Panoramic Roof Patents: Who Leads, Where the Gaps Are 2026
- 47.6% concentration. The top 5 of 43 ranked assignees hold 59 of 124 records in scope — under half the field, with a long tail below them.
- +75% filing growth. Filings rose from 4 in 2021 to 7 in 2024, the last year the data can treat as complete.
- Acoustics is now a glazing problem. G10K acoustics classes appear on 16.9% of records alongside the core B60J window/fitting class, showing noise control is filed as part of the roof, not bolted on after.
Filing growth compares 2021 (4 records) with 2024 (7) — 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 124 records in scope (CR5), not by the ranked leaders only.
What this patent set covers
This landscape tracks patents and applications at the intersection of panoramic roof and sunroof hardware and the specific engineering problems that make large glass roofs hard to sell: water leak sealing, wind noise, shade mechanisms, roof stiffness, glass weight and opening mechanisms. The search deliberately pairs a structural term with a problem term, so the 124 records in scope are the ones where an applicant claimed a fix to one of these named issues rather than a roof panel in the abstract.
The IPC composition confirms the frame: B60J (windows, doors and vehicle fittings) sits under 58.9% of records, with acoustics (G10K), laminates (B32B) and door/window operating gear (E05F) layered underneath it. That stack is the fingerprint of a mechanical-and-materials problem, not a software one, though data-processing classes do appear on a small share of records tied to speed-based panel control.
Filing trend and technology composition
Two views of the same 124-record set: how filing activity moved year on year, and which IPC subclasses carry the claims.
Filing activity, 2017-2026
Filings peaked at 16 in 2019, the highest single year in the window. Growth resumed after that peak: 2021 (4) to 2024 (7) is a +75% rise, and 2024 is the most recent year the trend can be read as complete — 2025 and 2026 will fill in further as publication catches up with filing, typically an 18-month lag.
IPC subclass distribution
B60J covers 58.9% of the 124 records, confirming this is primarily a windows-and-fittings problem. G10K (16.9%) and B32B (16.1%) show that acoustic performance and laminate construction are claimed alongside the mechanical roof, not as separate filings. E05F (5.6%) and G06F (4.8%) are the smaller, more specific layers — operating gear and electronic control respectively. Because records carry multiple classes, these shares add to more than 100% of the 124-record total and should be read individually, not summed.
Shares are the percentage of the 124 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on Panoramic Roof and Sunroof Systems with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about panoramic roof and sunroof systems and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaA representative claim: speed-linked panel control
Panoramic Roof Module for a Vehicle
A panoramic vehicle sunroof system with a movable roof panel operable to define a sunroof opening extending generally from a front pillar to a rear pillar. A sunroof controller receives input indicative of vehicle speed and automatically controls movement of the panel, commanding it to a second, smaller opening position when speed exceeds a threshold, in order to reduce wind noise.Filed by Ford Global Technologies; a clear example of wind-noise mitigation claimed as a control-logic feature rather than a purely mechanical one.
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US6129413A | Powered dual panel sunroof | 80 |
| 2 | US5746475A | Drive mechanism for an automotive vehicle sunroof assembly | 76 |
| 3 | US8481916B2 | Accessory mounting system for a vehicle having a light absorbing layer with a light transmitting portion for … | 63 |
| 4 | US5941598A | Drive mechanism for an automotive vehicle sunroof assembly | 57 |
| 5 | US20150367782A1 | Panoramic extended windshield with integrated non-moving blind | 49 |
| 6 | US20120234621A1 | Window Systems for Vehicles | 46 |
| 7 | US20140000977A1 | Interlayer for laminated glass and laminated glass | 43 |
| 8 | US7314079B2 | Sunshade system having blind sheet | 36 |
| 9 | US20050051285A1 | Sunshade system having blind sheet | 34 |
| 10 | US20130268163A1 | Panoramic Roof Module for a Vehicle | 33 |
Citation counts favour older filings that have had longer to accumulate citations inside this corpus — read them as a signal of influence on the field, not of current commercial 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 a filing decision
Three read-throughs of the dataset that matter more than any single ranking.
The top of the field is not a monopoly
The five leading assignees account for 47.6% of all 124 records in scope, and the top 10 reach 65.3%. That leaves roughly a third of the field spread across 33 more ranked assignees plus unranked entrants — a real long tail, not a two-player market.
Growth resumed after the 2019 peak
Filing activity peaked at 16 in 2019, cooled, then climbed again: 4 filings in 2021 to 7 in 2024, a +75% rise over that span. Treat 2025-2026 counts as provisional; publication lag of roughly 18 months means the most recent years always understate true filing volume.
Acoustics is filed inside the roof claim, not around it
G10K acoustics classes sit on 16.9% of records and B32B laminates on 16.1%, both nested under the dominant B60J class. That pattern says noise and weight reduction are being claimed as integral to the roof assembly, which narrows the room to file a noise-only or laminate-only patent without touching the base mechanism claims.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to panoramic roof and sunroof systems, with the prior art for and against each one.
Who is filing, and where the gaps sit
The leader holds 16 records against a fifth-place figure of 7 and a tenth-place figure of 4 — a sharp drop-off rather than a gradual one, which is typical of a field with one or two committed platform programmes and many single-application entrants.
One clear filer, not a duopoly
The top-ranked assignee's 16 records are more than double the fifth-place count of 7, indicating a sustained internal programme rather than opportunistic filing. Below it, counts fall off quickly, which is where the long tail begins.
A wide field of single- and few-filing entrants
With 43 assignees ranked across 124 records, most companies in this set hold only a handful of filings. That spread suits component and Tier-1 suppliers as much as OEMs, since a single sealing or shade-mechanism improvement is enough to appear in the ranking.
Co-filing is rare and individual-linked
Only three co-assignee pairings appear in the dataset, and the strongest ones pair a single corporate assignee with named individual inventors rather than with another company. Cross-company joint filing is effectively absent here, so most claim positions are built unilaterally.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Silentium Ltd | 0 | -100% |
| Aisin Technical Center of America, Inc. | 0 | — |
| AGP America | 0 | — |
| Sekisui Chemical Co., Ltd. | 0 | — |
| Aston Martin Lagonda Limited | 0 | — |
| Volvo Car Corporation | 0 | — |
| Tesla, Inc. | 0 | — |
| Glaverbel | 0 | — |
Where to take this analysis
The ranking and trend answer who and how much. The next questions are what specifically is claimed and what is still open to file.
Map claims against your own roof architecture
Run your current or planned panel mechanism, sealing approach and shade design against the most-cited records to see which mechanical claim families you sit closest to.
Explore claims in EurekaTrack the leader's recent filings
Momentum data shows the leading assignees with zero filings in the latest year, which given publication lag may reflect filing-to-publication timing rather than a slowdown — worth confirming directly.
Set up assignee monitoring in EurekaTest the white space chips against prior art
The under-claimed branches above are starting points, not clearances — search each against the full corpus before drafting.
Run a white space search in EurekaCommon questions on panoramic roof and sunroof patents
The dataset ranks 43 assignees across 124 records, with a single leader holding 16 records — more than double the fifth-place count of 7. The top 5 assignees together hold 47.6% of all records in scope, and the top 10 hold 65.3%. Below that top group the field spreads thin, with many assignees holding only one or two filings, so the competitive picture is one dominant filer plus a genuine long tail rather than a small closed group.
IPC composition shows B60J (windows, doors and vehicle fittings) on 58.9% of the 124 records, making mechanical roof structure and hardware the dominant claim area. Acoustics (G10K, 16.9%) and layered/laminate materials (B32B, 16.1%) are the next largest, reflecting wind-noise reduction and glass-weight management as the two problems most frequently claimed alongside the base mechanism. Door and window operating gear (E05F) and digital control (G06F) appear on smaller shares, covering opening mechanisms and speed-linked or electronic control features.
Filing peaked at 16 records in 2019, then activity resumed climbing from 4 filings in 2021 to 7 in 2024, a +75% increase over that span. 2024 is the most recent year that can be read as complete, because publication typically lags filing by roughly 18 months. That lag means 2025 and 2026 figures in the raw trend will understate true activity and should not be read as a slowdown.
Moderately concentrated at the top but with a long tail below it. The top 5 of 43 ranked assignees account for 47.6% of the 124 records in scope, and the top 10 account for 65.3%, leaving more than a third of filings spread across dozens of smaller assignees. This pattern is typical of a mechanical-systems field where component suppliers and niche innovators can hold a competitive position with just a handful of filings.
US20130268163A1, assigned to Ford Global Technologies, claims a panoramic sunroof with a controller that automatically repositions the roof panel to a smaller opening when vehicle speed exceeds a threshold, specifically to reduce wind noise. It blocks speed-triggered automatic panel repositioning tied to noise reduction as claimed, but does not cover shade mechanisms, sealing structures, or manually operated panel positioning, leaving those areas open for independent claim construction. Anyone designing a speed-responsive roof control feature should review its claim scope before finalising a control algorithm.
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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.