GTF Superalloy / CMC / Gear Materials Patent Snapshot
The patent corpus for GTF superalloy, CMC, and gear materials is highly concentrated, with Rolls-Royce entities holding all identified filings and activity peaking in 2020. Annual volume has since eased, signalling a post-peak phase in which the competitive window remains narrow and technology coverage is concentrated in turbine and gas-turbine plant classifications.
Rolls-Royce holds all ranked positions in a highly concentrated field
Two Rolls-Royce entities — Rolls-Royce Corporation and Rolls-Royce PLC — together occupy both positions in the applicant ranking, making this one of the most concentrated patent spaces observable in advanced propulsion materials.
The top five filers account for 100% of the ranked applicants visible in this query’ combined total, indicating no meaningful competitive tier gap exists — there is effectively a single-bloc leader with no challenger group in evidence.
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rolls-Royce Corporation | 3 | |
| 2 | Rolls-Royce PLC | 3 |
This level of concentration implies that any new entrant or adjacent player seeking to compete in GTF superalloy, CMC, or gear material patenting would face a field where all prior art anchors to one corporate family, making freedom-to-operate analysis essential before committing R&D resources.
Activity in the most recent 18–24 months is subject to normal publication lag and likely under-represents true filing levels; the apparent zero-activity period from 2022 onward should not be read as confirmed cessation. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Activity peaked in 2020 and has eased; turbine classifications dominate the technology mix
The filing trend and technology composition charts together reveal a brief, concentrated burst of activity centered on 2019–2020, with the technology mix anchored overwhelmingly in turbine and gas-turbine plant classifications and only marginal representation in gearing.
Annual filing trend
A single filing appeared in 2019, followed by the peak of two records in 2020, with no recorded activity before or after. The most recent years are subject to publication lag, so the post-2020 zero counts should be treated as provisional rather than confirmed.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
F01D (Turbines and non-positive engines) and F02C (Gas-turbine plants) each account for three patent records, establishing them as co-visible branches. F16H (Gearing and transmissions) contributes one record, confirming that gear-material aspects are a peripheral rather than primary focus of this 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.
Oil tank for geared turbofan engine
An oil delivery system is provided that includes a tank for a gas turbine engine, where the tank is positioned radially outward from a compressor section, a combustor section, and/or a turbine section of the gas turbine engine. The tank is configured to store oil for the gas turbine engine. The oil delivery system further includes a primary lubrication… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oil tank for geared turbofan engine | 2 |
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.
Rolls-Royce Corporation
Rolls-Royce Corporation holds 3 patent records and shares co-authorship with Rolls-Royce PLC on all of them. Its technology focus is concentrated in F01D 25 (Turbines and non-positive engines) and F02C 7 (Gas-turbine plants), with one record extending into F16H 57 (Gearing and transmissions). No momentum data is available from the evidence, consistent with the post-peak filing pattern observed from 2020 onward.
patent records: 3Rolls-Royce PLC
Rolls-Royce PLC holds 3 patent records with an identical technology distribution to Rolls-Royce Corporation — F01D 25, F02C 7, and F16H 57 — reflecting coordinated intra-group IP filing rather than an independent challenger strategy. The two entities function as complementary holders within the same corporate family rather than competing filers. No external challengers are present in the evidence.
patent records: 3Frequently asked questions
The evidence set contains 3 patent families in scope for this technology intersection, a very small corpus that reflects either the niche specificity of the search or limited patenting activity at the precise intersection of GTF superalloys, CMCs, and gear materials.
Rolls-Royce Corporation and Rolls-Royce PLC are the only applicants in the ranked corpus, each holding 3 patent records. No other filers appear in the evidence, making this an effectively single-bloc field.
Filing activity peaked in 2020, with two patent records recorded that year. A single record appeared in 2019. No activity is recorded before 2019 or after 2020, though the most recent years are subject to publication lag.
Europe via the EPO is the lead jurisdiction with two patent records, followed by the United States with one record. Other major jurisdictions are not represented in the current evidence.
F01D (Turbines and non-positive engines) and F02C (Gas-turbine plants) each account for three patent records, making them co-visible. F16H (Gearing and transmissions) contributes one record, indicating gear-material aspects are peripheral in the current corpus.
The only collaboration recorded is between Rolls-Royce Corporation and Rolls-Royce PLC, covering three co-filed records. No external co-applicants — including universities, research institutes, or supply-chain partners — appear 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.
Nothing on this page constitutes an exhaustive prior-art, novelty, freedom-to-operate, or validity search, nor does it constitute legal, financial, investment, or professional advice, and it should not be relied upon as such. Any patent, commercial, or strategic decision should be verified independently and reviewed with qualified patent, legal, and domain professionals. Patsnap makes no warranties, express or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness, or fitness for any particular purpose of the information presented.