Secure OTA Update Patents: Who Leads, Where the Gaps Are 2026
- Filing peaked in 2017 at 7 records and has not been matched since, even before accounting for publication lag on the most recent years.
- G06F digital data processing covers 70.0% of the 20 records in scope while wireless transport (H04W) and measurement transmission (G08C) each sit well below 20%, pointing to where claim density is thin.
- The ranked leader holds 10 records against a fifth-place count of 1 a steep drop-off that suggests a small group of automakers and platform vendors set the terms of this space.
What this landscape covers
Secure over-the-air (OTA) update systems sit at the intersection of vehicle software architecture and cybersecurity: differential update packages, dual-partition (B partition) fallback, signature verification, rollback protection, and campaign management for fleets. This dataset draws on 20 published records matched against terms covering update integrity, bandwidth-constrained delivery, ignition-state update timing, and rollback mechanics, filed between 2015 and the 2026 cut-off.
Coverage spans the United States, European, Indian and PCT filing routes, which lets the ranking reflect where applicants sought protection rather than only where they are headquartered. Because publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, the last one to two years in the trend understate real filing activity.
Filing trend and technology composition
Two views of the same 20-record dataset: filing activity over time, and how records distribute across IPC subclasses. Because a single record can carry several IPC codes, the composition shares add up to more than 100% of the record total.
Filing trend, 2017-2026
Filings reached a peak of 7 records in 2017 and have declined since, falling to 0 in the most recent, partial year. With fewer than four complete post-lag years to compare, a growth rate cannot be stated from this evidence.
IPC subclass distribution
G06F (electric digital data processing) appears in 70.0% of the 20 records, confirming that most claims center on the update-management software layer rather than the radio link. H04L (digital information transmission) follows at 35.0%, with H04W wireless networks at 20.0% and G08C measurement transmission at 10.0%. Vehicle-specific classes such as B60L, B60R, G01C and G05B each cover only a single record, marking narrow, specialized filings rather than a crowded sub-field.
Shares are the percentage of the 20 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on Secure Over-the-Air Update Systems with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about secure over-the-air update systems and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaMost-cited records in this dataset
Device and method for over the air update of vehicle (US20210141634A1)
A device and a method for over the air update of a vehicle are provided. The over the air update apparatus of the vehicle may include a communication circuit for receiving data for over the air update of vehicle software from an external server, and a controller configured to store ROMs and update schedules for each control device, for the over the air update, and perform each update using each diagnostic command distinguished for each update schedule based on a safety state of the vehicle.Filed by Hyundai Motor Company, published 2021-05-13.
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US20150371532A1 | System and method for applying over the air updates to a universal remote control device | 29 |
| 2 | US20180004505A1 | Fault-tolerant variable region repaving during firmware over the air update | 25 |
| 3 | US20210141634A1 | Device and method for over the air update of vehicle | 15 |
| 4 | US20180004506A1 | Fault-tolerant variable region repaving during firmware over the air update | 10 |
| 5 | US10185553B2 | Fault-tolerant variable region repaving during firmware over the air update | 8 |
| 6 | US11206513B1 | Vehicle density over the air update scheduling | 7 |
| 7 | US9847018B2 | System and method for applying over the air updates to a universal remote control device | 4 |
| 8 | US20250076075A1 | Enhancements to map over the air update | 3 |
| 9 | US10140117B2 | Fault-tolerant variable region repaving during firmware over the air update | 3 |
Ranked by citation count within this searched corpus. Older records accumulate more citations simply by being available longer, so treat this as a signal of influence, not of current technical importance.
Publication numbers are shown where the record carries one (9 of 9 rows); clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
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Three patterns stand out once the ranking, the trend, and the IPC composition are read together.
A steep drop-off after the leader
The ranked leader holds 10 records while fifth place holds just 1, across 8 companies total. That gap suggests one applicant built a broad position early and the rest of the field filed narrower, more targeted claims rather than competing head-on for the same claim space.
Activity has cooled since the 2017 peak
Filing volume peaked in 2017 and has not returned to that level. Combined with a zero count in the most recent partial year, this points to a field where the foundational claim positions were staked out mid-decade, with newer entrants filing more selectively.
Software update management dominates over radio-layer claims
Digital data processing (G06F) appears in 70.0% of records, far ahead of wireless networking (H04W) at 20.0%. Most of the claim density sits in how updates are packaged, verified and sequenced, not in the wireless transport used to deliver them.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to secure over-the-air update systems, with the prior art for and against each one.
Who is filing, and where the gaps sit
The ranking includes 8 companies spanning platform vendors, automakers, and IT services firms. One co-assignee pair appears in the data, linking two automakers on a shared filing.
A single applicant leads by a wide margin
The top-ranked assignee in this dataset holds 10 records, well ahead of the rest of the 8-company ranking. That scale points to a company treating OTA update infrastructure as core platform IP rather than an incidental feature claim.
Automakers show up as joint filers, not just competitors
The strongest co-assignee pair in this dataset links two automakers on a shared record, hinting at joint platform or supplier work rather than fully independent filing strategies.
No assignee is actively expanding right now
Every tracked assignee shows 0 filings in the latest year, including a -100% year-over-year change for one applicant. Read this alongside the publication lag: recent inactivity in the data may reflect filings not yet published rather than a genuine pause.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC | 0 | — |
| Tata Consultancy Services | 0 | -100% |
| Qualcomm Incorporated | 0 | — |
| RAY ENTERPRISES | 0 | — |
| Kia Motors Corporation | 0 | — |
| Ford Global Technologies, LLC | 0 | — |
| Hyundai Motor Company | 0 | — |
| TVS Motor Company | 0 | — |
Where to take this analysis
The dataset points to a concentrated leader position and several thin IPC branches. Two directions make sense depending on whether the goal is defensive or offensive.
Map the leader's claim boundaries
With 10 records against a fifth-place count of 1, the top assignee's claim scope deserves a closer read before filing anything adjacent to differential update packaging or rollback mechanics.
Explore claim scope in EurekaTest the under-claimed branches
B60L, B60R, G01C and G05B each cover only a single record. Before assuming that means white space, check whether those records already anchor broad claims in vehicle-specific update control.
Run a freedom-to-operate check in EurekaCommon questions on secure OTA update patents
In this 20-record dataset, one assignee leads the 8-company ranking with 10 records, well ahead of a fifth-place count of 1. That gap indicates a concentrated leader rather than an evenly distributed field. It does not mean the leader controls every technical route, since IPC composition shows most records cluster around software update management (G06F) rather than any single narrow claim area.
Digital data processing (G06F) appears in 70.0% of the 20 records in scope, making update packaging, sequencing, and verification the densest claim area. Digital information transmission (H04L) follows at 35.0%, and wireless networking (H04W) at 20.0%. Vehicle-specific classes like B60L and G05B each appear in only one record, suggesting those angles are comparatively open.
Filing peaked at 7 records in 2017 and has declined since, reaching 0 in the most recent, partial year. Because publication typically lags filing by around 18 months, the last one to two years understate actual filing activity and should not be read as a hard stop. There are fewer than four complete post-lag years to compare, so no reliable growth rate can be stated from this evidence.
US20210141634A1, filed by Hyundai Motor Company and published 2021-05-13, describes a vehicle OTA update device that stores update schedules per control device and executes updates using diagnostic commands selected based on the vehicle's safety state. It matters because it ties update execution timing directly to vehicle safety state rather than treating OTA delivery as a generic software push. Anyone designing update sequencing logic tied to vehicle operating conditions should review its claim scope closely.
The IPC composition shows several branches with only one record each: B60L (electric vehicle propulsion), B60R (vehicle parts and accessories), G01C (navigation and gyroscopes), and G05B (control and regulating systems). These low counts suggest under-claimed intersections, such as tying update rollback triggers to vehicle motion or navigation state. Confirm with a direct freedom-to-operate search before relying on record counts alone, since a single record can still anchor a broad claim.
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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.