Gear Metrology Patents: Who Leads, Where the Gaps Are 2026
Gear Metrology and Transmission Error Patents
One filer dominates. the leading assignee alone accounts for 73 of the 134 records in scope, with the top five combined reaching 85.8% of all records. Filings rose to a peak of 42 in 2018, then eased. The 2021-to-2024 window — the most recent span not distorted by publication lag — fell 59%, from 17 to 7. Years from 2025 onward are still filling in and should not be read as a continued decline.
- 1LG ELECTRONICS INC54.5%
- 2CANON KK20.9%
- 3GLEASON METROLOGY SYSTEMS CORP5.2%
- 4KLINGELNBERG AG3.7%
- 5RICOH CO LTD1.5%
See the full gear metrology and transmission error analysis in Eureka
- The complete ranking, not just the top five
- Every IPC branch with its share of the corpus
- The most-cited records, and where claim space is still thin
Common questions about this landscape
Who holds the most patents in gear metrology and transmission error?
One assignee holds 73 of the 134 records in scope, making it the clear leader by filing volume. The top five assignees combined reach 85.8% of all records, so the field is heavily concentrated rather than fragmented. Any competitive or freedom-to-operate review should start with that concentrated group rather than treating the field as open.
Is filing activity in gear inspection technology increasing or slowing down?
Filings peaked at 42 in 2018 and the 2021-to-2024 window shows a 59% decline, from 17 down to 7. However, publication typically lags filing by around 18 months, so the 2025 and 2026 figures in this dataset are still incomplete and should not yet be read as continuing that decline. A clearer read on recent momentum will require a later data cut.
What is transmission error and why does it matter for patents in this space?
Transmission error is the deviation between a gear’s theoretical and actual angular rotation under load, and it is the core quantity that single flank testing and gear inspection machines are designed to measure. Patents in this corpus cluster around methods and apparatus for measuring, calibrating and correlating that deviation with downstream effects such as noise. Because the measurement itself often depends on signal processing, many records carry data-transmission IPC codes alongside mechanical measurement codes.
Disclaimer. This analysis is based on Patsnap Eureka data drawn from a limited snapshot of global patent records and is provided for general information and reference only. Patent data carries inherent limitations — recent filings are under-counted because of publication lag, counts may be on a record or family basis, classification and applicant-name data may contain errors or duplicates, and the underlying search query defines the scope shown — so the analysis may be incomplete or inaccurate and may not reflect the full technology landscape.
Nothing here is an exhaustive prior-art, novelty, freedom-to-operate or validity search, nor does it constitute legal, financial or professional advice, and it should not be relied upon as such. Verify independently and review with qualified patent and legal professionals before acting on it.
Method: Filing trend and technology composition. Derived from a Patsnap search on Gear Metrology and Transmission Error covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish. Every share divides by all records in scope. Data: Patsnap Eureka. See the full landscape report.