High-Barrier Film Patents: Who Leads, Where the Gaps Are 2026
- Filing has cooled since its 2023 peak. 25 families that year against a flat-to-declining trend since the 2022 midpoint, with the most recent year still understated by publication lag.
- B32B dominates almost completely. 309 of 313 records sit in layered-products classification, with polymer processing, containers and adhesive subclasses trailing far behind — claim activity is concentrated in one IPC lane.
- The named leaders show zero filings in the latest year. Every assignee in the recent-momentum data — including the most active historical filers — recorded no new filings last year, suggesting a pause rather than continued build-out.
Filing growth compares 2021 (16 records) with 2024 (6) — 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. Top-5 share is the combined record count of the five largest assignees divided by all 313 records in scope (CR5), not by the ranked leaders only.
What this landscape covers
High-barrier film system integration sits at the intersection of laminate design and packaging engineering: films with metallized or multilayer barrier properties combined with sealant layers into a single structure that keeps out oxygen, moisture or light. The dataset behind this page tracks 313 patent families filed between 2015 and mid-2026 that claim laminate structures, multilayer integration or barrier-sealant integration under the relevant B32B and B65D classifications. Publication lag means the final one to two years of filings are undercounted — a document filed in 2025 may not surface in search until 2026 or later.
Reading this landscape means separating where claim space is dense from where it is thin. Dense filing in one IPC lane signals occupied ground, not necessarily better technology; thin filing in an adjacent lane can mean either genuine white space or simply that nobody has framed the problem there yet.
Let an AI agent run this analysis on your own technology
Pick a task. Every answer cites the patents behind it.
Filing trend and technology composition
Two views of the same 313 families: how filing activity has moved year over year, and which IPC subclasses carry the claim weight.
Filings rose to a 2023 peak, then flattened
Filings climbed from 12 in 2017 to a peak of 25 in 2023. The 2022 midpoint of 12 sits well below that peak, and the trajectory since has flattened or declined — a pattern consistent with a maturing, already-claimed core rather than an accelerating one.
B32B carries nearly the entire dataset
309 of 313 records classify under B32B (layered products and laminates), making it the near-universal home for this technology. C08J polymer processing (61), B65D containers (50) and B29C plastics shaping (36) trail as secondary lanes, with D21H, H01L, C08L and C09J appearing in smaller, more specialised pockets.
Shares are the percentage of the 313 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on High-Barrier Film System Integration with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about high-barrier film system integration and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaThe most-cited prior art
WO2016207918A1 — Laminate structure for blister packaging
A laminate structure for making a blister laminate of a blister package is provided herein. The laminate structure includes a first layer, a second layer and a third layer. Each of the first layer and the third layer include a metallized PET film. The second layer is a multi-layer barrier film including a metallized surface. A lidding is provided to cover the blister laminate to form the blister package.Filed by CHATURVEDI, ASHOK; published 2016-12-29.
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US5084352A | Multilayered barrier structures for packaging | 118 |
| 2 | US5626947A | Composite chemical barrier fabric for protective garments | 116 |
| 3 | WO2006042364A1 | Barrier film | 100 |
| 4 | US20050079380A1 | Gas barrier laminate film and method for producing the same | 66 |
| 5 | US20090110942A1 | Barrier film | 64 |
| 6 | US20100015431A1 | Gas barrier film laminate | 62 |
| 7 | EP0337279A2 | Improved gas barrier structure for pneumatic articles | 62 |
| 8 | US20060093758A1 | Gas barrier film, and display substrate and display using the same | 61 |
| 9 | US5824401A | Oil-barrier waterproofing membrane laminate | 55 |
| 10 | US4525396A | Pressure-resistant paper vessel | 55 |
Citation counts reflect influence inside this searched corpus and skew toward older filings — treat them as a map of foundational art, not a ranking of current relevance.
Each row carries its publication number; clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
Put your own technology through the same analysis
Eureka on the web
When you want the answer in the next five minutes.
The agent works the prompt against patents and technical literature, citing every source.
Run your analysis now →MCP server & REST API
When it has to run inside your own pipeline.
Patent search, landscape analysis and assignee resolution as MCP tools. Drop them into any agent framework, or call REST directly.
Browse MCP servers →What the numbers say about this field
Three readings of the same evidence, aimed at different decisions: where activity has gone, where it is filed, and where it is filed from.
The core claim space has already been staked out
Filings rose steadily from 12 in 2017 to a peak of 25 in 2023, then flattened. A 2022 midpoint of 12 versus a 2023 peak of 25 shows growth was still building as recently as two years before the peak — this is not a technology in early exploration.
Almost everything files as a laminate, not a container or adhesive
The near-total concentration in B32B against much smaller counts in B65D (50), C09J (22) and C08L (22) means the laminate structure itself is the contested claim territory, while container-level and adhesive-level framing remain comparatively open.
Protection is concentrated in the US and Europe, with PCT as the bridge
The United States (96) and the European Patent Office (95) receive nearly equal filing volume, with WIPO/PCT filings (33) well behind — indicating most applicants pursue direct national or regional protection rather than broad PCT-first strategies.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to high-barrier film system integration, with the prior art for and against each one.
Who is filing, and who has stopped
The assignee ranking spans 313 families, but recent-year momentum tells a different story than cumulative counts: the most visible historical filers show no activity in the latest tracked year.
A uniform pause across the top of the ranking
Every assignee tracked in the recent-momentum data — spanning film converters, adhesive specialists and packaging majors — recorded zero filings in the most recent year. That is a strong signal of either a filing pause or a lag in publication, not evidence that the field itself is closing.
Co-filing is present but thin
Nine co-assignee pairs appear across the dataset, with the strongest links tied to individual named inventors rather than joint corporate ventures. This points to inventor mobility and licensing relationships more than formal joint-development programmes.
Filing strategy favours depth over breadth
With the US and EPO absorbing the bulk of filings and PCT well behind both, most assignees appear to be protecting core markets directly rather than filing broadly and deciding jurisdictions later.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Stora Enso Oyj | 0 | — |
| FUJIFILM Corporation | 0 | — |
| Lintec Corporation | 0 | — |
| Essel Propack Limited | 0 | — |
| Toray Industries, Inc. | 0 | — |
| Toray Plastics (America), Inc. | 0 | — |
| Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance S.A. | 0 | — |
| CMPC Tubes / Compagnia Manufacturiera Prodotti Cellulosa Tubes | 0 | — |
Where to take this analysis
The landscape points to a densely claimed core and several thinner adjacent lanes. Turning that into a filing or freedom-to-operate decision means going deeper on specific claims and specific competitors.
Map claims against the B32B core
With 309 of 313 records in one IPC subclass, a claim-by-claim comparison against the most-cited prior art is the fastest way to see what is actually still open inside that lane.
Explore claim charts in EurekaWatch the paused leaders
Six named assignees show zero filings in the latest year. Tracking whether that resumes, and where, will show whether the field is consolidating or simply pausing ahead of new filings.
Set up assignee monitoring in EurekaCommon questions about this landscape
In this dataset, it means a filing that claims a laminate or multilayer structure combining a high-barrier film — one designed to resist oxygen, moisture or light transmission — with a sealant or other functional layer, classified under IPC codes covering layered products (B32B), shaping of plastics (B29C) or packaging containers (B65D65/40). The search also required text matches on terms like laminate structure, multilayer integration or barrier-sealant integration, so a patent that only claims a barrier film in isolation, without integration into a larger structure, would not necessarily appear. This is a claim-integration filter, not a materials-chemistry filter.
Filings rose from 12 in 2017 to a peak of 25 in 2023, and the trend since has flattened or declined based on the year-over-year data. That pattern is consistent with a technology whose core claim space became increasingly occupied through the early 2020s, prompting some applicants to pull back or shift to adjacent framing. It is also worth treating the most recent one to two years with caution, since patent publication typically lags filing by around eighteen months, so 2025 and 2026 figures are likely understated rather than genuinely near zero.
The assignee ranking (rendered separately on this page) spans 313 patent families and includes film converters, adhesive specialists and diversified packaging manufacturers. What stands out in the underlying data is that the named leaders in the recent-momentum tracking all show zero filings in the latest year, which is unusual for a group that includes some of the most historically active filers in the space. That makes cumulative rank a better guide to who built the current claim landscape than to who is actively expanding it right now.
The clearest signal is IPC imbalance: 309 of 313 records sit in B32B (layered products), while adjacent classifications like semiconductor-adjacent barrier uses (H01L, 23 records), adhesive-layer barrier enhancement (C09J, 22 records) and pulp-based barrier composites (D21H, 25 records) carry far less filing density. That does not guarantee an easy path to a grant, but it does mean fewer competing claims to navigate around in those lanes. A freedom-to-operate search focused specifically on those secondary subclasses, rather than the crowded B32B core, is the more efficient use of search time.
Carefully. The most-cited records in this dataset — including a 1990s-era barrier structure patent cited well over a hundred times — accumulate citations simply by having existed longer inside a searched corpus, giving older filings a structural advantage over recent ones. A high citation count marks a document as foundational prior art that later filings had to design around, not as proof that the underlying technology is still commercially central today. For current relevance, filing recency and IPC positioning are more informative than raw citation totals.
Research High-Barrier Film System Integration in depth with Eureka
Go past this page: query the whole high-barrier film system integration corpus yourself, in your own scope.
Every answer comes back with patent numbers you can open.
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.
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.