High-Barrier Packaging Films Patents: Top Companies & Trends 2026
- Filing has flattened, not grown. Annual filings peaked at 7 in 2019 and sit at a similar 7 at the 2022 midpoint, with no sustained upward trend since 2017.
- One company is still moving; the rest have gone quiet. Amcor Flexibles North America logged a filing in the latest year while every other tracked assignee shows zero recent-year activity, including a -100% YoY drop for Tetra Laval.
- Europe, not the US, is the primary filing venue. EPO receives more filings than the USPTO in this dataset (36 vs 20), with WIPO PCT, Canada and Australia all ahead of China.
What the high-barrier film patent record actually shows
High-barrier packaging film patents cluster tightly around B32B layered products, with every one of the 134 families in this dataset classified there and roughly half also touching B65D container and packaging claims. That overlap points to a technology defined less by new barrier chemistry than by how barrier layers are integrated into multilayer film and container structures. Coextrusion, EVOH layers, metallization and water vapor transmission rate performance are the recurring technical anchors named in the underlying search, and the IPC spread confirms the claims are being written at the laminate and packaging-format level rather than deep in polymer synthesis.
The filing trend is flat rather than growing: a 2019 peak of 7 filings has not been exceeded, and the 2022 midpoint sits at the same level. Because publication typically lags filing by around 18 months, the most recent year or two in any such trend understates true activity, but even allowing for that lag this is a mature, occupied claim space rather than an expanding one.
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Filing trend and technology composition
Two views of the same 134-family dataset: how filing volume has moved year over year, and how those families distribute across IPC subclasses.
Filings have plateaued since the 2019 peak
From 4 filings in 2017 to a peak of 7 in 2019, the trend has not broken through that ceiling; 2022 also sits at 7, and 2026 is a partial year with 1 filing recorded so far.
Claims concentrate in layered structures, not new barrier materials
All 134 families sit in B32B (layered products & laminates); B65D (containers & packaging) covers half the set. Shaping (B29C) and moulding-material indices (B29K/B29L) appear at lower volume, with a smaller cluster touching medical sterilisation and diagnostic packaging (A61B, A61L).
Shares are the percentage of the 134 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on High-Barrier Packaging Films with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about high-barrier packaging films and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaThe prior art everyone in this space cites
WO2025005903A1 — Compostable high barrier film and methods of constructing the same
A compostable high barrier film having a thickness comparable to traditional non-compostable films for use in packaging and a method of manufacture. The film includes a compostable outer film, a sealing layer 2-15 micron thick, a barrier layer between the sealing layer and the outer film, and an adhesive layer between the barrier layer and the outer film, with total film thickness in the range of about 20 to 50 micron.Filed by Amcor Flexibles North America; published 2025-01-02.
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US5591520A | High barrier film | 126 |
| 2 | US6221470B1 | Multilayer oxygen barrier packaging film | 113 |
| 3 | EP0236099A2 | Oxygen barrier packaging film | 102 |
| 4 | US6472081B1 | Semi-transparent high barrier film | 79 |
| 5 | EP0561428A1 | Oxygen barrier packaging film | 74 |
| 6 | US4755402A | Thermoplastic multi-layer barrier packaging film and bags made therefrom | 58 |
| 7 | US5914164A | Multilayer oxygen-barrier packaging film | 49 |
| 8 | US5240525A | Method of fabricating a multilayer barrier packaging material | 44 |
| 9 | WO1993022131A1 | Oxygen barrier container | 37 |
| 10 | EP0236099B2 | Oxygen barrier packaging film | 37 |
Citation counts favour older records simply because they have had more time to accumulate citations within the searched corpus; treat them as a signal of influence on the field, not of current commercial relevance.
Each row carries its publication number; clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
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Browse MCP servers →What the numbers mean for a filing or freedom-to-operate decision
Three patterns matter more than the raw counts: where filing volume sits, where it is going, and which jurisdictions matter for enforcement.
Growth has stalled, not accelerated
The dataset shows no sustained increase in filing volume between the 2019 peak and the 2022 midpoint year. Combined with the ~18-month publication lag understating the newest years, this reads as a technology where the core claim space was staked out early and has not needed much fresh filing since.
Europe is the primary battleground
EPO filings outnumber US filings by a wide margin, with WIPO PCT, Canada and Australia all ahead of China. Anyone assessing enforcement risk or freedom to operate should weight European prosecution and opposition history more heavily than US file history alone.
Every family touches layered-product claims
The full dataset sits inside B32B, with roughly half also claiming B65D container structures. Claims are written at the laminate and packaging-format level; this is where new entrants collide with the densest prior art, illustrated by the most-cited records in the set.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to high-barrier packaging films, with the prior art for and against each one.
Assignees and where their activity has gone quiet
Recent-year momentum is the sharper signal here: most historically active assignees show no filings in the latest year, while one continues to file.
Amcor Flexibles North America is the only assignee still active
Against a field where every other tracked assignee shows zero filings in the latest year, Amcor's compostable high-barrier film filing (WO2025005903A1) stands out as the dataset's most current signal of continued R&D investment in this space.
Tetra Laval's activity has dropped to zero
Tetra Laval (Group & Finance) shows a -100% year-over-year change with no filings in the latest year, alongside Cryovac, WR Grace, Mobil Oil and Sporos, all of which register zero recent-year activity despite historical presence in the dataset.
Co-filing is sparse and centres on one hub
Only 10 co-assignee pairs appear across the dataset, and the strongest links all run through Cryovac paired with individual named inventors, suggesting collaboration here is closer to internal inventor teams than cross-company joint filing.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Amcor Flexibles North America, Inc. | 1 | — |
| Cryovac, Inc. | 0 | — |
| W.R. Grace & Co. | 0 | — |
| Mobil Oil Corporation | 0 | — |
| Sporos AG | 0 | — |
| Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance S.A. (Switzerland) | 0 | -100% |
| Honeywell International Inc. | 0 | — |
| SIG Combibloc GmbH | 0 | — |
Where to take this analysis
The dataset points to specific next steps depending on whether the goal is freedom to operate, white space identification, or competitive tracking.
Check freedom to operate against the most-cited prior art
The five most-cited records, several dating to the 1990s and early 2000s, still anchor claim interpretation in oxygen and moisture barrier film structures. Any new filing in coextruded or EVOH-layer film should be checked against these before drafting.
Run a claim comparison in Patsnap EurekaTrack the one assignee still filing
With every other tracked assignee at zero recent-year filings, Amcor's continued activity is the clearest forward signal in this dataset. Monitoring its filing family is a low-effort way to catch the next shift in this space early.
Set up assignee monitoring in Patsnap EurekaTest the compostable and mono-material white space
Compostable barrier layers and recyclable mono-material structures sit at lower filing density than the core laminate claims. Drafting around these branches now, while the field is quiet, avoids the dense prior art blocking conventional coextruded film claims.
Explore white space in Patsnap EurekaCommon questions on high-barrier film patents
The most-cited records in this dataset are older filings, including US5591520A, US6221470B1 and EP0236099A2, all in the 1990s-2000s window, which continue to anchor claim interpretation for oxygen and moisture barrier film structures. Historic activity includes Cryovac, WR Grace, Mobil Oil, Sporos and Tetra Laval, but recent-year filing data shows only Amcor Flexibles North America still active. That gap between historical citation weight and current filing activity matters: the influential patents may be aging out of enforceable term even as their claim language still shapes how newer filings are drafted.
No, filing volume is flat rather than growing: it peaked at 7 filings in 2019 and the 2022 midpoint sits at the same level of 7, with no sustained increase across the tracked period. Because publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, the very newest years in the trend will always look thinner than they eventually turn out to be, but that lag does not explain a multi-year plateau. Treat this as a mature, densely claimed technology area rather than an emerging one.
Europe leads by receiving-office volume, with 36 filings at the EPO compared to 20 at the USPTO, and WIPO PCT, Canada and Australia all ahead of China at 9. For freedom-to-operate work, this means European prosecution history, oppositions and national validations deserve at least as much scrutiny as US file wrappers. Filers targeting global distribution should also expect PCT filings to be a meaningful entry route given WIPO's 17-filing share.
Compostable barrier layer chemistries, thin-gauge metallization for flexible pouches, recyclable mono-material barrier structures, and the medical/sterile packaging overlap with A61B and A61L classifications all show lower filing density than the core coextruded laminate claims that dominate B32B and B65D. Amcor's 2025 filing on a compostable high barrier film is one signal that filers are starting to test this space rather than the conventional oxygen-barrier laminate claims that already carry dense, decades-old prior art. A first claim in these branches should specify the layer thickness ranges and material combination precisely, since that is where the existing prior art leaves the most room.
The dataset shows historical activity spread across a handful of named assignees, Cryovac, WR Grace, Mobil Oil, Sporos and Tetra Laval among them, but recent-year momentum has narrowed sharply: every one of those shows zero filings in the latest year, and Tetra Laval registers a -100% year-over-year decline. Only Amcor Flexibles North America continues to file. Co-assignee collaboration is also limited, with just 10 co-filing pairs recorded and the strongest links running through individual named inventors rather than cross-company partnerships.
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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.
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.