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Run your analysis now →https://www.patsnap.com/resources/blog/rd-blog/medical-ultrasound-imaging-portable-imaging-patent-landscape/ · Patsnap · data cut-off 2026-07-31 · downloaded from the live page
Biomedical Devices · Patent LandscapePortable Ultrasound Imaging Patents: Filing Trends and Who Holds the Claims
- Filing has plateaued, not grown. the peak year was 2022 at 67 families, and the most recent full year sits well below that — a maturing claim landscape rather than an expanding one.
- One incumbent dominates recent momentum but is pulling back. Philips filed 7 in the latest year, down 30% year-on-year, while the next-most-active assignees each filed just 1 with flat momentum.
- The oldest, most-cited prior art still frames the field. the top-cited records are all handheld-imaging user-interface patents from the early 2000s, meaning influence in this corpus skews toward foundational filings, not the newest ones.
659
Published Records
38%
Top-5 Share of All Records
-13%
Filing Growth 2021→2024
US
Leading Jurisdiction
Filing growth compares 2021 (46 records) with 2024 (40) — 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 659 records in scope (CR5), not by the ranked leaders only.
Published byPatsnap Research··7 min readSourced from Patsnap Eureka
Field Overview
What this landscape covers
This dataset tracks 659 patent families published between 2015 and mid-2026 that combine ultrasound imaging or transducer-array claims with handheld, point-of-care or miniaturization language, filtered to the core diagnostic-ultrasound IPC classes. The scope is deliberately narrow: it isolates the portability thread inside medical ultrasound rather than the broader imaging field, so the assignee list and technology mix reflect who is actually claiming smaller, cheaper, more field-deployable ultrasound systems.
Filing runs from a 2017 baseline through a 2022 peak and a subsequent decline into partial-year 2026 data; because publication typically lags filing by around 18 months, the most recent one to two years understate true filing activity. Receiving-office data shows the United States as the dominant venue, followed by Europe and the WIPO/PCT route, with India, Canada and Australia forming a secondary tier.
Filings by year, 2017-2026
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Assignee ranking and totals. Derived from a Patsnap search on Medical Ultrasound Imaging Portable Imaging covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
The Data
Filing trends and technology composition
The trend line and the IPC mix below describe where portable-ultrasound claim activity has concentrated and where it has spread into adjacent technical fields such as image processing and acoustics.
A 2022 peak followed by decline
Filings rose from 35 in 2017 to a peak of 67 in 2022, then declined toward 12 in the most recent (partial) year. Read against the publication lag, this looks less like a shrinking field and more like a plateau that has already absorbed its first wave of core claims.
A61B dominates; G01S is the largest secondary class
Diagnosis-and-surgery class A61B covers 650 of 659 records, essentially the whole corpus, confirming this is a tightly-scoped ultrasound dataset. G01S (radar, sonar and positioning, 139 records) is the largest secondary class, reflecting beamforming and positioning claims shared with sonar; G06T (image processing, 59), G16H (healthcare informatics, 40) and G01N (material analysis, 39) show where portable ultrasound claims increasingly reach into software and data layers rather than transducer hardware alone.
Shares are the percentage of the 659 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Filing trend and technology composition. Derived from a Patsnap search on Medical Ultrasound Imaging Portable Imaging covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.
Go deeper on Medical Ultrasound Imaging Portable Imaging with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about medical ultrasound imaging portable imaging and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaPrior Art
The patents that shape freedom-to-operate
Representative Filing
US11446003B2 — High performance handheld ultrasound (Vave Health, 2022)
VAVE HEALTH, INC.
This disclosure generally relates to system design for a handheld ultrasound imaging system, which may generate an ultrasound image of tissue. The handheld ultrasound imaging system may comprise: an ultrasound transducer array to generate ultrasound waves comprising a wavelength; a processor coupled to the ultrasound transducer array, configured to receive ultrasound data derived from the transducer array and generate a plurality of ultrasound images, the images comprising an axial resolution capable of resolving the tissue structure no more than the wavelength, and output the resulting images.Abstract text drawn directly from the granted patent.
Most-cited records in this corpus
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US20020173721A1 | User interface for handheld imaging devices | 429 |
| 2 | US6475146B1 | Method and system for using personal digital assistants with diagnostic medical ultrasound systems | 351 |
| 3 | US7022075B2 | User interface for handheld imaging devices | 347 |
| 4 | US20030013959A1 | User interface for handheld imaging devices | 340 |
| 5 | US6645145B1 | Diagnostic medical ultrasound systems and transducers utilizing micro-mechanical components | 287 |
| 6 | US6059731A | Simultaneous side-and-end viewing underfluid catheter | 257 |
| 7 | US20060116578A1 | User interface for handheld imaging devices | 246 |
| 8 | US9456766B2 | Apparatus for use with needle insertion guidance system | 241 |
| 9 | US20100168583A1 | Enhanced ultrasound imaging probes using flexure mode piezoelectric transducers | 238 |
| 10 | US20040138569A1 | User interface for handheld imaging devices | 223 |
Citation counts favour older records in any fixed-date search; treat these as markers of foundational influence, not current filing priority.
Each row carries its publication number; clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Citation counts and representative records. Derived from a Patsnap search on Medical Ultrasound Imaging Portable Imaging covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
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What the numbers mean for filing strategy
Four patterns stand out once the raw counts are read against filing timing, citation age and geographic spread.
Filing Momentum
67 → 12
peak (2022) to latest year
The field has stopped growing
The midpoint year (2022) is also the peak year, and filings have fallen sharply since. Combined with the 18-month publication lag, this points to a technology that saw its main claim-staking wave finish rather than one still accelerating.
Filing trend, 2017-2026
Technology Mix
650 of 659
records classed A61B
Near-total concentration in one IPC class
Almost every record sits in A61B, with G01S (sonar/positioning, 139) the only secondary class of real size. Claim density in the core diagnostic-ultrasound class is high; the more open ground is in the smaller classes touching software and acoustics.
IPC composition
Assignee Concentration
7 filings, -30% YoY
leading assignee, latest year
One incumbent, pulling back
Philips leads recent-year activity but its filing count is declining year-on-year; the next tier of assignees are each filing only single digits with flat momentum, suggesting no challenger is currently scaling filing volume to take the lead.
Recent-year momentum
Venue Spread
344 US filings
of the tracked receiving offices
US-centred, with a real PCT tail
The United States accounts for the largest single share of receiving-office filings, well ahead of Europe; the WIPO/PCT count (90) indicates a meaningful share of applicants are still keeping international options open rather than filing US-only.
Receiving offices
Eureka AI Agent
Looking for what nobody has claimed yet?
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to medical ultrasound imaging portable imaging, with the prior art for and against each one.
Co-filing is rare in this corpus
| Assignee | Co-assignee | Shared families |
|---|---|---|
| Exo Imaging, Inc. | USTUNER KUTAY | 1 |
| Exo Imaging, Inc. | STEWARD CHAD | 1 |
| Signostics Limited | NIEMIEC ANDREW JOHN PAUL | 1 |
| Signostics Limited | NIEMIEC ANDREW | 1 |
| Signostics Limited | MEDLIN ANDREW JOHN | 1 |
| Signostics Limited | MEDLIN ANDREW | 1 |
| Signostics Limited | HIRSCHAUSEN PAUL JAMES | 1 |
| Signostics Limited | COSTELLO ROGER MICHAEL | 1 |
Only 10 co-assignee pairs appear across 659 families, each pair filing together just once — portable ultrasound claims here are overwhelmingly single-assignee work, not joint-venture or co-development filings.
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Co-assignee relationships and derived observations. Derived from a Patsnap search on Medical Ultrasound Imaging Portable Imaging covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
Players
Who is filing, and where the gate sits
Recent-year momentum separates one established incumbent from a long tail of single-digit filers; no new entrant is yet filing at volume.
Incumbent
7 filings / -30% YoY
latest-year momentum
Philips (Royal Philips)
Philips remains the most active filer in the latest tracked year, but its year-on-year filing count is falling, consistent with a company defending an existing portfolio rather than expanding it aggressively.
Recent-year momentum data
Imaging Specialist
1 filing / 0% YoY
latest-year momentum
GE HealthCare
GE's precision-medicine ultrasound unit shows flat, low-volume recent filing, holding position rather than pushing new claim territory in the portable segment tracked here.
Recent-year momentum data
Point-of-Care Entrant
1 filing / 0% YoY
latest-year momentum
EchoSure Imaging (Exo Imaging)
A dedicated point-of-care ultrasound company appears with low but steady recent filing activity, part of a wider group of specialist entrants — including Clarius Mobile Health and Signostics — that file occasionally rather than in the every-year pattern shown by the largest incumbents.
Recent-year momentum data
Recent-year filing momentum by assignee
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Koninklijke Philips N.V. (Royal Philips) | 7 | -30% |
| GE Precision Healthcare LLC (GE HealthCare) | 1 | 0% |
| Exo Imaging, Inc. | 1 | 0% |
| CLARIUS MOBILE HEALTH CORP | 0 | — |
| Signostics Limited | 0 | — |
| General Electric Company | 0 | — |
| Bard Access Systems, Inc. | 0 | — |
| Butterfly Network, Inc. | 0 | — |
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Assignee-level momentum. Derived from a Patsnap search on Medical Ultrasound Imaging Portable Imaging covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
What's Next
Where to take this next
The dataset points to specific next questions for a filing or freedom-to-operate review rather than a single conclusion.
Test freedom-to-operate against the cited core
The most-cited records are all early handheld-imaging user-interface patents; any new handheld or point-of-care UI claim should be checked against this cluster before drafting.
Explore prior art in EurekaWatch the incumbent's pullback
Philips' declining year-on-year filing count is worth monitoring alongside its litigation and licensing activity, since a slowing filer can still hold blocking claims.
Track assignee activity in EurekaProbe the smaller IPC classes for open claim space
G10K acoustics and B06B mechanical-vibration classes carry far fewer filings than A61B; a targeted search there may surface claimable ground before it fills in.
Run a white-space search in EurekaSource: Patsnap Eureka. Forward-looking reading of the same dataset. Derived from a Patsnap search on Medical Ultrasound Imaging Portable Imaging covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
FAQ
Common questions on portable ultrasound patents
Philips (Royal Philips) is the most active recent filer in this dataset, with 7 filings in the latest tracked year, though that figure is down 30% year-on-year. Behind Philips sits a long tail of assignees including GE HealthCare, EchoSure/Exo Imaging, Clarius Mobile Health and Signostics, each filing at much lower and mostly flat volumes. No single challenger is currently scaling filing volume to contest the lead, so the picture is one incumbent slowly pulling back rather than a clear new leader emerging.
Not on the current data: filings rose from 35 in 2017 to a peak of 67 in 2022, then declined toward 12 in the most recent partial year. Because publication typically lags filing by around 18 months, the last one to two years are understated, but the shape of the curve — rising into a mid-period peak and falling since — points to a plateau rather than sustained growth. Treat this as a maturing claim landscape where core positions have already been staked.
The most-cited records in this corpus are early-2000s handheld-imaging user-interface patents, led by US20020173721A1 and US6475146B1, both with citation counts well above 300. Their continued influence means new handheld or point-of-care UI designs should be checked against this cluster specifically, not just against recent filings. High citation counts here reflect foundational status within the searched corpus rather than current enforceability, so each record still needs its own status and claim-scope check.
The corpus is heavily concentrated in the core diagnosis-and-surgery IPC class (A61B, 650 of 659 records), with much lighter filing in acoustics (G10K, 35), mechanical vibration generation (B06B, 29) and healthcare informatics (G16H, 40). Sub-areas such as single-chip transducer integration, AI-assisted beamforming for handheld probes and cloud-linked point-of-care workflows show comparatively less claim density than the transducer-hardware core. These lighter-filed branches are worth a targeted novelty search before drafting, since claim space there is less crowded but not empty.
The United States is the leading receiving office by a wide margin, with 344 tracked filings, followed by the European Patent Office at 119 and the WIPO/PCT route at 90. India, Canada and Australia form a smaller secondary tier. The sizeable PCT count indicates that a meaningful share of applicants are preserving international filing options rather than committing to the US alone, which is typical for a device category sold into both hospital and field-deployable markets globally.
Answers are grounded in the same dataset. Derived from a Patsnap search on Medical Ultrasound Imaging Portable Imaging covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
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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.