Smart Ring Patent Landscape 2026
Smart Ring Patent Landscape in 2026
Samsung Electronics dominates a highly concentrated smart ring patent field, holding a commanding lead over challengers Qualcomm and Intel. The field is still expanding on a multi-year basis, though annual volume has eased from its 2022 peak, with activity centred heavily on the United States.
Samsung leads a concentrated field, with Qualcomm and Intel forming a distant second tier
Samsung Electronics holds the top position with 257 patent families, more than 1.6 times the tally of second-ranked Qualcomm (154 patent families). Intel (93), Meta Platforms Technologies (42), and Strong Force VCN Portfolio 2019 LLC (34) complete the top five.
The top five filers account for 45% of the combined output of the hundred largest filers, indicating a moderately concentrated competitive structure. A pronounced gap separates Samsung and Qualcomm from the rest of the field, establishing a clear two-player leadership tier ahead of Intel and the challengers below.
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | 257 | |
| 2 | Qualcomm Incorporated | 154 | |
| 3 | Intel Corporation | 93 | |
| 4 | Meta Platforms Technologies LLC | 42 | |
| 5 | Strong Force VCN Portfolio 2019 LLC | 34 | |
| 6 | JOHNSON & JOHNSON VISION CARE INC | 29 | |
| 7 | Google LLC | 28 | |
| 8 | Oura Ring Inc | 28 | |
| 9 | Xiaomi Inc | 27 | |
| 10 | IYO Inc | 25 |
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. | 25 | |
| 12 | FuturePlay | 24 | |
| 13 | BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd. | 21 | |
| 14 | Quanata LLC | 17 | |
| 15 | Ultrahuman Healthcare Pte Ltd | 16 | |
| 16 | eBay Inc | 14 | |
| 17 | IBM Corporation | 14 | |
| 18 | Toyota Motor Corporation | 14 | |
| 19 | Immersion Corporation | 14 | |
| 20 | Beijing BOE Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd. | 14 |
Samsung’s scale advantage, combined with its active co-filing programme with Korean universities, suggests it is building layered IP across core interaction and sensor functions rather than defending a single narrow claim set.
Filing counts for 2024–2026 are understated due to standard patent publication lag; apparent softening in those years should not be read as reduced R&D activity. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Multi-year growth remains positive, with digital-processing and wireless communication dominating the technology mix
The filing trend chart traces the field’s expansion from 2017 to date, while the technology composition chart reveals how different IPC branches contribute to the overall portfolio.
Annual filing trend
Filings climbed from 61 in 2017 to a peak of 196 in 2022, reflecting a rapid acceleration phase. Annual volume eased to 180 in 2023 and 139 in 2024; figures for 2025 and 2026 are substantially understated due to publication lag and should not be interpreted as a real decline. The recent three-year window remains well above the prior three-year window, confirming continued multi-year growth.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
Electric digital data processing (G06F) dominates the portfolio by a wide margin, reflecting the centrality of on-device computation and user-interface logic. Wireless communications (H04W, H04L) and telephonic communication (H04M) form the next tier, underscoring the smart ring’s role as a connected peripheral. Health-adjacent branches — Diagnosis and surgery (A61B) and Healthcare informatics (G16H) — are present but proportionally smaller, signalling room for deeper specialisation in clinical monitoring.
↗ 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.
Non-visual outputs for a smart ring
A smart ring device includes a ring band having a plurality of surfaces. The plurality of surfaces can include an inner surface and an outer surface opposite to the inner surface. The inner surface can be configured to contact a user when the ring band is worn by the user. The smart ring device further can include a processor disposed within the ring band… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Smart device | 421 |
| 2 | Systems and methods for computer assisted operation | 324 |
| 3 | Methods and devices for mode switching | 257 |
| 4 | Systems and methods for food analysis, personalize… | 245 |
| 5 | System having a miniature portable electronic devi… | 242 |
| 6 | Hearing aid adapted for wireless power reception | 213 |
| 7 | Method and apparatus for providing notification | 198 |
| 8 | Unified control of privacy-impacting devices | 192 |
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.
What the competitive structure means for R&D investment
The combination of a Growth lifecycle stage, a concentrated leader, active academic collaboration, and US-dominant jurisdiction coverage shapes where defensible R&D positions remain available.
Growth stage with peak behind it — expand depth, not breadth
The field carries a Growth lifecycle designation: the recent three-year filing window sits well above the prior three-year period, but annual volume has eased from its 2022 peak. Entrants building broad platform positions now face accumulated prior art; targeted investment in under-served branches — health monitoring, audio, AI inference — offers better freedom-to-operate prospects than duplicating core interaction patents.
Growth · post-2022 peakTwo-tier structure: Samsung and Qualcomm well ahead of the pack
The top five filers hold 45% of the hundred largest filers’ combined output, with Samsung alone accounting for more than a quarter of that group’s total. A mid-tier cluster — Meta, Strong Force VCN, Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Google, Oura Ring — is closely bunched between 28 and 42 patent families, meaning positional gains in that tier are achievable with focused filing programmes. New entrants IYO Inc and Strong Force VCN Portfolio 2019 LLC have entered with notable recent momentum.
High concentrationSamsung anchors a dense academic co-filing network; Google–Harman partnership notable in audio
Samsung Electronics co-files most actively with Seoul National University R&DB Foundation (6 joint families), Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (5), and Korea University (3). Secondary co-filing relationships connect Samsung with Hanyang University, Chosun University, DGIST, UNIST, and POSTECH. Google LLC co-files with Harman International Industries (2 joint families), pointing to an audio-oriented collaboration thread. Competitors without comparable university partnerships face a structural disadvantage in recruiting early-stage research into IP pipelines.
Samsung-led ecosystemUS-dominant filing with thin coverage in key consumer markets
The United States is by far the most-filed jurisdiction, followed by Europe (EPO) and India. South Korea — home to Samsung and several challengers — shows comparatively modest filing volume, as does China despite BOE Technology Group and Xiaomi being active assignees. WIPO PCT filings indicate some intent to pursue broader protection. Japan, Canada, and Australia each have thin coverage, creating potential enforcement gaps for commercially important hardware markets.
US-centricGo beyond the landscape: Eureka’s TRIZ Solution agent breaks down an R&D problem and returns patented concept solutions, each with a technical approach and cited patent & literature evidence.
| Applicant | Collaborator | Co-filings |
|---|---|---|
| Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | Seoul National University R&DB Foundation | 6 |
| Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) | 5 |
| Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | 高丽大学校产学协力团 | 3 |
| Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | 汉阳大学校产学协力团 | 2 |
| Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | 朝鲜大学校产学协力团 | 2 |
| Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST) | 2 |
| Google LLC | Harman International Industries Inc | 2 |
| Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) | 1 |
| Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | 浦项工科大学校产学协力团 | 1 |
| Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | 延世大学校产学协力团 | 1 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
Samsung and Qualcomm lead by route emphasis; IYO and Strong Force are fast-moving newcomers
The top applicants differ sharply in technology focus: Samsung spans interaction, power and communication; Qualcomm concentrates on wireless protocol; Intel on memory and system architecture. Three new entrants show strong recent-period momentum from low prior bases.
Samsung Electronics
Samsung leads with 257 patent families and a strong upward trajectory (3.3× recent vs prior three-year period). Its portfolio centres on device management and power control (G06F 1), user-interface and input methods (G06F 3), and mobile telephony integration (H04M 1), reflecting a strategy to own the smart ring’s role as a primary wearable controller. The broad academic co-filing network further reinforces its IP breadth.
families: 257Qualcomm Inc
Qualcomm holds 154 patent families and grew modestly by 12% in the recent period. Its emphasis on wireless resource management (H04W 72), telephony (H04M 1), and multi-carrier transmission (H04L 5) positions it as the leading claimant on the radio layer that enables smart ring connectivity. This makes Qualcomm a critical IP node for any device relying on Bluetooth or cellular offload protocols.
families: 154| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | 95 | ▲ 3.3× vs prior 3-yr |
| Qualcomm Incorporated | 66 | ▲ +12% |
| Intel Corporation | 44 | ▬ +5% |
| Meta Platforms Technologies LLC | 8 | ▼ -74% |
| Strong Force VCN Portfolio 2019 LLC | 32 | ▲ new entrant |
| Google LLC | 11 | ▲ new entrant |
| IYO Inc | 16 | ▲ new entrant |
Under-served branches in health sensing, business logic, and audio worth monitoring
Several IPC branches appear in the smart ring corpus at lower share levels relative to the dominant G06F cluster. Three of them combine plausible technical value with realistic entry paths for focused filers.
A61B · Diagnosis & surgery — health sensing
With 177 patent records and a 5% share among the top branches, A61B is the largest under-served domain adjacent to the dominant digital-processing cluster. Smart rings are physically positioned for continuous photoplethysmography, skin temperature, and electrodermal activity measurement — modalities that map directly to A61B 5. Johnson & Johnson Vision Care is currently the most focused claimant here, but no single player dominates. An entrant with strong biosensor IP and clinical-grade signal-processing algorithms could establish a defensible position before the branch matures.
Search this in Eureka →H04R · Loudspeakers & audio transducers — bone-conduction and open-ear audio
H04R carries 131 patent records at a 3% share, and IYO Inc — a new entrant with all of its 25 patent families filed in the recent period — has staked a focused position in ring-based audio (H04R 1 and H04R 5 dominate its portfolio). The Google–Harman collaboration also touches this branch. Ring-worn bone-conduction and open-ear audio is technically distinct from earbuds, yet IP coverage remains sparse relative to the commercial interest. Entry is feasible for players combining acoustic transducer hardware with on-device signal processing expertise.
Search this in Eureka →How leaders diverge across interaction, wireless, health, and audio routes
Strength of each leader across the main technology routes.
| Player | G06F 1 · Electric digital data processing | G06F 3 · Electric digital data processing | H04M 1 · Telephonic communication | H04W 4 · Wireless communication networks | A61B 5 · Diagnosis & surgery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | Strong · 114 | Strong · 104 | Strong · 85 | Strong · 72 | Emerging · 20 |
| Qualcomm Incorporated | Strong · 32 | Absent | Strong · 42 | Strong · 23 | Absent |
| FuturePlay | Strong · 9 | Strong · 16 | Strong · 12 | Strong · 13 | Absent |
| Oura Ring Inc | Strong · 17 | Strong · 10 | Absent | Moderate · 4 | Strong · 12 |
| Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Inc | Absent | Absent | Absent | Moderate · 14 | Strong · 28 |
| Xiaomi Inc | Strong · 10 | Absent | Strong · 17 | Moderate · 8 | Absent |
| Meta Platforms Technologies LLC | Strong · 14 | Strong · 16 | Absent | Absent | Absent |
Frequently asked questions
The corpus contains 1,104 patent families in scope. Samsung Electronics alone accounts for 257 of those, making it the largest single filer by a wide margin.
Samsung Electronics leads with 257 patent families, followed by Qualcomm (154), Intel (93), Meta Platforms Technologies (42), and Strong Force VCN Portfolio 2019 LLC (34). The top five collectively represent 45% of the hundred largest filers’ combined output.
The field carries a Growth lifecycle designation. The recent three-year filing window sits well above the prior three-year window, confirming continued multi-year expansion. However, annual volume peaked at 196 in 2022 and has eased since; figures for 2024–2026 are also understated by publication lag.
The United States is the dominant filing jurisdiction, followed by Europe (EPO) and India. South Korea, WIPO PCT, and Germany round out the next tier. China, Japan, and Australia have comparatively thin coverage.
Relative to the dominant digital-processing cluster, the branches for Diagnosis and surgery (A61B), Loudspeakers and audio transducers (H04R), Business and commerce data processing (G06Q), and AI models (G06N) show lower patent density and may offer more room for new entrants with focused expertise.
Yes. Samsung’s most active co-filing partners are Seoul National University R&DB Foundation (6 joint families), Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (5), and Korea University (3). It also co-files with Hanyang University, Chosun University, DGIST, UNIST, POSTECH, and Yonsei University.
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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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