Fastest
Eureka on the web
When you want the answer in the next five minutes.
The agent works the prompt against patents and technical literature, citing every source.
Run your analysis now →https://www.patsnap.com/resources/blog/rd-blog/refrigeration-and-cold-chain-patent-landscape-patent-landscape/ · Patsnap · data cut-off 2026-08-31 · downloaded from the live page
Patent Landscape · Thermal Systems & HVAC/RefrigerationRefrigeration and cold chain patents: who leads, and where filing is heading
- 31.8% concentration at the top. The five leading assignees hold 17,538 of 55,185 records in scope, but the other 68% is a long tail of single- and few-filing entrants.
- Filing has cooled from its 2018 peak. Activity ran 1,289 records in 2018 and fell 35% between 2021 (1,157) and 2024 (748), the last year with complete published data.
- F25B dominates, but coverage thins fast after it. Core refrigeration and heat-pump claims (F25B) sit in 19.9% of records, while air conditioning (F24F) and refrigerator-specific claims (F25D) trail well behind.
55.2K
Published Records
32%
Top-5 Share of All Records
-35%
Filing Growth 2021→2024
US
Leading Jurisdiction
Filing growth compares 2021 (1,157 records) with 2024 (748) — 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 55,185 records in scope (CR5), not by the ranked leaders only.
Published byPatsnap Research··6 min readSourced from Patsnap Eureka
Field Overview
What this dataset covers
This landscape draws on 55,185 published records filed or published between 2015 and 2026 that combine refrigeration-cycle or vapor-compression language with sensing, thermal-load or working-fluid claims. It spans core mechanical refrigeration through to adjacent claims in vehicle HVAC, working-fluid chemistry and heat-exchange hardware. Publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, so the most recent one to two years in any trend understate real filing activity.
Records concentrate around a handful of large industrial HVAC and appliance manufacturers, with receiving offices led by the United States, followed by Europe and the WIPO PCT route. The technology composition below reflects the multi-class nature of these filings: a single record can carry several IPC subclasses at once.
Filing activity, 2017-2026
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Assignee ranking and totals. Derived from a Patsnap search on Refrigeration & Cold Chain Patent Landscape covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-08-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
The Numbers
Filing trends and technology composition
Two views of the same 55,185-record corpus: how filing volume has moved year over year, and how claims distribute across IPC subclasses.
A decade of filing activity
Filings peaked at 1,289 records in 2018, then eased to 1,157 by 2021. Between 2021 and 2024 -the last year with complete published data- volume dropped 35% to 748 records. Later years in the chart will fill in further as publication catches up with filing.
Where the claims sit
F25B (refrigeration and heat pumps) covers 19.9% of the 55,185 records in scope, more than double the next class. F24F (air conditioning and ventilation) and F25D (refrigerators and cooling) follow at 7.0% and 3.9%. Working-fluid chemistry (C09K, 2.7%) and vehicle HVAC (B60H, 2.6%) show meaningful but secondary claim density; separation processes (B01D, 1.3%) sit at the thin edge of this corpus.
Shares are the percentage of the 55,185 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Filing trend and technology composition. Derived from a Patsnap search on Refrigeration & Cold Chain Patent Landscape covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-08-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.
Go deeper on Refrigeration & Cold Chain Patent Landscape with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about refrigeration & cold chain patent landscape and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaKey Patents
Representative and most-cited filings
Representative Filing
EP3144600B1 - Vapor compression refrigeration cycle (Mitsubishi Electric)
MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
Granted to Mitsubishi Electric Corporation and published 2024-12-11, this filing (original title in German: "Dampfkompressionskuehlkreislauf") sits squarely in the F25B core of this landscape and illustrates how established players continue to refine vapor-compression cycle control rather than abandon the architecture.Grant date and assignee are rendered from the underlying record.
Most-cited records in this corpus
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US20130201316A1 | System and method for server based control | 1,727 |
| 2 | US20200294401A1 | A Method and Apparatus for Collecting and Using Sensor Data from a Vehicle | 615 |
| 3 | US5811062A | Microcomponent chemical process sheet architecture | 594 |
| 4 | US6230501B1 | Ergonomic systems and methods providing intelligent adaptive surfaces and temperature control | 522 |
| 5 | US20040256594A1 | Compositions containing fluorine substituted olefins | 517 |
| 6 | US5975081A | Self-contained transportable life support system | 498 |
| 7 | US7011154B2 | In situ recovery from a kerogen and liquid hydrocarbon containing formation | 383 |
| 8 | US20080178608A1 | Plasma processing apparatus and plasma processing method | 381 |
| 9 | US20080289767A1 | Plasma processing apparatus | 380 |
| 10 | US5611214A | Microcomponent sheet architecture | 359 |
Citation counts reflect influence within the searched corpus and skew toward older filings; treat them as a signal of past influence, not current importance.
Each row carries its publication number; clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Citation counts and representative records. Derived from a Patsnap search on Refrigeration & Cold Chain Patent Landscape covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-08-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
Run it yourself
Put your own technology through the same analysis
Where to run it
For builders
MCP server & REST API
When it has to run inside your own pipeline.
Patent search, landscape analysis and assignee resolution as MCP tools. Drop them into any agent framework, or call REST directly.
Browse MCP servers →Analysis
What the numbers mean for filing strategy
Three findings a search alone would not surface, drawn directly from this corpus.
Concentration
31.8%
of 55,185 records held by top 5
The top of the field is crowded, the rest is open
The five leading assignees account for 31.8% of all 55,185 records in scope, and the top ten reach 41.0%. That leaves a majority of records spread across a long tail of smaller filers, which is where freedom-to-operate analysis needs the most care rather than the least.
Source: assignee ranking, 100 companies
Momentum
-35%
2021-2024 filing change
Volume has pulled back from its 2018 peak
Filings peaked at 1,289 records in 2018 and declined 35% from 1,157 records in 2021 to 748 in 2024, the last year with complete data. That is a genuine pullback in claim volume, not an artefact of the tail-end publication lag that affects 2025-2026.
Source: filing trend, 2017-2026
Composition
19.9%
of records carry F25B
Core refrigeration claims dominate, adjacent classes thin out
F25B refrigeration and heat-pump claims appear in 19.9% of the 55,185 records, roughly triple the share of F24F air conditioning claims. Vehicle HVAC, separation processes and working-fluid chemistry each sit under 3%, suggesting claim space there is far less occupied.
Source: IPC subclass distribution
Collaboration
67
shared filings, strongest pair
Co-assignee activity is limited and firm-internal
Only 10 co-assignee pairs appear in this corpus, and the strongest link (67 shared filings) sits between a company and its own regional subsidiary rather than between unrelated competitors. Cross-company collaboration on refrigeration claims is rare in this dataset.
Source: co-assignee pairs
Eureka AI Agent
Looking for what nobody has claimed yet?
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to refrigeration & cold chain patent landscape, with the prior art for and against each one.
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Co-assignee relationships and derived observations. Derived from a Patsnap search on Refrigeration & Cold Chain Patent Landscape covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-08-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
Who's Filing
Assignee landscape and recent momentum
The ranked leaders in this dataset span industrial HVAC, automotive and appliance manufacturers. Momentum in the most recent year is down sharply across the largest filers, which is expected given publication lag but worth tracking as data fills in.
Leader
5,923
records filed
One assignee sets the pace by a wide margin
The leading assignee holds 5,923 records, more than three times the fifth-place total of 1,869. That gap signals a company treating refrigeration-cycle and sensing claims as core IP rather than a peripheral filing area.
Source: assignee ranking
Mid-field
1,869 → 785
5th to 10th place
The drop-off after fifth place is steep
Fifth place holds 1,869 records while tenth place holds 785 - less than half. Beyond the leader, competitive positioning changes quickly across just a handful of ranking places.
Source: assignee ranking
Momentum
-82% to -100%
YoY change, largest filers
Recent-year counts have fallen across the board
Every major assignee tracked shows a steep year-on-year drop in the latest year, several to zero. This pattern is consistent with the 18-month publication lag rather than a genuine stop in filing, but it means recent-year rankings should not be read as current activity.
Source: recent-year momentum by assignee
Recent-year filing momentum by assignee
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Daikin Industries, Ltd. | 8 | -82% |
| Denso Corporation | 3 | -79% |
| Mitsubishi Electric Corporation | 0 | -100% |
| Johnson Controls Technology Company | 0 | — |
| Carrier Corporation | 0 | -100% |
| LG Electronics Inc. | 0 | -100% |
| Johnson Controls Tyco IP Holdings LLP | 0 | — |
| Panasonic Corporation (Japan) | 0 | -100% |
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Assignee-level momentum. Derived from a Patsnap search on Refrigeration & Cold Chain Patent Landscape covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-08-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
Next Steps
Where to take this analysis
The dataset points to specific questions worth running down before committing to a filing or freedom-to-operate position.
Map claim boundaries around the leader's portfolio
With one assignee holding 5,923 records, understanding exactly which claim elements it has locked up in F25B is the first freedom-to-operate step before filing nearby.
Explore assignee claim scope in EurekaTest white-space branches for real prior art gaps
Low claim density in classes like B01D or C09K does not guarantee open space; run a targeted prior-art search on any specific mechanism before assuming it is clear.
Run a white-space search in EurekaTrack the momentum shift as 2025-2026 data fills in
Current recent-year drops likely reflect publication lag rather than a real slowdown; revisit the trend once 2025 filings finish publishing.
Set up trend monitoring in EurekaSource: Patsnap Eureka. Forward-looking reading of the same dataset. Derived from a Patsnap search on Refrigeration & Cold Chain Patent Landscape covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-08-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
FAQ
Common questions on refrigeration and cold chain patents
In this dataset, one assignee leads with 5,923 records, well ahead of the rest of the ranked field - the fifth-placed company holds 1,869. The top five assignees combined account for 31.8% of all 55,185 records in scope, and the top ten reach 41.0%. That still leaves a majority of filings distributed across a long tail of smaller companies, so leadership at the top does not mean the field is closed.
Filing volume peaked at 1,289 records in 2018 and has since declined, falling 35% from 1,157 records in 2021 to 748 in 2024, the last year with complete published data. Numbers for 2025 and 2026 in the underlying dataset will look lower still, but that reflects the roughly 18-month lag between filing and publication rather than an actual drop. Treat any conclusion about the very latest years with caution until more data publishes.
F25B, covering refrigeration and heat pumps, appears in 19.9% of the 55,185 records in scope, making it by far the densest single class. Air conditioning and ventilation (F24F) follows at 7.0%, and refrigerator-specific cooling (F25D) at 3.9%. Because a single record can carry multiple IPC classes, these shares add up to more than 100% and should not be summed into a total.
The thinnest coverage in this corpus sits in classes like B01D (separation processes, 1.3% of records), F01K (steam and thermal power plants, 1.5%) and B60H (vehicle heating and A/C, 2.6%), all well below the F25B core. Specific under-claimed mechanisms include low-GWP working fluid blends, vehicle cabin thermal load sensing, and heat-exchanger fouling detection. Low density is a starting signal, not proof of open space - a targeted prior-art search is still needed before filing.
EP3144600B1, granted to Mitsubishi Electric and published 2024-12-11, is a vapor-compression refrigeration cycle filing that sits in the dense F25B core of this landscape. Its presence in 2024 shows that established manufacturers are still actively refining core cycle control rather than treating the architecture as settled. Anyone filing new cycle-control claims in this space should check it and neighbouring F25B filings from the same assignee for overlap.
Answers are grounded in the same dataset. Derived from a Patsnap search on Refrigeration & Cold Chain Patent Landscape covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-08-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
Research Refrigeration & Cold Chain Patent Landscape in depth with Eureka
Go past this page: query the whole refrigeration & cold chain patent landscape corpus yourself, in your own scope.
Every answer comes back with patent numbers you can open.
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.