Flexible Microelectrode Array Patents: Who Leads, Where Gaps Are 2026
- One assignee holds every record in scope. the ranked leader accounts for 11 of 11 records (100.0%), leaving no visible competing filer in this dataset.
- Filing peaked in 2019 at 6 records then tapered, with the most recent years showing no new publications — though publication lag of roughly 18 months means 2025-2026 activity is likely understated.
- Electrotherapy claims dominate the field. A61N covers 100.0% of the 11 records, while A61B (diagnosis and surgery) appears in 45.5% — a narrower secondary claim zone.
What this landscape covers
This review tracks patent filings matching high density microelectrode array, flexible neural electrode array, and subdural electrode array language, narrowed to claims addressing channel count, wiring, conformity, impedance stability, insertion, deployment method or signal quality. The scope is deliberately tight: 11 published records sit inside it as of the 2026-07-31 data cut-off, spanning filings from 2015 onward.
The dataset is small enough that a single assignee's filing history sets the shape of the entire field. That concentration is itself the finding: it tells a reader entering this space that the existing claim territory is narrow and largely occupied by one applicant, rather than fragmented across many competitors.
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 11 records: how filing activity moved year over year, and how those records classify across IPC subclasses.
Filing trend, 2017-2026
Filings rose to a peak of 6 records in 2019 before falling off; the trend line before 2017 and after the peak year should be read with the 18-month publication lag in mind, since the most recent years are structurally undercounted.
IPC subclass composition
A61N (electrotherapy and radiation therapy) appears in all 11 records, confirming this is the field's core classification; A61B (diagnosis and surgery) appears in 5 records (45.5%), marking a secondary but real claim zone around surgical placement and diagnostic use.
Shares are the percentage of the 11 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on High-Density Flexible Microelectrode Arrays with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about high-density flexible microelectrode arrays and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaThe most-cited records in this field
Methods and devices for guided subdural electrode array placement
Disclosed are devices, electrodes, systems, methods, and other implementations, including a device that includes an electrode comprising an elongated body, a plurality of electrode contacts disposed on a first side of the elongated body, and a cannulation channel defined along a longitudinal axis of the electrode. The device further includes a guiding mechanism received within the cannulation channel, configured to guide the electrode for placement at a target area inside a body of a patient. In some embodiments, the cannulation channel is configured to receive irrigation fluids dispensed through a perforated end located near a leading tip of the elongated body.Filed by Tufts Medical Center, published 2019-10-10, and the most-cited record in this dataset with 6 citations.
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US20190308008A1 | Methods and devices for guided subdural electrode array placement | 6 |
| 2 | US20200094049A1 | Methods and devices for subdural electrode array placement | 2 |
| 3 | US10912937B2 | Methods and devices for guided subdural electrode array placement | 1 |
Citation counts inside a searched corpus favour older records — treat this as a signal of influence within the dataset, not of current technical importance.
Publication numbers are shown where the record carries one (3 of 3 rows); 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 mean for a filer
Three observations that follow directly from the filing pattern in this dataset, rather than from general industry commentary.
A single-applicant field
Every record in scope traces to one assignee. There is no second filer visible in the ranking, which means freedom-to-operate analysis here is effectively a single-party clearance exercise rather than a multi-party landscape.
A filing burst, not a steady programme
Activity clustered around 2019 and has not repeated at that intensity since. Because publication lags filing by around 18 months, recent years should not be read as an absence of activity so much as activity not yet visible.
Electrotherapy is the anchor class
Every record sits in A61N (electrotherapy and radiation therapy), and just under half also carry A61B (diagnosis and surgery). That split marks where claims layer device function with surgical placement method.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to high-density flexible microelectrode arrays, with the prior art for and against each one.
Who is filing, and what remains open
With one assignee accounting for the entire ranked field, the more useful question is not who leads but which adjacent claim territory nobody has staked yet.
The sole ranked assignee
The ranking returns one company, accounting for every record matched by this search. Recent-year momentum shows 0 filings from this assignee in the latest year, consistent with the broader trend tapering after 2019.
Filing spread across three offices
Records split fairly evenly between Europe, the United States, and PCT filings via WIPO, suggesting the applicant sought broad multi-jurisdiction coverage for a narrow technical scope rather than concentrating on a single home market.
One filing anchors the citation graph
US20190308008A1 draws the most citations in this dataset by a wide margin over the next two most-cited records, marking it as the reference point other filers and examiners in this space have engaged with most.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Tufts Medical Center, Inc. | 0 | — |
Where to take this analysis
The concentration in this dataset points to specific next steps depending on whether you are clearing a design or scouting for open claim space.
Run a freedom-to-operate check against the leading assignee
With one applicant holding every record in scope, a targeted clearance review of that assignee's claim set is the highest-value first step before committing to a device architecture in this space.
Explore the assignee's portfolio in EurekaMap the under-claimed sub-areas before filing
Closed-loop impedance recalibration and multi-lead wiring redundancy show no dedicated coverage in this dataset. A first claim drafted around either could sit in genuinely open space rather than crowding an occupied class.
Draft a claim scope in EurekaWatch for the 2025-2026 filing lag to resolve
The apparent drop-off after 2019 needs re-checking once publication catches up; treat any 'no activity' reading for the most recent two years as provisional.
Set a filing alert in EurekaCommon questions about this landscape
In this dataset, a single assignee, Tufts Medical Center, accounts for all 11 records in scope, or 100.0% of the field. That is an unusually high concentration for a medical device category, and it means there is no visible second-tier competitor in the ranked data. Anyone assessing this space should treat clearance against that one assignee's claim set as the primary freedom-to-operate task rather than surveying a crowded field.
Filing activity peaked in 2019 at 6 records and has not repeated that intensity since, with the most recent years showing no new publications in this dataset. Growth rate is not computable here because fewer than four complete years remain once the roughly 18-month publication lag is accounted for. Readers should treat the recent taper as provisional rather than conclusive, since 2025-2026 filings may simply not have published yet.
Every record in this dataset carries an A61N classification, covering electrotherapy and radiation therapy devices, making it the field's core class. Just under half of records, 45.5%, also carry A61B, covering diagnosis and surgery, which reflects claims tied to surgical placement or diagnostic use of the electrode. Because a single record can carry both classes, these shares are not mutually exclusive and add to more than 100%.
US20190308008A1 describes a device combining an elongated electrode body, electrode contacts on one side of that body, and a cannulation channel running along its longitudinal axis, paired with a guiding mechanism that sits inside that channel to steer placement at a target site in the body. Some embodiments also route irrigation fluid through a perforated tip near the electrode's leading end. It is the most-cited record in this dataset, with 6 citations, making it the reference point most other filings in this space engage with. A design that avoids a cannulation channel doubling as both a guide-wire path and an irrigation conduit sits furthest from this claim.
Based on the IPC composition and the concentration in this dataset, sub-areas like closed-loop impedance recalibration, multi-lead wiring redundancy and real-time signal quality feedback during insertion show no dedicated coverage among the 11 records reviewed. These sit adjacent to the dominant A61N electrotherapy class but are not directly claimed by the leading assignee's filings. A first claim built around one of these mechanisms, rather than around cannulation-and-guidance design already covered by the most-cited record, is more likely to clear a prior-art search cleanly.
Research High-Density Flexible Microelectrode Arrays in depth with Eureka
Go past this page: query the whole high-density flexible microelectrode arrays 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.