Reaming and Hole Enlargement Tools Patents: Leaders & Trends 2026
Reaming and Hole Enlargement Tools: Patents, Leaders and Filing Trends
Concentrated at the top. the five leading assignees together hold 64.3% of all 2,174 records in scope, and the ranked leaders extend that to 79.3% among the top ten. Filings peaked at 50 in 2017. The most recent complete three-year comparison, 2021 (10) to 2024 (7), shows a -30% change; 2025 and 2026 figures are still filling in under the roughly 18-month publication lag and should not be read as a continued decline.
- 1BAKER HUGHES CO552
- 2WEATHERFORD TECHNOLOGY HOLDINGS LLC326
- 3SMITH INTERNATIONAL INC301
- 4SCHLUMBERGER TECH CORP113
- 5SCHLUMBERGER TECHNOLOGY BV106
See the full reaming and hole enlargement tools 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
Frequently asked questions
Who holds the most patents in reaming and hole enlargement tools?
One assignee leads with 552 records, well ahead of the fifth-place holder at 106 and tenth place at 52. Together the five leading assignees account for 64.3% of all 2,174 records in scope, and the top ten reach 79.3%. That concentration means most of the core expandable-reamer and hydraulic-activation architecture is already claimed by a small number of oilfield service majors, so due diligence on freedom to operate should start with those names before looking at the long tail.
Is patent filing in this field growing or slowing down?
Filing peaked at 50 in 2017 and has settled lower since. The most recent complete comparison, 2021 (10) to 2024 (7), shows a -30% change, which is the figure to use for any growth statement about this field. Data for 2025 and 2026 is still incomplete because publication typically lags filing by around 18 months, so those years should not yet be read as confirming a continued decline.
What technology areas are most crowded versus open in reaming patents?
The core mechanical drilling function, classified under IPC subclass E21B, covers 94.7% of the 2,174 records in scope and is heavily claimed by the leading assignees. Everything else is thin by comparison: coating chemistries, geophysical sensing, data processing and specialised drilling fluid materials each sit at or under about 1.5% of records, which is where a new entrant has the best chance of a claim that does not collide with existing prior art.
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 Reaming and Hole Enlargement Tools 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.