Large Cylindrical Cell Thermal Management Patents: Trends 2026
- Filing activity has cooled since its 2017 peak. 584 records filed that year versus 26 in the most recent (partial) year, with the 2022 midpoint at 519 — a flat-to-declining trend, not a growing one.
- No single assignee dominates. The leader holds 474 records and the top 5 combined account for just 6.1% of all 24,816 records in scope, pointing to a fragmented field rather than a gated one.
- Flow-control and turbine classes outweigh motor/generator classes. Valves (F16K, 5.2%), turbines (F01D, 5.0%) and pumps (F04D, 4.8%) each carry more filings than electric motors and generators (H02K, 2.9%).
What this landscape covers
This dataset tracks patent activity at the intersection of axial and radial heat extraction, coolant channel arrangement and thermal propagation barriers as applied to large cylindrical cell formats. The search spans filings from 2015 through the 2026 cut-off and pulls in adjacent engineering disciplines — separation, drilling, valves, turbines and pumps — because the underlying flow and pressure-drop problems recur across those fields before they reach cell design.
Readers should treat the most recent filing year as understated: publication typically lags filing by around 18 months, so 2025 and 2026 counts will keep rising as later filings publish. The patterns worth acting on are the ones visible in the fuller years — concentration at the top of the assignee ranking, the technology classes carrying the most claim density, and the jurisdictions where filings actually land.
Filing trend and technology composition
The figures below use the full 24,816-record scope as their denominator throughout, so class shares can be compared directly against one another even though they add up to more than 100%.
Filing trend: a 2017 peak, not a current wave
Filings peaked at 584 in 2017, sat at 519 by the 2022 midpoint, and stood at 26 in the most recent partial year. Read the tail end cautiously — publication lag means recent years will fill in further — but the multi-year pattern points to a mature, flat-to-declining filing rate rather than accelerating investment.
Technology composition: flow hardware outweighs electric machines
Separation processes (B01D, 8.9% of records) and well drilling (E21B, 6.3%) lead the composition, followed by valves (F16K, 5.2%), turbines (F01D, 5.0%) and pumps (F04D, 4.8%). Electric motors and generators (H02K) sit lower at 2.9%, suggesting that most of the documented claim density concerns fluid and pressure control rather than the electrical machine itself.
Shares are the percentage of the 24,816 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on Thermal Management of Large Cylindrical Cells with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about thermal management of large cylindrical cells and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaRepresentative filing and most-cited prior art
Crystal growth process claiming axial-to-radial temperature gradient ratio control
The representative filing describes a crystal growing method that performs repeated growth processes on a seed, each step adjusting the ratio between an axial temperature gradient and a radial temperature gradient until the crystal reaches full monocrystalline proportion. It is a 2025 filing from a semiconductor materials producer, not a cell-format vendor — a reminder that axial/radial gradient control as a claim concept spans well beyond battery cooling.Filed 2025-12-30
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US6699218B2 | Transcutaneous delivery means | 1,433 |
| 2 | US7866944B2 | Compact low noise efficient blower for CPAP devices | 1,014 |
| 3 | US4143853A | Valve for use with a catheter or the like | 821 |
| 4 | US5246438A | Method of radiofrequency ablation | 762 |
| 5 | US20060229719A1 | Highly flexible heart valve connecting band | 576 |
| 6 | US20050066986A1 | Smokable rod for a cigarette | 567 |
| 7 | US5370644A | Radiofrequency ablation catheter | 542 |
| 8 | US8272516B2 | Fluid filter system | 520 |
| 9 | US4164959A | Metering valve | 516 |
| 10 | WO2002040083A2 | Transcutaneous delivery means | 511 |
High citation counts here reflect age and prior-art status within the searched corpus, not current commercial relevance — treat them as influence markers, not activity indicators.
Each row carries its publication number; clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
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Three patterns stand out once family counts, class shares and jurisdictions are read together.
The top of the ranking is thin
The leading assignee holds 474 records and the fifth-ranked holds 235, but together the top five still account for only 6.1% of all records in scope. No single filer has cornered this space, which means freedom-to-operate analysis has to look across a long tail rather than a handful of blocking portfolios.
Filing activity has cooled from its peak
The 2017 peak of 584 filings has not been matched since; the 2022 midpoint of 519 shows the decline was already underway well before the most recent, still-publishing years. Several of the largest historical filers show 0 filings or steep year-on-year declines in the latest tracked year.
Filing is US-anchored with a strong European tail
The United States receives the largest share of filings (6,878), followed by the EPO (3,857) and the United Kingdom (2,418). WIPO/PCT filings (1,784) trail behind, suggesting that global-route filing is the exception rather than the default strategy for entrants in this space.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to thermal management of large cylindrical cells, with the prior art for and against each one.
| Assignee | Co-assignee | Shared families |
|---|---|---|
| Donaldson Co Inc | Advanced Filtration Systems Inc | 30 |
| Donaldson Co Inc | Caterpillar Inc | 30 |
| Honeywell International Inc | BERGH RALPH A | 19 |
| Rolls-Royce plc | Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG | 12 |
| Rolls-Royce plc | Rolls-Royce North American Technologies Inc | 6 |
| Shell International Research Maatschappij B.V. | VEENSTRA PETER | 5 |
| Shell International Research Maatschappij B.V. | MIGLIN MARIA THERESE | 5 |
| General Electric Co | General Electric Poland Sp. z o.o. | 4 |
Only 10 co-assignee pairs are recorded, and the strongest pairings top out at 30 shared records — this field is overwhelmingly filed by single assignees rather than joint ventures or consortium filings.
Who holds the ranked positions, and where the gaps sit
The ranked leaders span industrial-scale equipment makers rather than pure-play cell manufacturers, which reflects the broad adjacent-technology scope of this search rather than direct battery-thermal specialisation.
A diversified industrial leader, not a battery specialist
The top-ranked assignee's 474 records sit against a backdrop of turbine, valve and separation-process filings, consistent with a large industrial conglomerate whose portfolio spans multiple flow and thermal engineering domains rather than one focused on cylindrical cell cooling alone.
Recent-year activity has dropped sharply among historical leaders
Several of the assignees with the largest historical footprints show 0 filings in the latest tracked year, with year-on-year declines as steep as -100%. That does not necessarily mean disengagement — publication lag compresses the visible recent-year count for everyone — but the direction is consistent across multiple large filers.
A long, gradually declining tail below the leaders
The gap from the leader's 474 records down to the tenth-ranked assignee's 123 is steep, and the ranking continues across 100 companies. This shape favours entrants who target a specific under-claimed mechanism over those trying to out-file an incumbent generalist.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| General Electric Co | 3 | -57% |
| Rolls-Royce plc | 0 | -100% |
| Westinghouse Electric Corp | 0 | — |
| Donaldson Co Inc | 0 | -100% |
| Halliburton Energy Services Inc | 0 | -100% |
| United Technologies Corp | 0 | — |
| SunEdison Inc | 0 | — |
| Honeywell International Inc | 0 | — |
Where to take this analysis
The dataset points to specific next steps depending on whether the goal is freedom-to-operate, sourcing or claim drafting.
Map claim boundaries in the under-claimed branches
Propagation-barrier geometry and radial coolant channel arrangement carry comparatively light filing density next to the core valve, turbine and pump classes — worth a focused prior-art pull before drafting.
Explore white space in EurekaTrack momentum among the largest historical filers
Several top-ranked assignees show sharp year-on-year declines in the latest tracked year; confirming whether that reflects publication lag or genuine pullback matters for competitive monitoring.
Monitor assignee activity in EurekaVerify jurisdiction strategy against your own filing plan
US filings outnumber PCT filings by a wide margin in this corpus — check whether that pattern matches where your own competitors are actually seeking protection.
Compare jurisdictions in EurekaCommon questions on this landscape
The ranked assignee list is led by a company with 474 records, but the field is fragmented: the top 5 assignees combined account for only 6.1% of all 24,816 records in scope. Many of the largest historical filers are diversified industrial equipment makers whose portfolios span turbines, valves and separation processes rather than pure battery-cooling specialists. This means freedom-to-operate work should look across a long tail of the ranked leaders rather than assuming a handful of firms control the space.
Filings peaked in 2017 at 584 records and have not returned to that level since, with the 2022 midpoint at 519 and the latest partial year at 26. That trajectory reads as flat-to-declining rather than a current growth wave. Recent years should be treated cautiously because publication typically lags filing by around 18 months, so the last one to two years will keep filling in as data updates.
US12509794B2 claims a crystal growth method that repeatedly adjusts the ratio between an axial temperature gradient and a radial temperature gradient on a seed until it reaches full monocrystalline proportion. It is assigned to a semiconductor materials producer and concerns crystal growing, not cylindrical cell cooling — so it does not directly block cell thermal management designs, though it is a useful reference point for how axial/radial gradient-ratio claims are structured in adjacent fields. Anyone drafting similar gradient-ratio claims in a battery context should review it for claim-scope overlap regardless.
Separation processes (B01D) lead at 8.9% of the 24,816 records in scope, followed by well drilling (E21B) at 6.3%, valves (F16K) at 5.2%, turbines (F01D) at 5.0% and pumps (F04D) at 4.8%. Electric motors and generators (H02K) sit lower at 2.9%. Because a single record can carry multiple IPC classes, these shares add up to more than 100%, but the ranking itself indicates that flow and pressure-control hardware carries more documented claim density than the electrical machine side of the system.
The United States receives the largest volume of filings at 6,878, followed by the European Patent Office at 3,857 and the United Kingdom at 2,418. WIPO/PCT filings trail at 1,784, with Canada at 1,434 and Australia at 892. The gap between US filings and PCT filings suggests that many filers are pursuing direct national or regional routes rather than defaulting to a global PCT strategy.
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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.