TPU Films and Sheets Patents: Who Leads, Where the Gaps Are 2026
- 24.2% concentration at the top. The five leading assignees together account for 128 of the 528 records in scope, but the ranking runs a full 100 companies deep, so most activity sits in a long tail.
- Filings have cooled since 2019. Annual filings peaked at 60 in 2019 and had fallen toward single-digit levels by 2026, with the most recent year always understated by publication lag.
- China dominates the filing venue. 272 of the tracked records were filed at the Chinese receiving office, more than three times the US total of 72, pointing to where enforcement and freedom-to-operate risk concentrates.
What this landscape covers
This review covers 528 published records matching TPU film and sheet claims — spanning hydrolysis resistance, polyether-based chemistries, elongation and tear strength, paint protection film, welding, lamination, and yellowing resistance — filed between 2015 and mid-2026. Records are drawn from a search across titles and abstract/claim text, so the set captures both core film chemistry and downstream converting and lamination processes. Family counts, not raw document counts, are used wherever concentration figures are quoted, which keeps continuation-heavy filers from distorting the picture.
The technology mixes polymer chemistry classes (polyurethane condensation, polymer compositions and additives) with process and product classes (layered products, plastics shaping, adhesives and coatings) — a sign that value in this space is captured as much through formulation as through the finished laminate structure.
Filing trend and technology composition
The trend line and the IPC breakdown below use the full 528-record set. Because a single record can carry several IPC classes, the composition shares add up to more than 100% — each is measured against the same 528-record denominator.
Filings by year, 2017–2026
Annual filings rose to a peak of 60 in 2019, sat at 27 by the 2022 midpoint, and had declined to 5 by 2026 — a partial year understated by the roughly 18-month gap between filing and publication.
IPC subclass composition
Polymer composition classes (C08L, C08G) and layered-product claims (B32B) each cover roughly a third of records, with additive use (C08K) and plastics shaping (B29C) trailing — evidence that most claim activity sits in formulation and lamination rather than in equipment or coating chemistry, where C09D sits at just 8.5%.
Shares are the percentage of the 528 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on TPU Films and Sheets with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about tpu films and sheets and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaRepresentative filing and most-cited prior art
Sewing-free hot melt adhesive TPU leather and preparation method thereof
Describes a sewing-free hot melt adhesive TPU leather built from a release paper, a hot melt adhesive film and a TPU film, with the hot melt layer formulated from polyester polyol, diisocyanate and polyether polyol, and the TPU raw material built from polymer polyol, 1,4-cyclohexane-diisocyanate and a chain extender plus functional additives.Filed 2016-07-28 by Dongguan Xionglin New Material Technology — illustrative of the formulation-plus-lamination claim style common across this dataset.
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US6558784B1 | Composite footwear upper and method of manufacturing a composite footwear upper | 444 |
| 2 | US20040096666A1 | Photochromic article | 236 |
| 3 | US20020012784A1 | Composite footwear upper and method of manufacturing a composite footwear upper | 165 |
| 4 | US20070295451A1 | Footwear sole construction | 142 |
| 5 | US6670029B2 | Composite footwear upper and method of manufacturing a composite footwear upper | 122 |
| 6 | US7465414B2 | Photochromic article | 99 |
| 7 | US5511248A | Anti-slip glove | 96 |
| 8 | US5242751A | Paint composites | 94 |
| 9 | WO2000051458A1 | Composite footwear upper and method of manufacturing a composite footwear upper | 72 |
| 10 | US20050112968A1 | Patch repair system for collapsible fuel and water tanks | 47 |
Citation counts reflect influence within the searched corpus and skew toward older records; they are not a measure of current commercial importance.
Each row carries its publication number; clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
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Three patterns stand out once concentration, trend and geography are read together.
Leadership is real but not exclusive
The five leading assignees hold 128 of 528 records — meaningful but far from a lock. With a 100-company ranked list behind them, most of the field is held by single- or few-filing entrants, which keeps freedom-to-operate risk distributed rather than concentrated in one gatekeeper.
Filing has cooled from its 2019 peak
Annual filings peaked at 60 in 2019 and had fallen to single digits by 2026. Several of the largest historical filers show flat or negative year-on-year movement, suggesting the core chemistry claim space is settling rather than expanding.
China is the primary filing venue
China's receiving office accounts for 272 records against 72 in the United States, 48 at the EPO and 36 via WIPO/PCT. Enforcement strategy and design-around work should treat Chinese filings as the primary prior-art baseline, not a secondary check.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to tpu films and sheets, with the prior art for and against each one.
| Assignee | Co-assignee | Shared families |
|---|---|---|
| Dongguan Xionglin New Material Technology Co., Ltd. | Dongguan Jixin Polymer Science & Technology Co., Ltd. | 13 |
| Tesa SE | MUSSIG BERNHARD | 6 |
| Magna Seating Inc. | PUCHALSKI CYNTHIA | 3 |
| Magna Seating Inc. | PRASATEK CRAIG | 3 |
| Magna Seating Inc. | KOZLOWSKI ERIC | 3 |
| Magna Seating Inc. | CARRARO BRUNO D | 3 |
| Dongguan Xionglin New Material Technology Co., Ltd. | Suzhou Xionglin New Material Science & Technology Co., Ltd. | 2 |
| Dongguan Jixin Polymer Science & Technology Co., Ltd. | Suzhou Xionglin New Material Science & Technology Co., Ltd. | 1 |
Only 9 co-assignee pairs appear across the dataset, and the strongest pairing links two related Dongguan-based material science entities — collaboration is the exception, not the pattern, in this field.
Who is filing, and where the gaps sit
The leading assignee holds 52 records; by fifth place that falls to 13, and by tenth place to 7 — a steep drop that confirms a long tail rather than a duopoly.
One clear leader, then a steep drop
The top-ranked assignee holds 52 records, roughly four times the fifth-place holder's 13. That gap matters more for competitive tracking than the 24.2% top-5 share alone, since it shows most of the concentration sits with one filer rather than being spread evenly across the leading group.
Several top filers show zero recent activity
More than one of the historically largest assignees recorded zero filings in the latest tracked year, with year-on-year changes at -100% against their prior activity. That is consistent with the overall filing decline since 2019 rather than any single company's retreat.
Multi-jurisdiction filing is the norm among leaders
Records spread across China, the United States, the EPO, WIPO/PCT and South Korea in meaningful volume, which suggests leading assignees are pursuing parallel protection rather than relying on a single home-market filing.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Guangdong Zhongding Technology Development Co., Ltd. | 1 | -50% |
| Dongguan Xionglin New Material Technology Co., Ltd. | 0 | -100% |
| LG Chem Ltd. | 0 | — |
| Lubrizol Advanced Materials, Inc. | 0 | -100% |
| Dongguan Jixin Polymer Science & Technology Co., Ltd. | 0 | -100% |
| Suzhou Xionglin New Material Science & Technology Co., Ltd. | 0 | — |
| 3M Innovative Properties Company | 0 | — |
| Transitions Optical, Inc. | 0 | — |
Where to take this next
The dataset points to specific next steps depending on whether the goal is freedom-to-operate, licensing or new filing.
Map claims against the Chinese filing base
With 272 of 528 records filed in China, any freedom-to-operate review that skips Chinese-language claims is working from an incomplete picture.
Explore with Patsnap EurekaWatch the long tail, not just the leader
A 100-company ranked list with a steep drop after the top position means new entrants and smaller filers are worth individual tracking, not just the top group.
Explore with Patsnap EurekaTest the under-claimed branches
Hydrolysis resistance, self-healing PPF topcoats and low-temperature lamination show thinner claim density relative to core formulation classes and are worth a focused prior-art check before drafting.
Explore with Patsnap EurekaCommon questions about TPU film patents
The leading assignee in this dataset holds 52 of the 528 records in scope, well ahead of the fifth-ranked assignee at 13 and the tenth-ranked at 7. That steep drop-off means the field has one clear leader followed by a long tail of much smaller filers rather than a tight cluster of equally sized competitors. The ranked list runs to 100 companies, so most of the activity outside the leader is spread thinly across single- or few-filing entities.
Filing activity peaked at 60 records in 2019 and had declined to around 5 by 2026, with the 2022 midpoint sitting at 27. That trajectory points to a cooling rather than an expanding claim space, though the most recent one or two years are always understated because publication typically lags filing by about 18 months. Treat the 2025-2026 figures as a floor, not a final count.
China's receiving office accounts for 272 of the 528 records, far ahead of the United States at 72, the EPO at 48, WIPO/PCT filings at 36, South Korea at 35 and Japan at 16. Anyone doing freedom-to-operate work in this space needs to treat Chinese-language filings as the primary prior-art base, not a secondary check, given the scale of the gap. Multi-jurisdiction filing among the leading assignees is also common, so a single-country search will likely miss related family members.
The dataset spans polymer composition and condensation chemistry (C08L, C08G), layered product and laminate structures (B32B), polymer processing (C08J), additive use (C08K), plastics shaping (B29C), adhesives (C09J) and coatings (C09D). The largest classes — polymer compositions, condensation polymers and layered products — each cover roughly a third of the 528 records, showing that formulation and lamination claims dominate over coating or shaping claims. Because records often carry several IPC codes, these shares overlap rather than sum to 100%.
Relative to the dense core of formulation and lamination claims, sub-areas such as hydrolysis-resistant polyether-TPU blends, self-healing topcoats for paint protection film, low-temperature welding and lamination processes, and anti-yellowing additive packages show thinner claim density. That does not mean these areas are unpatented, but the claim space looks less crowded than the core polymer-composition and layered-product classes. A targeted prior-art search in these specific branches is a reasonable first step before drafting new claims.
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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.