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-compressor-technology-patent-landscape/ · Patsnap · data cut-off 2026-07-31 · downloaded from the live page
Patent Landscape · Refrigeration & Cold ChainRefrigeration compressor patents: who holds the scroll and rotary-piston claim space
- 47.2% of all 6,993 records sit with just five assignees, and 67.2% with ten — this field is concentrated, not fragmented.
- Filing fell 42% from 2021 to 2024 (213 to 123 records), the last span the data treats as complete before publication lag sets in.
- F04C rotary-piston pumps carry 53.2% of records while F25D refrigerators & cooling classes sit at just 2.2% — the compressor mechanics are crowded, the cooling-system integration much less so.
6,993
Published Records
47%
Top-5 Share of All Records
-42%
Filing Growth 2021→2024
US
Leading Jurisdiction
Filing growth compares 2021 (213 records) with 2024 (123) — 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 6,993 records in scope (CR5), not by the ranked leaders only.
Published byPatsnap Research··6 min readSourced from Patsnap Eureka
Overview
What this landscape covers
This dataset tracks 6,993 published records filed against refrigeration compressor design and scroll compressor architectures, cross-referenced against variable speed drive, oil management, discharge valve, noise/vibration and reliability-testing claims. The scope spans 2015 through the 2026-07-31 data cut-off, so filings from the last 18 months are still arriving in the record and should be read as a floor, not a ceiling.
Coverage concentrates on rotary-piston and positive-displacement compressor mechanics, with a secondary layer of refrigeration-system integration claims. The receiving-office spread — heaviest in the United States and at the EPO, with meaningful WIPO, German, Japanese and Indian filing — points to a technology defended across manufacturing and consumer markets rather than confined to one jurisdiction.
Filing activity and technology composition, 2015–2026
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Assignee ranking and totals. Derived from a Patsnap search on Refrigeration Compressor Technology covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
Let an AI agent run this analysis on your own technology
Pick a task. Every answer cites the patents behind it.
10,000 free credits to start
The data
Filing trends and technology composition
Two views of the same 6,993-record dataset: filing activity over time, and how records distribute across IPC subclasses. Because a single record can carry several classes, the composition shares add up to more than 100%.
Filing trend, 2017–2026
Filings ran near a peak of 363 in 2019, then declined; the 2021-to-2024 span shows a 42% drop (213 to 123 records), the last period the dataset treats as complete. 2025 and 2026 figures are still filling in as publications catch up to filing dates and should not be read as a continued decline.
Technology composition by IPC subclass
F04C (rotary-piston pumps) anchors the field at 53.2% of records, with F04B (positive-displacement pumps, 24.5%) and F25B (refrigeration & heat pumps, 20.7%) close behind. Motor and drive-electronics classes (H02K, F03C) and cooling-system classes (F24F, F25D) each sit under 4%, marking where compressor-core claims give way to thinner system-level coverage.
Shares are the percentage of the 6,993 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 Compressor Technology covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.
Go deeper on Refrigeration Compressor Technology with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about refrigeration compressor technology and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaKey Patents
Representative and most-cited filings
Representative filing
US5224848A — Scroll compressor with discharge valve opened by centrifugal force
SANYO ELECTRIC CO., LTD.
A scroll compressor with a discharge valve device that closes the discharge port opening, positioned so that centrifugal force generated during operation acts on the valve. That force normally holds the valve open against the discharge opening, tying valve state directly to compressor speed rather than to a separate actuator or spring alone.Filed via PCT (PCT/JP91/00520) with a 1991 priority and a 1993 grant date — SANYO ELECTRIC CO., LTD.
Most-cited records in scope
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US20100070089A1 | HVAC controller user interfaces | 496 |
| 2 | US5102316A | Non-orbiting scroll mounting arrangements for a scroll machine | 406 |
| 3 | US20100070086A1 | Indoor air quality controllers and user interfaces | 400 |
| 4 | US5320506A | Oldham coupling for scroll compressor | 364 |
| 5 | US6213731B1 | Compressor pulse width modulation | 333 |
| 6 | US8219249B2 | Indoor air quality controllers and user interfaces | 332 |
| 7 | US5156539A | Scroll machine with floating seal | 306 |
| 8 | US20090171862A1 | Energy control system | 252 |
| 9 | US20100070907A1 | System status user interfaces | 241 |
| 10 | US5741120A | Capacity modulated scroll machine | 230 |
Citation counts favour older, earlier-searched records and should be read as a signal of influence within this corpus, not of current technical 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 Compressor Technology covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. 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 →Insights
What the numbers mean for filing strategy
Three readings of the dataset that matter more for a filing decision than the raw counts alone.
Concentration
47.2% / top 5
share of 6,993 records
The field is led, not fragmented
Five assignees hold 47.2% of all 6,993 records in scope, and the top ten hold 67.2%. A new entrant is filing into a space where the mechanical core — scroll geometry, discharge valving, oil management — is already densely claimed by a small group of incumbents.
Assignee ranking, 100 companies
Momentum
-42% 2021→2024
213 to 123 records
Filing has cooled from its 2019 peak
Volume peaked at 363 records in 2019 and had fallen to 123 by 2024, a 42% drop over the 2021-2024 span. Because publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, 2025-2026 figures are still incomplete and should not be read as confirming a further decline.
Filing trend, 2017-2026
Composition
53.2% F04C
of 6,993 records
Mechanics dominate, system integration is thin
Rotary-piston and positive-displacement classes (F04C, F04B, F01C) together cover the bulk of records, while refrigeration-system classes like F25D sit at 2.2%. Claim density sits on the pump mechanism itself; how that mechanism integrates into a cooling system is comparatively open.
IPC subclass composition
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 compressor technology, with the prior art for and against each one.
Where filers pair up
| Assignee | Co-assignee | Shared families |
|---|---|---|
| LG Electronics Inc. | JEON YOUNG HOAN | 20 |
| Johnson Controls Technology Company | TUCKER JEFFREY LEE | 16 |
| Carrier Corporation | LIFSON ALEXANDER | 15 |
| LG Electronics Inc. | KANG YANG JUN | 14 |
| Johnson Controls Technology Company | KOPKO WILLIAM L | 14 |
| LG Electronics Inc. | LEE KANGWOOK | 13 |
| LG Electronics Inc. | LEE GEUN HYOUNG | 13 |
| Johnson Controls Technology Company | JADRIC IVAN | 13 |
Co-assignment is rare in this dataset — only 10 recurring co-assignee pairs appear, mostly linking a corporate assignee with a named inventor, which suggests most patenting here happens inside single-company R&D rather than through formal joint filing arrangements.
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Co-assignee relationships and derived observations. Derived from a Patsnap search on Refrigeration Compressor Technology covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
Players
Who holds the claim space
The ranked leaders in this dataset cover 100 companies; the leader alone accounts for 1,514 records, with the fifth and tenth-ranked assignees at 335 and 221 respectively. Momentum data shows several of the largest names posting zero filings in the latest tracked year — consistent with the publication lag rather than a stopped filing programme.
Leader
1,514 records
single largest filer
One assignee sets the pace
The top-ranked assignee alone holds more records than the combined fifth-through-tenth tier, giving it disproportionate influence over how scroll and rotary compressor claims are drawn in this space.
Assignee ranking
Mid tier
335 at rank 5
records
A defined second tier
Filing drops off steadily after the leader: fifth place holds 335 records and tenth place 221, a gradual taper rather than a sharp cliff, indicating a handful of established compressor and HVAC manufacturers compete closely below the leader.
Top 5 vs top 10 concentration
Recent activity
0 in latest year
for several top assignees
Momentum looks flat, but read the lag
Multiple leading assignees show zero filings in the latest tracked year. Given the roughly 18-month publication lag, this reads as incomplete data catching up rather than an actual pause in R&D from these filers.
Recent-year momentum
Recent-year filing momentum by assignee
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| LG Electronics Inc. | 0 | -100% |
| Emerson Climate Technologies, Inc. | 0 | — |
| Johnson Controls Technology Company | 0 | — |
| Copeland LP | 0 | — |
| Daikin Industries, Ltd. | 0 | -100% |
| Mitsubishi Electric Corporation | 0 | — |
| Toyota Industries Corporation | 0 | -100% |
| Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. | 0 | — |
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Assignee-level momentum. Derived from a Patsnap search on Refrigeration Compressor Technology covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
What's next
Where to take this analysis
The dataset points to a mechanically crowded core and thinner coverage at the system-integration edges. Two directions follow from that.
Map the discharge-valve and oil-management claim boundaries
With the top ten assignees holding 67.2% of all records, a freedom-to-operate check on discharge valve and oil management mechanisms should start with those incumbents' claim language before drafting around it.
Explore discharge valve claims in EurekaTrack the under-claimed system-integration branches
F24F and F25D classes sit under 4% of records despite covering the systems compressors plug into. That gap is worth monitoring for new entrants who claim compressor-to-system integration rather than the compressor mechanism itself.
Monitor white space in EurekaSource: Patsnap Eureka. Forward-looking reading of the same dataset. Derived from a Patsnap search on Refrigeration Compressor Technology covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
FAQ
Common questions on refrigeration compressor patents
The dataset ranks 100 assignees, with the single leading company holding 1,514 of the 6,993 records in scope. The top five assignees combined hold 47.2% of all records and the top ten hold 67.2%, so filing activity concentrates heavily among a small group of established compressor and HVAC manufacturers rather than spreading evenly across the field. Anyone assessing freedom to operate should focus first on that leading group before looking at the long tail of single-filing entrants.
Filing peaked at 363 records in 2019 and had fallen to 123 by 2024, a 42% decline over the 2021-to-2024 span. Figures for 2025 and 2026 look lower still, but publication typically lags actual filing by around 18 months, so those most recent years are incomplete rather than evidence of a further drop. The honest read is a cooling trend through 2024, with the true 2025-2026 picture not yet visible in published data.
Rotary-piston pump mechanisms (IPC class F04C) appear in 53.2% of the 6,993 records, making them the single most heavily claimed technology area, followed by positive-displacement pumps generally (F04B, 24.5%) and refrigeration and heat pump systems (F25B, 20.7%). Motor and drive electronics and dedicated refrigerator/cooling classes each sit under 4% of records, showing that claim density sits on the compressor mechanism itself far more than on how it integrates into a wider cooling system.
The composition data shows refrigeration-system integration classes such as F25D (refrigerators & cooling, 2.2% of records) and F24F (air conditioning & ventilation, 3.9%) are comparatively thin next to the dense F04C and F04B compressor-mechanics classes. That gap suggests open claim territory around noise and vibration damping integrated at the system level, variable-speed oil management, and reliability-testing protocols tied to specific refrigerant behaviour, areas that sit adjacent to the crowded compressor core rather than inside it.
US5224848A claims a scroll compressor discharge valve device positioned so that centrifugal force generated during operation holds it open against the discharge port opening, filed via PCT with a 1991 priority. It blocks designs that rely on centrifugal force acting directly on a valve body to control discharge timing in a scroll mechanism. Designs using separate actuators, spring-only valve control, or pressure-differential-only mechanisms sit outside this specific claim scope, though a full clearance check needs a claim-by-claim comparison against the current design.
Answers are grounded in the same dataset. Derived from a Patsnap search on Refrigeration Compressor Technology covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
Research Refrigeration Compressor Technology in depth with Eureka
Go past this page: query the whole refrigeration compressor technology 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.