Rheology Modifiers Patents: Top Companies & Filing Trends 2026
- Concentration at the top. Five assignees hold 158 of 216 records in scope (73.1%), and the top ten account for 93.1% — a field with very little room left among the leaders.
- Filing has cooled since its peak. Filings peaked at 29 in 2017 and had fallen to 22 by the 2022 midpoint, with recent-year totals down further — momentum has shifted from growth to maintenance.
- Coatings dominate the claim space. 88.0% of the 216 records sit in C09D (coatings, paints and inks), while adhesives (C09J, 7.9%) and misc.-application materials (C09K, 10.6%) remain comparatively open.
What the rheology modifier patent record actually shows
Rheology modifiers and thickeners sit at the intersection of coatings chemistry and polymer additive science, and the patent record reflects that split. 216 records published between 2015 and the 2026 cut-off cluster heavily around associative thickeners, HEUR/HASE chemistries and sag-resistance formulations for architectural and industrial coatings. The claim language in this corpus centres on shear-thinning profiles, water sensitivity and spatter control — practical performance metrics rather than novel base chemistries.
Filing activity peaked in 2017 and has trended down since, with the 2022 midpoint already below peak and the most recent full year lower still. Because publication typically lags filing by around 18 months, the last one or two years in any trend understate real activity, but the multi-year decline from the 2017 high is a pattern, not a data artefact.
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Filing trends and technology composition
Two views of the same 216-record dataset: the year-by-year filing trend, and how records distribute across IPC subclasses.
Filing trend, 2017-2026
Filings peaked at 29 in 2017. By the 2022 midpoint the annual count had fallen to 22, and it continues downward toward the 2026 partial-year figure of 1 — consistent with a maturing, consolidated field rather than one still attracting new entrants.
IPC subclass composition
C09D (coatings, paints and inks) covers 88.0% of the 216 records, making this overwhelmingly a coatings-driven patent space. C08L (polymer compositions, 36.1%) and C08K (polymer additives, 29.2%) show the underlying additive chemistry is usually claimed alongside a coatings application rather than standalone. Adhesives (C09J, 7.9%) and misc.-application materials (C09K, 10.6%) carry the lowest shares, and since a record can carry multiple classes these figures sum above 100% by design.
Shares are the percentage of the 216 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on Rheology Modifiers and Thickeners with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about rheology modifiers and thickeners and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaThe most-cited records in this space
Coating Composition with Rheology Modifier (US20170283626A1)
A coating composition including a rheology modifier is described. The rheology modifier is a water-soluble polyurethane made by the condensation of a poly(alkylene glycol), a polyisocyanate and a compound including a polyalkoxylated chain and a hydrophobic end group. The composition demonstrates Leneta sag resistance of greater than about 14 and a Leneta flow and leveling of at least about 9, and a Stormer viscosity of less than about 120 Krebs units.Filed by SWIMC LLC, published 2017-10-05 — illustrative of how sag-resistance and flow performance metrics are claimed alongside the polyurethane rheology-modifier chemistry itself.
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US6111001A | Compositions containing rheology modifiers with functional group-containing polymers | 77 |
| 2 | US5270379A | Amine functional polymers as thickening agents | 68 |
| 3 | EP0978522A1 | Associative thickeners for aqueous systems | 43 |
| 4 | WO2000031194A1 | Compositions containing rheology modifiers with functional group-containing polymers | 32 |
| 5 | WO1996014344A1 | Rheology modifier for solvent-based coatings | 31 |
| 6 | EP1806386A2 | Associative thickener combinations | 30 |
| 7 | US20020165313A1 | Method of improving viscosity stability upon addition of a colorant component | 22 |
| 8 | EP1236776A1 | Method of improving viscosity stability upon addition of a colorant component | 18 |
| 9 | US20030176569A1 | Method of improving viscosity stability upon addition of a colorant component | 17 |
| 10 | US6887928B2 | Method of improving viscosity stability upon addition of a colorant component | 17 |
Citation counts reflect influence within the searched corpus and favour older filings; they are not a measure of current commercial relevance.
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Browse MCP servers →What the numbers mean for a filing decision
Three patterns worth acting on before drafting or freedom-to-operate work begins.
The leading tier is nearly closed
With five assignees holding 158 of 216 records and the top ten reaching 93.1%, new entrants are filing into a space where the dominant claim territory around associative thickeners and HEUR/HASE chemistry is already staked out by a small group.
Filing activity has been declining, not growing
The 2017 peak of 29 filings had fallen to 22 by 2022 and continues down toward the 2026 partial count. This points to a field where existing players are maintaining portfolios rather than expanding them, and where a fresh filing needs to clear genuinely dense prior art rather than an emerging one.
Coatings claims dominate the class distribution
Nearly nine in ten of the 216 records touch C09D, meaning most rheology-modifier innovation is being claimed as part of a coatings formulation rather than as standalone additive chemistry. Adhesives and misc.-application materials carry much lower shares and are comparatively less claimed.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to rheology modifiers and thickeners, with the prior art for and against each one.
Who holds the claim territory
The assignee ranking covers 29 companies returned by the data endpoint — not a top-50 or top-100 cut, the complete ranked set for this search.
A single leader well ahead of the field
The leading assignee holds 72 records against a fifth-place figure of 17 and a tenth-place figure of 6 — a steep drop-off that marks this as a leader-and-long-tail structure rather than an evenly split field.
A long tail below the top ten
Beyond the top ten, which together hold 93.1% of all 216 records, the remaining ranked assignees each hold small, single-digit counts — consistent with occasional filers rather than sustained programmes.
Co-assignment is limited and concentrated
Only six co-assignee pairs appear in the dataset, with the strongest pairing linked at 15 shared records — evidence of occasional joint filing between related corporate entities rather than broad cross-licensing patterns.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| PPG Industries Ohio, Inc. | 1 | — |
| Rohm and Haas Company | 0 | -100% |
| HERCULES LLC | 0 | — |
| Hercules Incorporated | 0 | — |
| BYK-Chemie GmbH | 0 | — |
| Dow Global Technologies LLC | 0 | — |
| BYK USA Inc. | 0 | — |
| Valspar Sourcing, Inc. | 0 | — |
Where to take this analysis
The dataset points to a concentrated, coatings-heavy field with a declining filing rate — the next steps depend on whether you are filing, litigating or scouting.
Check freedom-to-operate against the leading tier
With 73.1% of records held by five assignees, any new coatings-rheology filing should be checked against their claim scope before drafting begins.
Run an FTO check in EurekaTrack the under-claimed branches
Adhesives and misc.-application materials carry the lowest IPC shares in this dataset — worth a closer look before assuming the space is fully occupied.
Explore white space in EurekaWatch for the next filing cycle
Filing has declined since 2017 but publication lag means the last 12-18 months are understated; monitor for a rebound before committing to a design-around strategy.
Set up monitoring in EurekaCommon questions about rheology modifier patents
The dataset ranks 29 assignees, with the leading company holding 72 of the 216 records in scope — well ahead of the fifth-place holder at 17. The top five assignees together account for 73.1% of all records, and the top ten reach 93.1%, so most of the claim territory sits with a small group of established coatings and specialty-chemical companies. Beyond the top ten, remaining assignees hold small, single-digit counts consistent with occasional rather than sustained filing programmes.
No. Filings peaked at 29 in 2017, had fallen to 22 by the 2022 midpoint, and continue to decline toward the most recent year. This pattern indicates a maturing field where existing portfolio holders are maintaining position rather than an area attracting a wave of new entrants. Publication lag of roughly 18 months means the very latest year understates true filing activity, but the multi-year downward trend predates that effect.
C09D, covering coatings, paints and inks, appears in 88.0% of the 216 records in scope, making it the dominant classification by a wide margin. C08L (polymer compositions, 36.1%) and C08K (polymer additives, 29.2%) are the next most common, reflecting that the underlying additive chemistry is usually claimed together with a coatings application. Because a single record can carry multiple IPC codes, these percentages add up to more than 100% and should not be read as mutually exclusive shares.
Relative to the coatings-heavy core, adhesives (C09J, 7.9% of records) and materials for miscellaneous applications (C09K, 10.6%) carry the lowest shares in this dataset. Condensation-polymer (C08G, 22.2%) and vinyl addition-polymer (C08F, 11.6%) routes to thickening also sit below the coatings-dominant classes. These lower-density branches are worth scoping first, since high filing density in the coatings core signals occupied claim space rather than technical dead ends.
US20170283626A1, filed by SWIMC LLC and published in 2017, claims a coating composition using a water-soluble polyurethane rheology modifier made from a poly(alkylene glycol), a polyisocyanate and a polyalkoxylated hydrophobic-end-group compound. It specifies measurable performance thresholds — Leneta sag resistance above about 14, Leneta flow and leveling of at least about 9, and Stormer viscosity below about 120 Krebs units. It is representative of how this corpus ties specific polyurethane rheology-modifier chemistry to quantified coatings performance metrics rather than claiming the base chemistry alone.
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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.