lubrication conditions. Patent claims in this space typically cover the additive chemistry, the resulting film composition or thickness, and the antiwear or fuel-economy-retention effect that the film produces. This dataset pulls together 130 records filed between 2015 and the 2026 cut-off that describe these mechanisms directly.
The ranking in this dataset covers 14 companies and named individual inventors, and it is heavily top-loaded: the leading assignee holds 82 of the 130 records in scope, while the fifth-ranked entrant holds only 4 and the tenth just 1. That gap means due diligence should focus disproportionately on the leader's claim scope rather than treating the field as evenly contested. Several named individual inventors also appear in the ranking alongside the corporate filers.
Filing activity peaked at 38 records in 2017 and the trend line shows 0 records by the 2022 midpoint and again at the 2026 cut-off, which reads as flat or declining rather than growing. Because publication typically lags filing by around 18 months, the most recent one to two years in any such trend are understated and should not be read as a hard stop. Recent-year momentum by assignee in this dataset shows 0 for every one of the leading filers in the latest year captured.
The most-cited record in this dataset, US6333298B1, has 65 citations and covers a molybdenum-free low-volatility lubricating oil composition; two related molybdenum-free filings and two 2-hydroxyalkylamide friction-modifier records round out the top five most-cited. Any new filing describing molybdenum-based or hydroxyalkylamide-based friction modifiers is likely to be examined against this specific cluster first. Citation weight inside a searched corpus tends to favour older filings, so treat these as foundational influence markers rather than a statement that newer work is less significant.
The two dominant IPC subclasses, C10M (lubricants) and C10N (lubricant property indexing), cover 66.2% and 25.4% of the 130 records respectively, showing the claim space is concentrated in additive formulation. Classes tied to ceramics and refractories (C04B), cycle applications (B62J, B62K) and condensation polymers (C08G) each sit under 4% of records, suggesting these adjacent framings are comparatively open. That does not guarantee freedom to operate — it means the search string used here surfaces fewer records there, and a dedicated claim-level search in those classes is the next step before relying on the gap.
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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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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.