Nonwovens Patents: Top Companies & Filing Trends 2026
- 31.6% concentration. The five leading assignees account for 4,772 of 15,119 records in scope, a genuine concentration at the top rather than a fragmented field.
- Filing down 46% since the 2021 peak window. Annual filings fell from 481 in 2021 to 259 in 2024, the last year with complete publication data.
- D04H and A61F dominate class coverage. Nonwovens & felts (33.7%) and implants & prostheses (26.2%) together frame most of the claim activity, with layered products (22.7%) close behind.
Filing growth compares 2021 (481 records) with 2024 (259) — 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 15,119 records in scope (CR5), not by the ranked leaders only.
What this dataset covers
This landscape draws on 15,119 published records matching nonwoven fabric, nonwoven web and related construction terms crossed against fiber orientation, yarn tension, fabric density, web bonding, fabric construction and surface finishing. The scope spans 2015 through the 2026 data cut-off, giving a decade-plus view of how bonding methods, layered constructions and fiber-level claims have accumulated. Records can carry more than one IPC subclass, so the technology composition figures below overlap by design rather than summing to 100%.
Publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, so the most recent one to two years in any trend understate real filing activity. Treat 2024 as the last year with a reasonably complete count, and read 2025 and 2026 as still filling in rather than as evidence of a slowdown.
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Filing trends and technology composition
Two views of the same 15,119-record set: the year-by-year filing count, and the IPC subclasses those records fall under.
Filing activity peaked in 2017, then eased
Annual filings peaked at 653 in 2017. The clearest recent signal is the drop from 481 filings in 2021 to 259 in 2024, a 46% decline over that three-year span. Years after 2024 are not yet complete because of publication lag and should not be read as a continuation of that decline.
Nonwovens and implant classes carry the most weight
D04H (nonwovens & felts) appears on 33.7% of records and A61F (implants & prostheses) on 26.2%, reflecting how much nonwovens activity in this scope is tied to hygiene and medical end uses. B32B (layered products & laminates) at 22.7% shows lamination and composite-web claims are nearly as common as core nonwoven-forming claims themselves.
Shares are the percentage of the 15,119 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on Nonwovens Patent Landscape with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about nonwovens patent landscape and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaThe records other filings cite most
Nonwoven fabric exhibiting cross-direction extensibility and recovery (US20020046800A1)
A hydroentangled nonwoven fabric exhibiting cross-direction extensibility and recovery comprises a nonwoven web of staple length fibers of about 0.8 to 3.0 denier having a basis weight of about 1.0 to 4.0 ounces per square yard. A polymeric binder composition substantially uniformly applied to the nonwoven web imparts desired elasticity to the web, with the fabric exhibiting at least about 50% extensibility in a cross-direction thereof, and at least about 90% recovery in a cross-direction. The nonwoven web may comprise synthetic fibers, natural fibers, and blends thereof, as well as continuous filaments.Filed as a hydroentanglement approach to cross-direction elasticity, a property that most nonwoven-elastic laminate filings still have to address.
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US4041203A | Nonwoven thermoplastic fabric | 2,163 |
| 2 | US5167897A | Method for incrementally stretching a zero strain stretch laminate web to impart elasticity thereto | 2,112 |
| 3 | US6838493B2 | Medical devices and applications of polyhydroxyalkanoate polymers | 1,833 |
| 4 | US6867248B1 | Polyhydroxyalkanoate compositions having controlled degradation rates | 1,629 |
| 5 | US5156793A | Method for incrementally stretching zero strain stretch laminate web in a non-uniform manner to impart a vary… | 1,511 |
| 6 | US20040110439A1 | Native protein mimetic fibers, fiber networks and fabrics for medical use | 1,498 |
| 7 | US7682686B2 | Tufted fibrous web | 1,400 |
| 8 | US5143679A | Method for sequentially stretching zero strain stretch laminate web to impart elasticity thereto without rupt… | 1,346 |
| 9 | US6261679B1 | Fibrous absorbent material and methods of making the same | 1,319 |
| 10 | US3855046A | Pattern bonded continuous filament web | 1,254 |
Citation counts inside this corpus favor older filings that have had more time to accumulate references — read them as a signal of influence on later claim drafting, not as a measure of current relevance.
Each row carries its publication number; clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
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Browse MCP servers →What the numbers mean for filing strategy
Concentration, class overlap and citation patterns each point to a different practical decision.
The field has a defined core, not a flat field of small filers
Five assignees account for 4,772 of the 15,119 records in scope, and the top ten extend that to 40.0%. That leaves a long tail of single- and few-filing entrants working around a relatively small set of established claim positions.
Activity has cooled from its 2021 level, not collapsed
The count fell from 481 filings in 2021 to 259 in 2024, the last complete year. That is a real decline in a previously active window, but it follows an even higher 2017 peak of 653, suggesting cyclical rather than one-way movement.
Medical and hygiene end-uses shape a third of the field
D04H (nonwovens & felts) and A61F (implants & prostheses) are the two largest subclasses by share, with B32B (layered products) close behind at 22.7%. A meaningful share of nonwoven claims are drafted with a medical or absorbent-hygiene application in view, not purely a materials-science one.
Older elasticity and stretch-laminate patents still anchor citation networks
The most-cited records in this dataset relate to stretch-laminate elasticity and thermoplastic nonwoven fabric methods filed well before the 2015 window opens. Their citation counts reflect decades of accumulated references inside a searched corpus, not current commercial weight.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to nonwovens patent landscape, with the prior art for and against each one.
Who is filing, and where activity is easing
The ranked leaders in this scope span personal-care, industrial-fiber and materials companies, several of which show reduced recent-year filing.
A single filer holds a clear lead
The top-ranked assignee's 1,690 records sit well above the fifth-place count of 420, underscoring how concentrated the top of this field is compared with the 100-company ranked list as a whole.
Several established filers have pulled back sharply
Multiple assignees in the ranked list show recent-year filing counts down 67% or more year-on-year, with some recording zero recent filings against a prior baseline. That pattern is consistent with the broader 2021-2024 decline rather than isolated to one company.
Collaboration is limited and concentrated
Only 10 co-assignee pairs appear across the dataset, the strongest linking a personal-care major with a named individual inventor-assignee at 20 shared records. Most filing in this space is done by a single assignee rather than jointly.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Procter & Gamble Co | 13 | -28% |
| Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc. | 3 | -67% |
| Uni-Charm Corp | 1 | 0% |
| Toray Industries, Inc. | 0 | -100% |
| 3M Innovative Properties Co (US) | 0 | -100% |
| Daio Paper Corp | 0 | — |
| Kao Corp | 0 | — |
| 3M Co (US) | 0 | — |
Where to take this analysis
The dataset points to specific next steps depending on whether you're clearing a filing or scouting white space.
Run a freedom-to-operate check against the leading assignees
With 31.6% of records held by five assignees, a targeted portfolio review of those filers will surface more relevant prior art per hour than a broad keyword sweep across all 15,119 records.
Explore assignee portfolios in EurekaMap claim language in the most-cited stretch-laminate patents
The highest-cited records concern cross-direction elasticity and stretch-laminate methods; understanding their claim scope clarifies what later filings had to design around.
Trace citation chains in EurekaTest draft claims against under-claimed sub-areas
Surface finishing, fiber orientation control and fabric density gradients show comparatively lower filing density than core web-forming claims, worth validating before committing R&D spend.
Check white space with EurekaCommon questions about the nonwovens patent landscape
The dataset's leading assignee holds 1,690 records, well ahead of the fifth-ranked company at 420. The five leading assignees together hold 4,772 records, or 31.6% of the 15,119 records in scope, showing real concentration at the top even though the full ranked list runs to 100 companies. Anyone doing freedom-to-operate work in nonwovens should start with those top filers' portfolios rather than a broad keyword search.
Filing peaked at 653 records in 2017 and has since eased, falling from 481 in 2021 to 259 in 2024, a 46% decline over that span. However, publication typically lags filing by around 18 months, so 2025 and 2026 counts in this dataset are still incomplete and should not be read as continued decline. The honest read is that activity has cooled from its early-2020s level, not that the field has gone quiet.
D04H (nonwovens & felts) covers the largest share at 33.7% of the 15,119 records in scope, followed by A61F (implants & prostheses) at 26.2% and B32B (layered products & laminates) at 22.7%. The strong A61F presence reflects how much nonwovens innovation in this scope is tied to medical and hygiene applications rather than pure fabric-forming methods. Because records can carry multiple classes, these shares overlap and should not be summed.
US20020046800A1 claims a hydroentangled nonwoven fabric built from staple fibers of about 0.8 to 3.0 denier at a basis weight of roughly 1.0 to 4.0 ounces per square yard, treated with a polymeric binder to deliver at least 50% cross-direction extensibility and at least 90% cross-direction recovery. It is a specific combination of fiber denier, basis weight, binder application and patterned hydroentanglement, not a broad claim over nonwoven elasticity generally. Filings that avoid that specific denier and basis weight combination, or that achieve elasticity by a different bonding mechanism, sit outside its core claim scope.
Relative to the dense claim activity in core web-forming and hygiene-application classes, sub-areas such as surface finishing of nonwoven webs, fiber orientation control during bonding, and fabric density gradients across laminate layers show lower filing density in this dataset. Lower density signals unoccupied claim space, not that the underlying technology is unproven or low value. Validating these branches against the leading assignees' full portfolios is the right next step before committing to a specific claim.
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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.