Point-of-Care Cartridge Patents: Who Leads, Where the Gaps Are 2026
- Two-company field. The entire assignee ranking returned by this dataset is two companies, together accounting for all 68 records in scope — there is no long tail to chart.
- Filing has gone quiet. Filings fell from 2 in 2021 to 0 in 2024, a -100% swing over that span, after a 2019 peak of 13 in a single year.
- Coagulation cartridge claims dominate citations. The five most-cited records all cover coagulation assay cartridges, with the top document cited 47 times — a strong signal of where prior art is densest.
Filing growth compares 2021 (2 records) with 2024 (0) — 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.
What this landscape covers
This review maps 68 published records filed between 2015 and 2026 that match cartridge-based point-of-care testing claims — dry reagent formats, onboard calibration, operator lockout, record connectivity and related cartridge cost or environmental tolerance limitations. The scope is narrow by design: it isolates the cartridge and instrument-interface layer of point-of-care diagnostics rather than the broader assay chemistry literature. Publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, so the last one to two years in any trend chart will always look thinner than the true filing rate.
Two organisations account for the entire ranked field, which makes this less a competitive map than a duopoly snapshot. Reading the technology composition and citation table alongside the trend line tells a fuller story than either alone: dense claim coverage in coagulation cartridge assays sits next to a filing slowdown that predates the most recent, still-incomplete years.
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Filing trend and technology composition
The chart below tracks annual filings against the IPC subclasses that recur across the 68 records in scope. Because a single record can carry several classification codes, the class shares add up to more than the record total — that is expected and does not indicate double-counting of records.
Filing trend: a sharp peak, then a drop-off
Filings peaked at 13 in 2019, the highest single year in the dataset. From there the count fell steadily; by the last complete year on record, 2024, annual filings had dropped to 0 from 2 in 2021 — a -100% change over that three-year span. Treat 2025 and 2026 figures as provisional given publication lag.
Technology composition: two subclasses carry almost every record
G01N (material analysis and testing) appears in 92.6% of the 68 records and B01L (laboratory apparatus) in 83.8%, confirming that nearly every filing in this set combines an analytical-measurement claim with a fluidic-apparatus claim. G01R (electric and magnetic measurement) appears in 13.2% of records, and C12Q (enzyme/DNA-based measuring) in just 5.9% — a much smaller footprint that hints at where molecular-diagnostic cartridge integration remains lightly claimed.
Shares are the percentage of the 68 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
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Try EurekaThe most-cited records in this field
Sensors for testing coagulation in liquid samples (EP3198280B1)
This granted European patent, assigned to Abbott Point of Care and dated 2021-05-26, claims sensor arrangements for coagulation testing within a cartridge-based analyzer. It sits within the same coagulation-cartridge cluster that dominates the citation table for this dataset.Granted claim scope, not a pending application — freedom-to-operate checks should treat it as active.
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US20160091511A1 | Single channel cartridge device for coagulation assays in fluid samples | 47 |
| 2 | US20160091509A1 | Cartridge device with segmented fluidics for assaying coagulation in fluid samples | 30 |
| 3 | US20160091455A1 | Cartridge device identification for coagulation assays in fluid samples | 27 |
| 4 | WO2016049545A1 | Single channel cartridge device for coagulation assays in fluid samples | 23 |
| 5 | US20160091508A1 | Microfabricated device with micro-environment sensors for assaying coagulation in fluid samples | 18 |
| 6 | EP3197602A1 | Microfabricated device with micro-environment sensors for assaying coagulation in fluid samples | 16 |
| 7 | US20160091510A1 | Cartridge device with fluidic junctions for coagulation assays in fluid samples | 15 |
| 8 | WO2016049552A1 | Cartridge device identification for coagulation assays in fluid samples | 13 |
| 9 | WO2016049506A1 | Sensors for assaying coagulation in fluid samples | 12 |
| 10 | US20210370289A1 | System and method for sample preparation in GMR-based detection of biomarkers | 11 |
All five most-cited records concern coagulation assay cartridges, filed by the same applicant family — a sign of how tightly this sub-area has been claimed relative to the rest of the dataset.
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Browse MCP servers →What the numbers mean for filing strategy
Three patterns stand out once the ranking, the trend and the technology split are read together.
A two-company field, not a fragmented one
The entire assignee ranking this dataset returns is two organisations, together covering all 68 records in scope. There is no long tail of smaller filers to watch here — competitive dynamics in this narrow slice of cartridge claims run through just those two portfolios.
Filing cooled well before the data cut-off
Annual filings dropped from 2 in 2021 to 0 in 2024 after a 2019 peak of 13. That decline is measured against complete years, not the still-filling 2025-2026 window, so it reflects a genuine pullback in new cartridge-platform filings rather than a lag artefact.
Two IPC subclasses anchor nearly every filing
G01N and B01L together appear across the large majority of the 68 records, showing that cartridge platform claims are almost always paired analytical-measurement and fluidic-apparatus disclosures. C12Q, covering enzyme and DNA-based measuring, appears in only 5.9% of records — a comparatively open corner of this landscape.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to point-of-care cartridge platforms, with the prior art for and against each one.
Who holds the ground
The ranked field in this dataset is small: two assignees account for every one of the 68 records in scope, with the leader holding 57 of them. Recent-year momentum for both has flattened to zero, consistent with the broader filing slowdown seen in the trend data.
The dominant filer in coagulation cartridge claims
One assignee accounts for the large majority of records in this dataset, concentrated in coagulation assay cartridge design — sensor arrangements, fluidic segmentation and cartridge identification. Its recent-year filing count has dropped to zero, mirroring the field-wide slowdown after 2019.
A much smaller but still active second portfolio
The remaining records in scope belong to a single second assignee. Recent-year filings for this portfolio have also fallen to zero, so neither of the two ranked players shows fresh filing activity in the most recent complete year.
No long tail to track
This dataset's assignee ranking returns exactly two organisations and no further entrants. That is unusual for a patent landscape and means competitive monitoring here is a two-portfolio exercise rather than a market-share exercise across dozens of filers.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Abbott Point of Care Inc. | 0 | — |
| Zepto Life Technology | 0 | — |
Where to take this analysis
This landscape flags concentration and a filing slowdown, but every organisation deciding whether to file, license or design around these claims needs to go deeper than a summary page allows.
Run a freedom-to-operate check on the coagulation cluster
The five most-cited records in this dataset all sit in coagulation assay cartridge claims held by one applicant family. Any new cartridge design touching segmented fluidics or cartridge identification should be checked against that cluster specifically.
Explore this cluster in Patsnap EurekaTrack whether filing actually resumes after 2024
The -100% swing from 2021 to 2024 is measured on complete years; 2025-2026 filings are still arriving. Re-checking this trend in a future cut-off will show whether the slowdown was a pause or a genuine market pullback.
Set up ongoing monitoring in Patsnap EurekaAssess the under-claimed branches for a first-filer position
C12Q-tagged enzyme/DNA cartridge integration and G01R-tagged onboard electric sensing both carry a small share of the 68 records. Either could support an early, less-contested filing position relative to the dense coagulation cluster.
Scope white space in Patsnap EurekaCommon questions about this landscape
This dataset's assignee ranking returns only two organisations, together covering all 68 records in scope, with the leading filer holding 57 of them. That is an unusually concentrated field compared with most diagnostics categories, where dozens of companies typically hold small shares. It means competitive tracking here is realistically a two-portfolio watch rather than a broad market scan.
Based on complete-year data, it is slowing: filings peaked at 13 in 2019 and fell to 0 by 2024, a -100% change from the 2 filings recorded in 2021. The 2025 and 2026 figures in any chart should be read as provisional, since publication typically lags actual filing by around 18 months. A genuine rebound would only be visible once those later years finish filling in.
Material analysis and testing (IPC class G01N) appears in 92.6% of the 68 records, and laboratory apparatus (B01L) in 83.8%, meaning nearly every filing pairs an analytical-measurement claim with a fluidic-apparatus claim. Electric and magnetic measurement (G01R) appears in a much smaller 13.2% of records, and enzyme/DNA-based measuring (C12Q) in just 5.9%. Those last two classes represent comparatively open ground relative to the dominant pairing.
EP3198280B1, assigned to Abbott Point of Care and dated 2021-05-26, claims sensor arrangements for testing coagulation within a cartridge-based analyzer. It sits inside the same coagulation-cartridge cluster that produces the five most-cited records in this dataset, several of which share overlapping subject matter on fluidic segmentation and cartridge identification. Anyone designing a coagulation cartridge with onboard sensing should review this grant specifically rather than relying on a general keyword search.
The technology composition data points to enzyme/DNA-based cartridge integration and electric/magnetic onboard sensing as the least-claimed branches, appearing in 5.9% and 13.2% of the 68 records respectively, against 92.6% and 83.8% for the two dominant classes. That gap suggests coagulation-style cartridge claims are heavily occupied while molecular-diagnostic and onboard-sensing cartridge integration are not. High density elsewhere in this dataset reflects occupied claim space, not necessarily a mature or exhausted technology.
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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.