Locking plate fixation patents: who holds the claim space and where it is still open
Concentrated but not locked down. the top 5 assignees hold 24.0% of all 1,417 records in scope, and the top 10 hold 38.2% — leadership exists, but 60%+ of filings sit outside it. Filings ran from 63 in 2017 to a peak of 94 in 2018, then declined; the 2021-to-2024 window alone shows a -48% drop (54 to 28 records). Treat 2025 and 2026 figures as provisional given the ~18-month publication lag rather than evidence of a further slide.
- 1GLOBUS MEDICAL INC8.5%
- 2SYNTHES GMBH4.4%
- 3SMITH & NEPHEW INC4.0%
- 4DEPUY SYNTHES PROD INC3.7%
- 5P TECH LLC3.5%
See the full locking plate fixation 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 on locking plate fixation patents
Who holds the most locking plate fixation patents?
The leading assignee in this dataset holds 120 of the 1,417 records in scope, with the top 5 assignees combined holding 24.0% of all records and the top 10 combined holding 38.2%. That means no single company controls a majority of the field, and a long tail of smaller filers accounts for the rest. Anyone assessing competitive position should look at both the leader's specific claim scope and the wider spread rather than assuming one firm dominates.
Is locking plate fixation still an active area for new patent filings?
Filing volume peaked at 94 records in 2018 and has since declined, falling from 54 records in 2021 to 28 in 2024 — a -48% drop over a window that is publication-complete. That is a genuine pullback from the peak drafting period, though it does not mean the field is closed; it means the most active phase of claim-staking has likely passed. Figures for 2025 and 2026 should be read as provisional given the roughly 18-month lag between filing and publication.
What does US8709092B2 actually cover?
US8709092B2, assigned to Stryker European Operations Limited and granted in 2014, covers periprosthetic fracture management: pre-engineered fixation contingencies built into femoral or tibial implant components, targeting devices for aligning fixed-angle locking screws in pre-drilled holes in an existing prosthetic or nail, and alignment devices supporting the repair procedure. It is specific to fracture management around an existing prosthesis rather than general locking-plate hardware, so its blocking effect is concentrated on periprosthetic fracture workflows tied to hip or knee arthroplasty components.
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 Locking Plate Fixation 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.