Micro / Thin-Film Li-Ion Battery Patent Landscape 2026
Honeycomb Battery Co holds a commanding lead in this niche field, which peaked in 2018 and has since contracted sharply. Activity is heavily concentrated in the United States, with a small cluster of specialist and research-affiliated applicants holding most recorded positions.
Honeycomb Battery Co leads a highly concentrated field
Honeycomb Battery Co ranks first with 27 patent records, nearly two and a half times the 11 patent records each held by the second-ranked applicants Sensormatic Electronics Corp and Valence Technology Inc. The top five filers account for 44 percent of the hundred largest filers’ combined total, signalling unusually tight concentration for a technology of this scope.
A clear tier gap separates the top three applicants from the mid-tier. Oak Ridge Micro Energy (8 patent records) and Toppan Holdings Inc (6 patent records) form a secondary cluster, while the remainder of the ranked applicants hold five or fewer patent records each. This two-tier structure limits the depth of competitive overlap below the leading positions.
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Honeycomb Battery Co | 27 | |
| 2 | Sensormatic Electronics Corp | 11 | |
| 3 | Valence Technology Inc | 11 | |
| 4 | Oak Ridge Micro Energy | 8 | |
| 5 | Toppan Holdings Inc | 6 | |
| 6 | Katholieke Universiteit Leuven | 5 | |
| 7 | Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre (IMEC) | 5 | |
| 8 | Shenzhen Capchem Technology Co Ltd | 4 | |
| 9 | The Japan Steel Works Ltd | 4 | |
| 10 | Northrop Grumman Corporation | 4 |
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | LG Energy Solution Ltd | 3 | |
| 12 | Robert Bosch GmbH | 3 | |
| 13 | TYCO FIRE & SECURITY GMBH | 3 | |
| 14 | Contemporary Amperex Technology (Hong Kong) Limited | 3 | |
| 15 | UT-Battelle LLC | 3 | |
| 16 | Lockheed Martin Energy Research Corp | 3 | |
| 17 | Nancy J. Dudney | 2 | |
| 18 | Daido Steel Co Ltd | 2 | |
| 19 | Fluxion Technology Inc | 2 | |
| 20 | I-TEN | 2 |
Honeycomb Battery Co’s dominant position, combined with a largely US-anchored portfolio, suggests that any entrant seeking freedom to operate or licensing leverage must first map against this single applicant’s claims before engaging the broader field.
Filing counts for the most recent 18–24 months are likely under-reported due to standard patent publication lag; the 2024–2026 figures should be treated as provisional. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Activity peaked in 2018 and the dominant class is electrochemistry
The filing trend and technology composition together reveal a field that matured quickly around a narrow technical core, with a handful of adjacent classes hinting at application-layer diversification.
Annual filing trend
Annual filings peaked jointly in 2018 and 2019 at 13 records each, then declined to single digits from 2020 onward. The recent-window decline of 68 percent versus the prior period reflects a genuine post-peak contraction, not publication lag alone. The 2024–2026 data points remain incomplete and should not be read as the true floor of activity.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
H01M (batteries, cells and fuel cells) dominates with 128 patent records, dwarfing every other class. The next tier—B32B layered products, B42D special printed matter, G06K data recognition, G08B signalling, and H01Q antennas—each carry 14–19 records, pointing to embedded-power and smart-label application clusters alongside the core electrochemistry work. B81B (MEMS/microstructural devices) and H01L (semiconductor devices) appear with modest counts, confirming some overlap with microfabrication disciplines.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaHighly cited patent families surfaced by the query
Citation-heavy patent families returned by the query. Use this section as citation context, not as a curated list of the most topic-specific patents.
Positive electrode of lithium-ion battery, all-sol…
The present disclosure provides a positive electrode of lithium-ion battery, an all-solid-state lithium-ion battery and a preparation method thereof, and an electrical device. The all-solid-state lithium-ion battery of the present disclosure includes a positive electrode, a solid electrolyte, and a negative electrode; wherein the positive electrode includes… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Battery with an in-situ activation plated lithium … | 385 |
| 2 | Radio frequency identification tag with thin-film … | 259 |
| 3 | Silicon-tin oxynitride glassy composition and use … | 116 |
| 4 | Getters for thin film battery hermetic package | 112 |
| 5 | Electrode assembly for lithium ion cell and lithiu… | 100 |
| 6 | Long life thin film battery and method therefor | 98 |
| 7 | Battery with an in-SITU activation plated lithium … | 89 |
| 8 | Radio frequency identification tag with thin-film … | 88 |
Ranked by total forward citations. Citation counts favour older and broadly cited patent families, and broad or adjacent patents may appear when they match the search scope. Treat this section as citation context, not as a curated list of the most topic-specific patents. Some patent titles may be shown in their original, non-English language where an accurate translation could not be guaranteed.
What the competitive structure means for R&D investment
The combination of a post-peak lifecycle, a single dominant applicant, and a US-centric jurisdiction profile creates a specific risk-and-opportunity map for new entrants and incumbents alike.
Field is in decline after a 2018 peak
Annual volume has eased substantially from the 2018 peak and the recent-window growth rate is deeply negative. This lifecycle position suggests that foundational cell architecture claims are largely staked and incremental differentiation must come from materials, integration methods, or application-layer combinations. New filings in 2022–2023 (4 records each) indicate residual but thin activity rather than a resurgent wave.
Lifecycle: DeclineSingle applicant holds roughly half the leading positions
Honeycomb Battery Co’s 27 patent records give it a share of the top-100 filers’ pool that no other applicant approaches. The next two applicants, Sensormatic Electronics Corp and Valence Technology Inc, each hold 11 patent records. Any R&D program entering this space should conduct a targeted freedom-to-operate analysis against Honeycomb Battery Co’s portfolio before committing capital to thin-film cell architectures.
High concentrationIMEC and KU Leuven anchor the strongest co-filing relationship
The most active co-filing pair is the Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre (IMEC) and Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, with 5 joint patent records—reflecting their shared cleanroom infrastructure in Belgium. Sensormatic Electronics Corp and Tyco Fire & Security GmbH share 2 co-filed records, as do Japan Steel Works Ltd and Attaccato LLC. The overall collaboration network is thin, pointing to limited open-innovation dynamics outside the IMEC-KU Leuven axis.
Sparse co-filingUS dominates; European and PCT routes are secondary
The United States accounts for 75 patent records, making it the primary prosecution venue by a wide margin. Europe (EPO) follows with 16 records and WIPO (PCT) with 12. China holds only 5 records and South Korea 2, which is unusually low for a battery technology and may indicate either limited Asian commercialisation intent or alternative filing strategies not captured in this corpus. Australia’s 6 records likely trace to specific assignee strategies rather than a broad market priority.
US-centricGo beyond the landscape: Eureka’s TRIZ Solution agent breaks down an R&D problem and returns patented concept solutions, each with a technical approach and cited patent & literature evidence.
| Applicant | Collaborator | Co-filings |
|---|---|---|
| Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre (IMEC) | Katholieke Universiteit Leuven | 5 |
| Sensormatic Electronics Corp | Tyco Fire & Security GmbH | 2 |
| The Japan Steel Works Ltd | Attaccato LLC | 2 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
Honeycomb Battery Co leads; new entrants are emerging from materials and fabrication
Two distinct profiles characterise the leading positions: an established specialist with deep electrochemistry coverage, and a wave of newer entrants focusing on materials chemistry and novel fabrication routes.
Honeycomb Battery Co
Honeycomb Battery Co holds 27 patent records, more than double the next-ranked applicants. Its technology emphasis centres on H01M 10 and H01M 4 (battery cell chemistry and electrode materials), consistent with a core thin-film cell architecture focus. Momentum data for this applicant is not separately broken out in the evidence, but its volume position is established rather than emerging.
27 patent recordsGlobal Graphene Group Inc
Global Graphene Group Inc is flagged as a new entrant in the momentum data, with 1 recent patent record. Its technology focus concentrates on H01M 10 and H01M 4, mirroring the core battery chemistry classes, and suggests a graphene-enabled electrode or electrolyte angle. As a new entrant from a small prior base, its trajectory should be monitored rather than weighted heavily at this stage.
New entrant| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Global Graphene Group Inc | 1 | ▲ new entrant |
| Shenzhen Capchem Technology Co Ltd | 2 | ▲ new entrant |
| The Japan Steel Works Ltd | 2 | ▲ new entrant |
Under-served branches adjacent to the core electrochemistry class
Several IPC classes appear at meaningful counts alongside the dominant H01M class but remain sparsely covered relative to their technical relevance. These observations reflect relative sparsity within this corpus; they are not validated commercial opportunities without independent market and freedom-to-operate analysis.
H01Q · Antennas – thin-film battery integration for RFID
H01Q carries 14 patent records in this corpus, a non-trivial count that co-occurs with B42D and G06K activity pointing to RFID and smart-label applications. The top-cited patent ‘Radio frequency identification tag with thin-film battery’ (259 citations) confirms the technical value of co-integrating thin-film power with antenna structures. An entrant with expertise in both RF design and thin-film deposition could find limited direct competition here relative to the core H01M cluster, though Sensormatic Electronics Corp’s B42D/G06K/G08B focus suggests some overlap in the smart-label space.
Search this in Eureka →B81B · MEMS / microstructural devices – on-chip power
B81B (MEMS/microstructural devices) appears with only 4 patent records in this corpus, a low count for a class with direct structural relevance to microfabricated thin-film cells. On-chip power integration for MEMS sensors and IoT nodes represents a plausible technical entry path where thin-film deposition processes overlap with standard semiconductor fab flows. The sparse coverage may reflect either early-stage activity or filing under alternative classes; H01L (semiconductor devices, 3 records) provides a neighbouring data point. Confirming sparsity requires a broader corpus search before treating this as a clear opening.
Search this in Eureka →Frequently asked questions
The corpus contains 56 patent families in scope. The most active single year was 2018 and 2019, each recording 13 filings at the patent-record level.
Honeycomb Battery Co leads with 27 patent records, nearly two and a half times the 11 patent records each held by second-ranked Sensormatic Electronics Corp and Valence Technology Inc.
The United States is the primary jurisdiction with 75 patent records. Europe (EPO) follows with 16 and WIPO (PCT) with 12. China holds 5 records and South Korea 2, which is relatively low for a battery technology.
No. The field reached its annual filing peak in 2018–2019 and has contracted since. The recent-window growth rate is negative 68 percent versus the prior period, placing the lifecycle in a decline stage. The most recent 18–24 months of data remain partially incomplete due to publication lag.
The strongest co-filing relationship is between IMEC and Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, with 5 joint patent records. Sensormatic Electronics Corp and Tyco Fire & Security GmbH share 2 co-filed records, as do Japan Steel Works Ltd and Attaccato LLC. The broader collaboration network is sparse.
Within this corpus, H01Q (antennas, 14 records), B81B (MEMS/microstructural devices, 4 records), and H01L (semiconductor devices, 3 records) are the most notable adjacent branches with plausible technical linkages to thin-film power integration but relatively sparse dedicated coverage compared to the dominant H01M class.
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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.
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