RO Module & Process Design Optimization Patent Snapshot
This is a compact, academically dominated field: Nanyang Technological University holds a commanding position among all ranked filers, and the top five filers together account for 70% of the top-hundred filers’ combined patent records. Annual filing volume has plateaued near its historical level, with the United States as the primary filing jurisdiction.
Nanyang Tech leads a highly concentrated, research-institution-driven field
Nanyang Technological University sits at the top of the applicant ranking with 15 patent records, a count that exceeds the combined total of all other named filers. The field is predominantly shaped by universities and public research institutes rather than industrial incumbents.
The top five filers collectively hold 70% of the ranked applicants visible in this query’ combined patent records, signalling extreme concentration. The gap between the leader and the second-ranked filer, Synauta Inc. with 3 patent records, is substantial, leaving a wide open tier below the leader.
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nanyang Technological University | 15 | |
| 2 | Synauta Inc. | 3 | |
| 3 | Jiangsu Bangtec Environmental Science & Technology Co. Ltd. | 2 | |
| 4 | Regents of the University of California | 2 | |
| 5 | GWANGJU INST OF SCI & TECH | 1 | |
| 6 | Rockwater Resource LLC | 1 | |
| 7 | FOND DE RECH DE DEV & DINNOVATION & SCI & INGENIERIE | 1 | |
| 8 | IDE Water Technologies Ltd. | 1 |
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Water Conservation Technology International Inc. | 1 | |
| 10 | Hanwha Corporation | 1 | |
| 11 | GITAM Deemed to be University | 1 | |
| 12 | Alliance for Energy Innovation LLC | 1 | |
| 13 | KOREA INST OF MACHINERY & MATERIALS | 1 | |
| 14 | COUNCIL OF SCI & IND RES | 1 | |
| 15 | Le Multi Laboratoire LC2A | 1 |
The academic dominance of the top position implies that core RO module optimization IP is being generated outside large industrial R&D programs, which may create freedom-to-operate considerations for industrial entrants and acquisition targets among the mid-tier filers.
The most recent 18–24 months of filing data are subject to publication lag and likely understate current activity; final counts for 2024–2026 should be treated as provisional. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Plateaued filing volume concentrated in separation-process and water-treatment classes
The annual filing chart and the IPC composition chart together reveal a field that has reached a stable output level with a well-defined technical core and only thin coverage in adjacent engineering disciplines.
Annual filing trend
Filing activity has been episodic since 2017, with small bursts in 2018, 2021, and 2024, and zero or near-zero years in between. The lifecycle evidence indicates annual volume has plateaued near its peak rather than trending upward; the 2024–2026 bars are subject to publication lag and should not be read as a downturn.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
B01D (separation processes, including filtration and membrane technology) is visible in the IPC mix, followed by C02F (water and wastewater treatment). Analytical and measurement classes G01N and G01R appear as secondary branches, reflecting fouling-state assessment work. Digital data processing (G06F) and nanotechnology (B82Y) each have minimal coverage, indicating that computational optimization and nanomaterial-enabled membranes remain sparse relative to the core membrane-process claims.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaHighly cited patent families surfaced by the query
Citation-heavy patent families returned by the query. Use this section as citation context, not as a curated list of the most topic-specific patents.
Method and apparatus for assessing a state of foul…
A method for assessing a state of fouling of a reverse osmosis system is provided. The method comprises deriving a plurality of impedance values from a low frequency region of an electrical impedance spectrum of a reverse osmosis membrane comprised in the reverse osmosis system, and determining a state of fouling of the reverse osmosis system based on 10… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Composite reverse osmosis membrane and preparation… | 16 |
| 2 | Method and apparatus for assessing a state of foul… | 11 |
| 3 | Apparatus and methods for cleaning reverse osmosis… | 8 |
| 4 | 海水淡化泵流道式导叶结构设计优化方法 | 6 |
| 5 | Method and apparatus for assessing a state of foul… | 6 |
| 6 | Method and apparatus for assessing a state of foul… | 5 |
| 7 | Design optimization system of internal ro membrane… | 4 |
| 8 | Mobile station for diagnosing and modeling site sp… | 3 |
Ranked by total forward citations. Citation counts favour older and broadly cited patent families, and broad or adjacent patents may appear when they match the search scope. Treat this section as citation context, not as a curated list of the most topic-specific patents. Some patent titles may be shown in their original, non-English language where an accurate translation could not be guaranteed.
Assignee snapshot from the current evidence set
The applicants below are visible in this query result. Because the evidence set is relatively small, read this section as a directional snapshot rather than a full competitive ranking.
Nanyang Technological University
With 15 patent records, Nanyang Tech holds a position roughly five times larger than the next-ranked filer. Its technical focus is concentrated in B01D 61 (membrane separation processes, 15 records) and B01D 65 (membrane maintenance and fouling, 14 records), with secondary coverage in C02F 1 (water treatment). Momentum data for the institution is not separately listed among the recent-entrant set, suggesting its position is established rather than newly formed.
patent records: 15Synauta Inc.
Synauta Inc. ranks second with 3 patent records and carries a new-entrant momentum flag, indicating its filings are recent relative to the prior three-year window. Its technical coverage spans B01D 61 (membrane separation) and C02F 1 (water treatment), mirroring the leader’s core classes but at a much smaller scale. As an industrial filer, it represents the most active commercial-sector challenger currently visible in the evidence.
patent records: 3Frequently asked questions
The corpus covers 14 patent families. This is a compact, specialist field rather than a broad membrane-technology survey, so the counts reflect a focused search on module and process design optimization specifically.
Nanyang Technological University leads with 15 patent records, a total that substantially exceeds the next-ranked filer, Synauta Inc., which holds 3 patent records. The field is dominated by academic and public-research institutions.
The evidence places the field at a Maturity stage, with annual filings having plateaued near their historical peak level. Recent-window growth is 0%, indicating a stable rather than accelerating output rate.
The United States leads with 12 patent records, followed by Israel and India at 4 each and EPO at 3. South Korea, Australia, WIPO (PCT), and Singapore each have limited coverage. China has only 1 record, which is notably low given its role as a major RO equipment market.
B01D (separation processes) and C02F (water and wastewater treatment) are visible in the IPC mix. The most sparsely covered branches are B82Y (nanotechnology, 1 record), D04H (nonwovens, 1 record), H02K (electric motors, 1 record), G06F (digital data processing, 2 records), and C07C (acyclic compounds, 2 records).
Three filers carry a new-entrant momentum flag in the evidence: Synauta Inc., Membrane Recovery Ltd., and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research. All three have recent filings with no or minimal prior-period records, suggesting they entered the field within the most recent filing window.
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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.
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