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Run your analysis now →https://www.patsnap.com/resources/blog/rd-blog/surge-arresters-for-power-systems-patent-landscape/ · Patsnap · data cut-off 2026-07-31 · downloaded from the live page
Patent Landscape · Grounding & Lightning ProtectionSurge arrester patents for power systems: filing trends and where the field is still open
- 23.1% of all activity sits with just five assignees, out of 286 records in scope — concentrated at the top with a long tail of single-filing entrants below.
- Filing has cooled since its 2017 peak of 21 and the 2021-to-2024 span shows a -33% pull-back (9 to 6), though 2025-26 figures are still filling in under publication lag.
- H01C resistor claims lead at 37.8% of records, ahead of H02H protective-circuit claims at 32.5% — the two branches most filers are contesting.
286
Published Records
23%
Top-5 Share of All Records
-33%
Filing Growth 2021→2024
US
Leading Jurisdiction
Filing growth compares 2021 (9 records) with 2024 (6) — 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 286 records in scope (CR5), not by the ranked leaders only.
Published byPatsnap Research··7 min readSourced from Patsnap Eureka
Field Overview
What this patent set covers
Surge arresters sit at the junction of overvoltage protection and grid reliability: a device has to absorb an energy pulse, hold its residual voltage within a coordinated band, and fail predictably rather than catastrophically. The 286 records in scope span filings from 2015 through mid-2026 that reference energy absorption capability, residual voltage, arrester thermal runaway, pressure relief design, leakage current monitoring or insulation coordination alongside surge arrester, metal oxide arrester or line arrester terminology.
That combination pulls in claims from resistor materials (metal oxide varistor formulations), protective circuit topologies, spark-gap hardware, and the measurement circuitry used to monitor an arrester's condition in service. The mix of receiving offices — led by the United States, followed by Europe, China, Japan and India — points to a technology that is filed defensively across multiple grids rather than concentrated in one jurisdiction.
Filing activity and IPC composition, 2015-2026
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Assignee ranking and totals. Derived from a Patsnap search on Surge Arresters for Power Systems 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
The Data
Filing trend and technology composition
The counts below are drawn directly from the 286 records in scope: a filing-year trend by publication date, and an IPC subclass breakdown showing which parts of the arrester stack carry the most claim density.
Filing trend: a 2017 peak, then a decline still resolving under publication lag
Filings peaked at 21 in 2017 and the 2021-to-2024 window shows a -33% move (9 down to 6). Because publication trails filing by roughly 18 months, 2025 and 2026 counts are undercounted rather than genuinely low — treat the recent downturn as provisional.
IPC composition: resistor and protective-circuit claims dominate
H01C (resistors) appears on 37.8% of the 286 records and H02H (protective circuit arrangements) on 32.5%, together forming the core of most filings. H01T spark-gap claims (16.8%), G01R measurement claims (12.9%) and C04B ceramics claims (9.1%) show where the supporting hardware and materials work concentrates; a record can carry more than one class, so these figures do not sum to 100%.
Shares are the percentage of the 286 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 Surge Arresters for Power Systems covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.
Go deeper on Surge Arresters for Power Systems with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about surge arresters for power systems and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaKey Patents
The most-cited and most recent filings
Representative Recent Filing
EP4205147B1 — Gas-insulated surge arrester and monitoring system, Hitachi Energy
HITACHI ENERGY LTD
A gas-insulated surge arrester paired with a monitoring system for gas-insulated arresters, filed by Hitachi Energy and granted 2026-02-25.Representative of recent filings combining arrester hardware with condition-monitoring functions rather than treating them as separate patent families.
Highest-cited records in this dataset
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US8711538B2 | Externally gapped line arrester | 135 |
| 2 | US20130193766A1 | Control and protection of a DC power grid | 81 |
| 3 | US20140078622A1 | Circuit breakers | 75 |
| 4 | US20050231872A1 | Overvoltage protection device | 70 |
| 5 | US20020079906A1 | Electrical system with capacitance tap and sensor for on-line monitoring the state of high-voltage insulation… | 62 |
| 6 | US6489782B1 | Electrical system with a stand-off insulator-sensor for on-line partial discharge monitoring of the state of … | 60 |
| 7 | US4908730A | Surge arrester with shunt gap | 55 |
| 8 | US20140176336A1 | System, method, and apparatus for remotely monitoring surge arrester conditions | 48 |
| 9 | US5218508A | Electrical surge arrester/diverter | 45 |
| 10 | CN101598757A | 一种可控金属氧化物避雷器残压试验回路和方法 | 39 |
Citation counts favour older filings simply because they have had longer to accumulate them — read them as a signal of influence within this searched corpus, not as a ranking of current importance.
Patent titles are shown in the language they were filed in, not translated, so that each record stays verifiable against the original filing — a translated title will not match in Eureka or in any national register. 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 Surge Arresters for Power Systems 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
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What the numbers mean for a filing or freedom-to-operate decision
Three patterns stand out once the records are grouped by assignee, class and year — each has a direct bearing on where new claims are likely to survive examination.
Concentration
23.1% of 286
held by the top 5 assignees
The top of the field is not crowded, the middle is
With the leader at 16 records and fifth place at 11, the top five combined account for 23.1% of the 286 records in scope. That leaves the bulk of filings spread across a long tail of single- or double-filing entrants, which is typical of a mature protective-device category where incremental improvements are patentable but no one owns the core architecture outright.
Top 5 = 66 records of 286
Claim density
37.8% H01C, 32.5% H02H
of all 286 records
Resistor and protective-circuit claims are the busiest ground
H01C and H02H are the two most heavily claimed subclasses by a wide margin over the rest of the composition. A new filing in metal oxide varistor formulation or basic protective-circuit topology is filing into the densest prior art in the set; adjacent branches such as C04B ceramics (9.1%) or H01B insulators (3.5%) carry noticeably less claim traffic.
Based on IPC subclass shares of 286 records
Momentum
-33% (2021→2024)
filing change, complete years only
The post-peak decline is real but not yet the full story
Filings fell from 9 in 2021 to 6 in 2024, a -33% change across the only span currently treated as complete. The 2017 peak of 21 has not been approached since, but because publication lags filing by around 18 months, 2025-26 counts will keep rising as more records surface — this is a cooling trend, not a stalled one.
2021 = 9, 2024 = 6
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 surge arresters for power systems, with the prior art for and against each one.
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Co-assignee relationships and derived observations. Derived from a Patsnap search on Surge Arresters for Power Systems 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 is filing, and where the crowd thins out
The assignee ranking covers 100 companies counted by records, out of 286 records in scope — not a top-50 or top-100 cut, but the full list the dataset returns. A handful of names anchor the top with double-digit counts; most of the ranking sits at one or two filings.
Leader
16 records
top-ranked assignee
A single-digit lead, not a dominant position
The top assignee holds 16 records against a fifth-place count of 11 and a tenth-place count of 10 — a gentle gradient rather than a cliff. That shape suggests the category rewards steady, incremental filing over any one company locking down a foundational architecture.
Leader 16, 5th 11, 10th 10
Top 10 share
40.9% of 286
combined top-10 filings
Ten assignees account for four in ten records
The top 10 combined reach 117 records, or 40.9% of the 286 in scope, meaning the remaining 90 ranked assignees split the majority of the rest across the long tail. Recent-year momentum among several of the historically largest filers has dropped to zero, consistent with a field where the incumbents are not currently the fastest movers.
Top 10 = 117 records of 286
Collaboration
10 co-assignee pairs
identified in the dataset
Co-filing is limited and concentrated around a few pairs
Only 10 co-assignee pairs appear across the dataset, with the strongest pairing tied at 8 shared records and the next strongest pairs down at 2-3. This points to a field where most work is filed independently rather than through joint development programmes.
Strongest pair: 8 shared records
Recent-year filing momentum by assignee
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Toshiba Corporation | 0 | — |
| Bowthorpe Industries Ltd | 0 | — |
| RIPD Research and IP Development Ltd | 0 | — |
| ABB Research Ltd | 0 | — |
| ABB Research Ltd | 0 | — |
| Hubbell Inc | 0 | — |
| Phoenix Contact GmbH & Co KG | 0 | — |
| Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute | 0 | — |
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Assignee-level momentum. Derived from a Patsnap search on Surge Arresters for Power Systems 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 next
The dataset points to specific next steps depending on whether the goal is filing, monitoring, or freedom-to-operate review.
Check freedom-to-operate in the busiest classes
Any new filing touching resistor formulation or protective-circuit topology is entering the two most heavily claimed subclasses in this set (H01C, H02H) and should be screened against the highest-cited records before drafting.
Run a claim check in EurekaTrack the long tail for emerging entrants
With 90 of the 100 ranked assignees outside the top 10, new activity is more likely to surface from a first-time filer than from an incumbent whose recent-year momentum has gone to zero.
Set up assignee monitoring in EurekaWatch the under-claimed monitoring branches
Leakage current monitoring and gas-insulated monitoring integration, as reflected in filings like EP4205147B1, carry lighter claim density than the core resistor and circuit classes and may offer cleaner white space.
Explore white space in EurekaSource: Patsnap Eureka. Forward-looking reading of the same dataset. Derived from a Patsnap search on Surge Arresters for Power Systems 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 about surge arrester patents
Across the 286 records in this dataset, the leading assignee holds 16 records, with the fifth-ranked assignee at 11 and the tenth at 10. The top five combined account for 23.1% of all 286 records, and the top ten for 40.9%, which means the field has a mild concentration at the top but no single company controls a dominant share. The remaining ranked assignees, roughly 90 of the 100 in the full ranking, each hold only one or two records, forming a long tail typical of a mature protective-device category.
Filing peaked at 21 records in 2017 and has not returned to that level since. Looking only at the years treated as complete, filings fell from 9 in 2021 to 6 in 2024, a -33% change over that span. Counts for 2025 and 2026 are still artificially low because publication typically lags actual filing by about 18 months, so the most recent years should not yet be read as a continuing decline.
The dataset's records fall most heavily into H01C (resistors, 37.8% of 286 records) and H02H (protective circuit arrangements, 32.5%), reflecting the core varistor-and-protection-circuit design of most arresters. Supporting classes include H01T (spark gaps and arc devices, 16.8%), H01H (switches and relays, 14.3%), G01R (electric and magnetic measurement, 12.9%) and C04B (ceramics, 9.1%). Because a single record can carry multiple IPC classes, these shares add up to more than 100% and should not be summed as if they were mutually exclusive.
EP4205147B1 is a Hitachi Energy filing, granted 2026-02-25, covering a gas-insulated surge arrester paired with a monitoring system specifically designed for gas-insulated arresters. It is representative of a recent shift in the dataset toward filings that bundle arrester hardware with condition-monitoring functionality rather than patenting them as separate inventions. Anyone developing gas-insulated arrester designs with integrated diagnostics should review its claim scope directly rather than relying on this summary.
The lighter-claimed branches relative to the dominant resistor and protective-circuit classes include leakage current monitoring circuitry, pressure relief housing design, gas-insulated arrester monitoring integration, and ceramic substrate formulations aimed at thermal runaway resistance. These sit at meaningfully lower shares of the 286 records than H01C or H02H, suggesting less occupied claim space, though lighter filing density should be confirmed against full-text claims before treating any area as genuinely open. Insulator and cable interface claims (H01B, 3.5% of records) are similarly thin.
Answers are grounded in the same dataset. Derived from a Patsnap search on Surge Arresters for Power Systems 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
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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.