Periscope and Folded Optics for Zoom Patents
One leader, then a steep drop. the top-ranked assignee holds 19 records against a fifth-place count of 2 and a tenth-place count of 1 — a narrow core surrounded by single-filing entrants. Filing rose from 2 records in 2017 to a peak of 21 in 2020, then declined; the 2021-to-2024 span shows a -100% change (8 records down to 0), the last full-year comparison the data supports. Years after 2024 are still being published and are excluded from that comparison.
- 1华为技术有限公司19
- 2高通股份有限公司10
- 3常州市瑞泰光电有限公司7
- 4物理光学公司2
- 5浙江舜宇光学有限公司2
See the full periscope and folded optics for zoom analysis in Eureka
- The complete ranking, not just the top five
- Every IPC branch with its share of the corpus
- The most-cited records, and where claim space is still thin
Common questions about this landscape
What counts as a periscope or folded-optics camera patent?
In this dataset, a record qualifies if it combines periscope camera, folded optics or continuous optical zoom language with claims touching prism reflection, zoom mechanism design, module thickness, tolerance sensitivity, autofocus range or telephoto image quality. That combination isolates the mechanical and optical engineering of the folded light path rather than general smartphone camera software or sensor claims. The scope covers 44 published records filed between 2015 and mid-2026.
Who are the leading patent holders in folded-optics zoom?
The assignee ranking returned by this search covers 10 companies, with the top-ranked assignee holding 19 records against a fifth-place count of 2 and a tenth-place count of 1. That is a steep drop-off rather than an even spread, meaning one company built a much deeper claim position than the rest of the ranked field. Anyone doing freedom-to-operate work should check that leader's claims first before assuming the smaller filers matter equally.
Is patent filing in this area still growing?
No — filing peaked at 21 records in 2020 and fell -100% from 8 records in 2021 to 0 in 2024, the most recent year the data can treat as complete. Because publication typically lags filing by around 18 months, the 2025 and 2026 figures in the raw trend are still incomplete and should not be read as confirming a continued decline. The honest read is: activity was strong through 2020-2021 and has clearly cooled since, based on the last complete year available.
Disclaimer. This analysis is based on Patsnap Eureka data drawn from a limited snapshot of global patent records and is provided for general information and reference only. Patent data carries inherent limitations — recent filings are under-counted because of publication lag, counts may be on a record or family basis, classification and applicant-name data may contain errors or duplicates, and the underlying search query defines the scope shown — so the analysis may be incomplete or inaccurate and may not reflect the full technology landscape.
Nothing here is an exhaustive prior-art, novelty, freedom-to-operate or validity search, nor does it constitute legal, financial or professional advice, and it should not be relied upon as such. Verify independently and review with qualified patent and legal professionals before acting on it.
Method: Filing trend and technology composition. Derived from a Patsnap search on Periscope and Folded Optics for Zoom covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish. Every share divides by all records in scope. Data: Patsnap Eureka. See the full landscape report.