Top Drives and Rotary Systems Patents: Who Leads 2026
- Top 5 hold 40.6% of the field. 908 of 2,234 records sit with the five leading assignees, with a long tail of single- and few-filing entrants behind them.
- Filing pace has pulled back sharply. From 53 filings in 2021 to 21 in 2024 — a 60% drop over the complete three-year window, before the most recent, still-incomplete years.
- E21B dominates the class map. 78.6% of records carry an earth and rock drilling classification, leaving control systems, gearing and electric motor claims as comparatively thin secondary bands.
Filing growth compares 2021 (53 records) with 2024 (21) — 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 2,234 records in scope (CR5), not by the ranked leaders only.
What this landscape covers
This dataset tracks patent activity at the intersection of top drive and rotary table mechanisms with specific subsystem claims: output torque control, internal blowout preventer valves, wash pipe seals, link tilt assemblies, spindle bearings and make-up torque management. It spans 2,234 published records filed or published between 2015 and mid-2026, drawing from drilling equipment manufacturers, oilfield service majors and independent hardware specialists.
The field is functionally narrow but mechanically dense: most records sit inside a single IPC subclass tied to wellbore drilling equipment, with smaller clusters in control systems, gearing and electric motor claims that describe the actuation and monitoring hardware wrapped around the core rotary mechanism.
Filing trends and technology composition
The two figures below track when top drive and rotary system patents were filed and what technical ground they cover, using the full 2,234-record scope.
A field that peaked and has since contracted
Filings ran from 73 in 2017 to a peak of 87 in 2018, then declined toward 21 by 2024 — a 60% drop across that three-year span. 2025 and 2026 figures are still incomplete because publication typically lags filing by around 18 months, so the apparent tail-off in the newest years should not be read as the field's current pace.
One dominant class, several secondary bands
E21B (earth and rock drilling) covers 78.6% of all records, reflecting the wellbore-equipment core of this dataset. Control and regulating systems (G05B, 3.6%), gearing and transmissions (F16H, 3.5%) and non-electric control variables (G05D, 2.8%) form a secondary layer around actuation and monitoring, with machine tool fittings, electric motors, hand tools and pipe fittings each below 3% — records can carry multiple classes, so these shares add up past 100%.
Shares are the percentage of the 2,234 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on Top Drives and Rotary Systems with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about top drives and rotary systems and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaRepresentative filing and most-cited records
Systems and methods for condition monitoring of top drive internal blowout preventer valves
The filing describes a top drive handling ring assembly built around a main shaft that engages an internal blowout preventer (IBOP) valve through a two-piece actuator sleeve — one rotating, one static — driven by a hydraulic cylinder. Left and right crank assemblies carry wireless encoders that report position back to a monitoring system, turning a mechanical valve-actuation path into one with condition feedback.Filed by Schlumberger Technology Corporation, published 2024-12-05.
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US20150366585A1 | Tension-limiting temporary epicardial pacing wire extraction device | 845 |
| 2 | US5265682A | Steerable rotary drilling systems | 519 |
| 3 | US5547382A | Riding simulation system for motorcycles | 453 |
| 4 | US20100003904A1 | High speed flat lapping platen, raised islands and abrasive beads | 381 |
| 5 | US4800968A | Well apparatus with tubular elevator tilt and indexing apparatus and methods of their use | 296 |
| 6 | US6679333B2 | Top drive well casing system and method | 272 |
| 7 | US4997042A | Casing circulator and method | 236 |
| 8 | US6769969B1 | Raised island abrasive, method of use and lapping apparatus | 225 |
| 9 | US4878546A | Self-aligning top drive | 214 |
| 10 | US5563512A | Well logging apparatus having a removable sleeve for sealing and protecting multiple antenna arrays | 186 |
Citation counts reward older filings that have had more time to accumulate citations within the searched corpus; treat them as a signal of influence rather than current relevance.
Each row carries its publication number; clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
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Three patterns stand out once the raw counts are read against each other: concentration at the top, a class map with one dominant subclass, and a filing pace that has cooled from its 2018 peak.
The top of the field is settled
The five leading assignees hold 908 of the 2,234 records in scope, with the leader alone at 325. That leaves a long tail of smaller and single-filing entrants competing for the remaining claim space around subsystem detail rather than the core mechanism.
Activity has pulled back from its peak
Filings peaked at 87 in 2018 and have since fallen to 21 by 2024, a 60% drop across that three-year window. The most recent years are still filling in due to publication lag, so this should be read as a real slowdown through the last complete filing year, not a current cliff.
One class carries almost all the volume
E21B drilling-equipment claims account for 78.6% of all records, dwarfing the next largest class, control and regulating systems at 3.6%. That imbalance means most competitive pressure sits inside a single classification, while adjacent control, gearing and motor claims remain comparatively open.
Filing is US-centred with a European and Canadian tier
The United States receives the largest share of filings at 732 records, followed by the EPO at 313 and Canada at 263, with WIPO PCT filings at 195. This geographic spread points to North America and Europe as the primary venues to watch for enforcement and freedom-to-operate risk.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to top drives and rotary systems, with the prior art for and against each one.
Leading assignees and where momentum sits
The ranking covers 100 companies across the full 2,234-record scope. The leader holds 325 records outright; by the tenth position that figure has fallen to 44, and the field spreads into a long tail beyond that.
A clear single leader
The top-ranked assignee holds 325 records, nearly four times the fifth-place total of 93. That gap suggests a company with a broad, defensible position across multiple top drive subsystems rather than one narrow niche filing.
A steep drop by mid-table
By the tenth-ranked assignee, holdings have fallen to 44 records — less than half the fifth-place count of 93. The field thins out quickly outside the leading handful, which is where smaller specialists and service companies compete on subsystem-level claims.
Recent-year activity has gone quiet at the top
Several of the most active historical filers, including major oilfield service and drilling equipment names, show zero recorded filings in the latest year, with year-over-year drops of -100% where prior-year activity existed. This is consistent with the broader pullback seen in the 2021-to-2024 trend rather than a signal specific to any one company.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Weatherford Technology Holdings, LLC | 0 | — |
| National Oilwell Varco, L.P. | 0 | — |
| Halliburton Energy Services, Inc. | 0 | -100% |
| Weatherford Lamb, Inc. | 0 | — |
| MAKO RENTALS INC | 0 | -100% |
| Varco I/P, Inc. | 0 | — |
| Shell Internationale Research Maatschappij B.V. | 0 | — |
| Canrig Drilling Technology Ltd. | 0 | — |
Where to take this analysis
The dataset points to specific next steps depending on whether the goal is freedom-to-operate, portfolio strategy or identifying open claim space.
Map freedom-to-operate against the top 10
With 53.4% of all records held by ten assignees, a freedom-to-operate review should start with those portfolios before widening to the long tail.
Explore assignee portfolios in EurekaTest claim language in the under-claimed bands
Control systems, gearing and electric motor classes each sit under 4% of records despite sitting adjacent to the dominant E21B core, suggesting room for narrowly drafted claims there.
Run a claim search in EurekaWatch for the next filing cycle
Because publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, the true 2025-2026 filing rate will not be visible in this data for some time; a follow-up pull is the only way to confirm whether the slowdown continues.
Set up monitoring in EurekaCommon questions about this landscape
One assignee leads with 325 records, well ahead of the fifth-ranked company at 93. The top five combined account for 908 of the 2,234 records in scope, or 40.6% of the field, which means a small number of companies control a large share of the claim space around top drive and rotary table mechanisms. Beyond the top ten, holdings drop off quickly into a long tail of smaller filers, so due diligence should prioritise the leading group first.
Filings peaked at 87 in 2018 and had fallen to 21 by 2024, a 60% decline across that three-year span. That said, patent publication typically lags actual filing by around 18 months, so the years closest to the present in this dataset are undercounted and should not yet be read as a continuing decline. A fair reading is that the field cooled meaningfully from its 2018 peak through the last complete filing year.
US20240401435A1 is a Schlumberger Technology Corporation filing published 2024-12-05 covering a top drive handling ring assembly with an internal blowout preventer (IBOP) valve actuated by a two-piece sleeve and hydraulic cylinder, monitored through wireless encoders on crank assemblies. It represents the kind of condition-monitoring layer being added to established mechanical IBOP actuation hardware. Anyone designing a similar sensor-equipped actuator sleeve for an IBOP valve should review its claim scope directly.
The dominant classification is E21B, earth and rock drilling equipment for wells, which covers 78.6% of the 2,234 records in scope. Secondary classes include G05B control and regulating systems at 3.6%, F16H gearing and transmissions at 3.5%, and G05D non-electric control variables at 2.8%, with smaller shares in machine tool fittings, electric motors, hand tools and pipe fittings. Because a single record can carry several classes, these shares add up to more than 100%, and they signal where actuation, sensing and control hardware claims sit around the core drilling mechanism.
The secondary IPC bands sit far behind the dominant E21B class: control and regulating systems, gearing, non-electric control variables, machine tool fittings and electric motor integration each account for under 4% of the 2,234 records. That gap suggests comparatively open claim space around sensor feedback for wash pipe seals, link tilt indexing, spindle bearing condition monitoring and make-up torque control, where the mechanical core is well covered but the sensing and control layer around it is not.
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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.