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Run your analysis now →https://www.patsnap.com/resources/blog/rd-blog/motion-preservation-and-disc-replacement-patent-landscape/ · Patsnap · data cut-off 2026-07-31 · downloaded from the live page
Spine Devices · Patent Landscape 2026Motion Preservation and Disc Replacement Patents
- 18.2% concentration at the top. The five leading assignees combine for 1,136 of 6,245 records in scope — a real cluster, but well short of dominance, leaving room for a long tail of single- and few-filing entrants.
- Filings cooled after a 2020 peak. Annual filings ran from 173 in 2017 to a peak of 204 in 2020, then fell to 100 by 2024 — a -37% drop across 2021-2024 on the most recent years that can be read as complete.
- Implant claims dominate the class mix. A61F (implants & prostheses) appears on 64.4% of all 6,245 records and A61B (diagnosis & surgery) on 51.8% — together they frame where prior art is thickest.
6,245
Published Records
18%
Top-5 Share of All Records
-37%
Filing Growth 2021→2024
US
Leading Jurisdiction
Filing growth compares 2021 (159 records) with 2024 (100) — 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 6,245 records in scope (CR5), not by the ranked leaders only.
Published byPatsnap Research··7 min readSourced from Patsnap Eureka
Overview
What this landscape covers
This landscape tracks patent activity at the intersection of artificial disc and motion-preservation devices and the clinical failure modes that shape their claims: range of motion, wear debris, facet loading, heterotopic ossification, device migration and long-term survival. The search pulls 6,245 published records filed or published between 2015 and mid-2026, spanning implant hardware, surgical method, and the biomaterial and sterilisation processes that support device longevity.
Because publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, the 2025 and 2026 counts in the trend chart are still filling in and should not be read as a real slowdown yet. The last year that can be treated as materially complete is 2024.
Filing activity and technology composition, 2017-2026
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Assignee ranking and totals. Derived from a Patsnap search on Motion Preservation and Disc Replacement 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
Annual filing counts and IPC subclass distribution across the 6,245 records in scope, drawn directly from the underlying dataset.
A 2020 peak followed by a cooling filing rate
Filings rose from 173 in 2017 to a peak of 204 in 2020, then declined to 100 by 2024, a -37% move across 2021-2024. Treat 2025 and 2026 figures as provisional given the roughly 18-month publication lag.
Implant and surgical-method classes dominate
A61F (implants & prostheses) covers 64.4% of the 6,245 records and A61B (diagnosis & surgery) covers 51.8%. Sterilisation (A61L), medicinal preparations (A61K), electrotherapy (A61N), patient transport (A61G), microorganism/genetic engineering (C12N) and healthcare informatics (G16H) each sit in single digits, marking them as adjacent rather than core claim territory.
Shares are the percentage of the 6,245 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 Motion Preservation and Disc Replacement covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.
Go deeper on Motion Preservation and Disc Replacement with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about motion preservation and disc replacement and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaKey Patents
Most-cited foundational filings
Representative Filing
Method of Implanting an Artificial Disc Replacement Device
TRM IP MANAGEMENT LLC
A method of implanting an artificial disc replacement device into a disc space between a first vertebra and a second vertebra, including inserting a first endplate and a second endplate into the disc space, using a distraction tool to seat and then unseat the first endplate for repositioning, and subsequently inserting a core assembly between the endplates.Filed as US20240108477A1, published 2024-04-04, assigned to TRM IP Management LLC.
Highest-citation records in scope
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US5192326A | Hydrogel bead intervertebral disc nucleus | 1,564 |
| 2 | US5047055A | Hydrogel intervertebral disc nucleus | 1,389 |
| 3 | US6019792A | Articulating spinal implant | 1,321 |
| 4 | US5888226A | Intervertebral prosthetic disc | 1,293 |
| 5 | US6039763A | Articulating spinal disc prosthesis | 1,139 |
| 6 | US8128662B2 | Minimally invasive tooling for delivery of interspinous spacer | 1,128 |
| 7 | US8568416B2 | Access and tissue modification systems and methods | 1,066 |
| 8 | US9861446B2 | Devices and methods for surgery | 981 |
| 9 | US5645597A | Disc replacement method and apparatus | 955 |
| 10 | US5976186A | Hydrogel intervertebral disc nucleus | 904 |
Citation counts reflect influence within this searched corpus and skew toward older filings; they are not a measure of current commercial relevance.
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 Motion Preservation and Disc Replacement 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
Three read-throughs from the concentration, trend and classification data that matter for anyone deciding where to file or license next.
Concentration
18.2% of 6,245
top 5 combined share
A visible cluster, not a monopoly
The five leading assignees hold 1,136 of the 6,245 records in scope, and the top ten extend that to 26.7% with 1,668 records. That leaves nearly three-quarters of filings spread across the rest of the ranked field and beyond it, meaning no single design approach has locked up the space.
Read against the full 6,245-record base, not the ranked subset.
Momentum
-37%, 2021-2024
filing change, complete years
Volume has come off its 2020 peak
Filings peaked at 204 in 2020 and fell to 100 by 2024, a -37% move across the last span of years that can be read as complete. Several of the historically largest assignees show flat or near-zero recent-year activity, which is consistent with a maturing device category rather than a shrinking one.
2025-2026 counts are still filling in due to publication lag.
Claim density
64.4% A61F
share of 6,245 records
Implant hardware claims sit on the densest prior art
A61F and A61B together touch more than half of all records, which means endplate, core and articulation geometry claims compete against a large existing body of art. The smaller classes — sterilisation, electrotherapy, informatics — carry far less density and are where narrower claims are easier to secure.
Class shares sum above 100% because records can carry multiple IPC codes.
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Looking for what nobody has claimed yet?
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to motion preservation and disc replacement, with the prior art for and against each one.
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Co-assignee relationships and derived observations. Derived from a Patsnap search on Motion Preservation and Disc Replacement 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 holds the ranked filings, and where they are pulling back
The assignee ranking covers 100 companies counted by patent family; it is the complete set the dataset returns, not a top-50 or top-100 cut chosen for this page.
Leader
361 records
leading assignee family count
One filer sits well ahead of fifth place
The leading assignee holds 361 records against 139 for the fifth-ranked company and 101 for the tenth, a steep drop-off that marks a genuine gap between the top filer and the rest of the ranked field.
Counted in patent families, the fairer unit across jurisdictions.
Momentum
-93% to -100% YoY
recent-year change, several leaders
Several historically active filers have gone quiet
Recent-year momentum among the largest historical assignees is sharply negative — one leading filer dropped to a single record in the latest year, and multiple others show zero filings with year-on-year declines of -100%. That pattern points to consolidation of effort rather than continued expansion by the same names.
Latest-year counts are partial due to publication lag.
Collaboration
10 co-assignee pairs
identified in the dataset
Co-filing is limited and concentrated on one relationship
Only ten co-assignee pairs appear in the data, and the strongest pairings all involve the same corporate filer working with named individual inventors, rather than joint filing between competing companies.
Co-assignee counts reflect shared filings, not licensing or M&A activity.
Recent-year filing momentum by assignee
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| CARLSMED INC | 1 | -93% |
| Warsaw Orthopedic Inc | 0 | -100% |
| Globus Medical Inc | 0 | — |
| TranS1 Inc | 0 | — |
| Spartek Medical Inc | 0 | — |
| Mainstay Medical | 0 | -100% |
| JACKSON CORP | 0 | — |
| Vertiflex Inc | 0 | — |
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Assignee-level momentum. Derived from a Patsnap search on Motion Preservation and Disc Replacement 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 analysis
The dataset points to specific next steps depending on whether the goal is freedom-to-operate, licensing, or identifying open claim territory.
Map claims against the leading assignee's portfolio
With one filer holding 361 records against 139 at fifth place, a freedom-to-operate review should start by mapping its claim scope before assessing the rest of the ranked field.
Explore assignee portfolios in EurekaTest the under-claimed branches for a first-filer position
Sub-areas like facet-loading sensors and informatics-based survival tracking show thin filing density relative to the core implant classes, which may support narrower, easier-to-secure claims.
Run a white-space search in EurekaWatch recent-year momentum, not historical totals
Several of the largest historical filers show near-zero recent-year activity; tracking who is still filing now matters more than who filed the most since 2015.
Track assignee momentum in EurekaSource: Patsnap Eureka. Forward-looking reading of the same dataset. Derived from a Patsnap search on Motion Preservation and Disc Replacement 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 motion preservation and disc replacement patents
The dataset's assignee ranking shows a single leading filer with 361 records, well ahead of the fifth-ranked assignee at 139 and the tenth at 101. That leaves the top five assignees combining for 18.2% of all 6,245 records in scope, and the top ten for 26.7%. The remainder is spread across a long tail of the ranked field and beyond it, so no company controls a majority of the claim space.
Filings peaked in 2020 at 204 and fell to 100 by 2024, a -37% decline across the 2021-2024 span that can be treated as complete data. However, publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, so the lower counts shown for 2025 and 2026 are still filling in and should not be read as evidence of a further drop. The 2021-2024 trend is the most reliable signal currently available.
A61F, covering implants and prostheses, appears on 64.4% of the 6,245 records in scope, making it the densest single class. A61B, covering diagnosis and surgery, follows at 51.8%, reflecting how closely device claims are tied to surgical method claims. Smaller classes such as sterilisation (A61L), electrotherapy (A61N) and healthcare informatics (G16H) sit in single digits and represent comparatively open, less-contested claim territory.
US20240108477A1, assigned to TRM IP Management LLC and published 2024-04-04, claims a method of implanting an artificial disc replacement device that includes seating a first endplate, deliberately unseating and repositioning it, then inserting a core assembly between the endplates. The distinguishing feature is the reposition step after initial seating, which is a specific surgical-method sequence rather than a device geometry claim. Anyone designing an implantation technique or instrument set for two-piece endplate systems should check whether their sequence overlaps this reposition-before-core-insertion approach.
The classification data shows implant and surgical-method claims concentrated in A61F and A61B, while adjacent classes tied to sterilisation, electrotherapy, patient monitoring and healthcare informatics carry much lower filing density. Facet-loading sensor integration, heterotopic ossification prophylaxis coatings, and informatics-based implant survival tracking are specific sub-areas that show thinner coverage relative to the core implant classes. These are reasonable starting points for narrower claims, though a formal freedom-to-operate search is still needed before filing.
Answers are grounded in the same dataset. Derived from a Patsnap search on Motion Preservation and Disc Replacement 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
Research Motion Preservation and Disc Replacement in depth with Eureka
Go past this page: query the whole motion preservation and disc replacement corpus yourself, in your own scope.
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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.