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Run your analysis now →https://www.patsnap.com/resources/blog/rd-blog/transport-refrigeration-units-patent-landscape/ · Patsnap · data cut-off 2026-07-31 · downloaded from the live page
Patent Landscape · Transport RefrigerationTransport Refrigeration Unit Patents: Who Leads and Where the Field Is Still Open
- Extreme concentration at the top: the top 5 assignees combined account for 94.0% of all 569 records in scope, and the top 10 for 98.9%.
- Growth has cooled, not stopped: filings fell from 30 in 2021 to 19 in 2024, a 37% drop over that span, after peaking at 69 in 2019.
- Claim space is uneven across the stack: B60H vehicle heating and A/C covers 61.3% of records while power supply and grid integration (H02J) sits at just 8.6%.
569
Published Records
94%
Top-5 Share of All Records
-37%
Filing Growth 2021→2024
US
Leading Jurisdiction
Filing growth compares 2021 (30 records) with 2024 (19) — 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 569 records in scope (CR5), not by the ranked leaders only.
Published byPatsnap Research··7 min readSourced from Patsnap Eureka
Overview
What this dataset covers
This landscape draws on 569 published records matching transport refrigeration unit and reefer container refrigeration terms combined with control, monitoring and efficiency concepts such as electric drive units, temperature uniformity, door opening loss, fuel consumption, remote monitoring and pull-down time. The scope spans 2015 through the 2026 data cut-off, though publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, so the last one to two years understate real activity.
Records are grouped into patent families for the assignee ranking, which neutralises repeat filing by the same applicant across jurisdictions or continuations. Receiving-office data shows where applicants actually sought protection, and IPC subclass shares show which parts of the refrigeration and control stack carry the densest prior art.
Filing activity and technology mix, 2015–2026
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Assignee ranking and totals. Derived from a Patsnap search on Transport Refrigeration Units 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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The numbers
Filing trends and technology composition
Two views matter here: how filing volume has moved year over year, and how records split across the IPC subclasses that describe the underlying technology.
Filing trend: rise, peak, and a real but partial pullback
Filings climbed to a peak of 69 in 2019, then eased. The clearest complete-year comparison in the data is 2021 (30) to 2024 (19), a 37% decline; 2025 and 2026 figures are still filling in and should not be read as a continued fall.
Technology composition by IPC subclass
B60H (vehicle heating and air conditioning) touches 61.3% of the 569 records, with F25D refrigeration equipment at 34.4% and F25B refrigeration/heat pump circuits at 27.1%. Load-handling vehicle structure (B60P) appears in 24.8% of records, while power/grid systems, propulsion drive, engine control and vehicle accessories each sit under 10%, marking them as comparatively thin claim territory relative to the core thermal and vehicle-integration classes.
Shares are the percentage of the 569 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 Transport Refrigeration Units covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.
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Most-cited prior art and a representative filing
Representative filing
Remote monitoring of a transport refrigeration system (US20130298575A1)
THERMO KING CORPORATION
The filing describes a transport refrigeration system pairing a transport refrigeration unit with a generator set, each carrying its own controller and remote monitoring device, so telemetry from both the refrigeration circuit and the genset can be sent to an external server.Filed by Thermo King Corporation; published 2013-11-14.
Highest-cited records in scope
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US5181389A | Methods and apparatus for monitoring the operation of a transport refrigeration system | 198 |
| 2 | US6708507B1 | Temperature control apparatus and method of determining malfunction | 126 |
| 3 | US20130000342A1 | Solar power assisted transport refrigeration systems, transport refrigeration units and methods for same | 110 |
| 4 | US5437163A | Method of logging data in a transport refrigeration unit | 109 |
| 5 | US20140026599A1 | Transport Refrigeration System And Method For Operating | 108 |
| 6 | US6321549B1 | Electronic expansion valve control system | 96 |
| 7 | US5557938A | Transport refrigeration unit and method of operating same | 91 |
| 8 | US9415660B2 | Backup power generator for battery powered transport refrigeration units | 79 |
| 9 | US6318100B1 | Integrated electronic refrigerant management system | 74 |
| 10 | WO2018226389A1 | Hybrid power conversion system for a refrigerated transport vehicle and method | 71 |
Citation counts favour older filings simply because they have had more time to accumulate citations within the searched corpus; treat them as a signal of influence on the field rather than of current commercial relevance.
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 Transport Refrigeration Units 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 data means for filing strategy
Three patterns stand out once concentration, technology mix and timing are read together.
Concentration
94.0%
of 569 records held by top 5
The field is a near-duopoly with a long tail
With the top 5 assignees combined holding 94.0% of all 569 records and the top 10 reaching 98.9%, this is not a fragmented emerging field. New entrants are filing into a space where a small number of incumbents already hold dense, overlapping claim coverage across the core thermal and control architecture.
Source: assignee ranking, 46 companies
Technology mix
8.6%
of records touch H02J power/grid systems
Electrification-adjacent claims are comparatively sparse
Core vehicle HVAC (B60H) and refrigeration circuit classes (F25D, F25B) dominate filing activity, but power supply and grid integration (H02J) and vehicle propulsion drive (B60K) each sit under 10% of records. That gap is notable given the sector's move toward electric and hybrid drive gensets.
Source: IPC subclass distribution, all 569 records
Timing
-37%
filings, 2021 to 2024
Momentum has cooled from its 2019 peak
Filings peaked at 69 in 2019 and complete-year data shows a drop from 30 in 2021 to 19 in 2024. That is a real pullback in a maturing core, not evidence the field is closing off, and the most recent years in the chart remain understated by publication lag.
Source: filing trend, 2017-2024 complete years
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Looking for what nobody has claimed yet?
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to transport refrigeration units, with the prior art for and against each one.
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Co-assignee relationships and derived observations. Derived from a Patsnap search on Transport Refrigeration Units 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 holds the claim space, and who has recently gone quiet
Ranking by family count shows a leader with a very large share, a mid-tier of specialists, and a long tail of single- or few-filing entrants including individual inventors.
Leader
348
records, leading assignee
One filer dominates the ranked field
The leading assignee alone accounts for 348 of the 569 records in scope, dwarfing the fifth-place holder at 8 and the tenth-place holder at 5. Any freedom-to-operate review in this space has to start with that single portfolio.
Source: assignee ranking
Momentum
0 in latest year
recent-year filings, several leaders
Several top names show zero recent-year filings
A number of the largest historical filers, including the top two ranked assignees and other established names, show 0 filings in the latest tracked year against prior activity, a pattern consistent with publication lag rather than necessarily withdrawal from the field.
Source: recent-year momentum by assignee
Co-filing
6
shared records, strongest pairs
A handful of inventor-assignee pairs recur
Ten co-assignee pairs appear in the data, with the strongest pairs sharing 6 records each. This points to stable internal inventor teams filing consistently under the same corporate assignee rather than cross-company joint development.
Source: co-assignee pairs
Recent-year filing momentum by assignee
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Carrier Corporation | 0 | -100% |
| Thermo King Corporation | 0 | -100% |
| SUNSWAP LTD | 0 | — |
| ZANOTTI | 0 | — |
| AWWAD NADER S | 0 | — |
| Maersk Line A/S | 0 | — |
| KOELSCH RONALD | 0 | -100% |
| UTC Fire & Security EMEA BVBA | 0 | — |
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Assignee-level momentum. Derived from a Patsnap search on Transport Refrigeration Units 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 analysis
The figures here describe the shape of the field; the next step is testing a specific claim or design against it.
Check freedom-to-operate against the leader
With one assignee holding 348 of 569 records, any new TRU control or monitoring feature should be checked against that portfolio's specific claim scope before development proceeds.
Explore in Patsnap EurekaProbe the under-claimed sub-areas
Genset power integration, electric drive control and door-opening loss compensation sit well below the core thermal classes in filing density and are worth a closer prior-art pull before drafting.
Run a white space searchTrack momentum, not just totals
Several major filers show zero activity in the latest tracked year; distinguishing real pullback from publication lag requires re-checking the trend once later years fill in.
Set up monitoring in EurekaSource: Patsnap Eureka. Forward-looking reading of the same dataset. Derived from a Patsnap search on Transport Refrigeration Units 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 on transport refrigeration unit patents
Filing activity in this dataset is extremely concentrated: the top 5 assignees combined hold 94.0% of all 569 records in scope, and the leading single assignee alone accounts for 348 records. The remaining ranked companies, 46 in total, occupy a much smaller combined share, with a long tail of entities holding only a handful of filings each. Anyone assessing competitive position in this space needs to treat the leader's portfolio as the primary reference point rather than looking at the market as evenly distributed.
Filing volume peaked at 69 records in 2019 and has since eased, with complete-year data showing a drop from 30 filings in 2021 to 19 in 2024, a 37% decline. That is a genuine slowdown in the most mature part of the filing history, not evidence the field has stopped. Publication lag means 2025 and 2026 figures in any chart are still filling in and should not yet be read as a continuing decline.
Vehicle heating and air conditioning (IPC class B60H) is the single densest area, appearing in 61.3% of the 569 records in scope. Refrigeration equipment (F25D) and refrigeration/heat pump circuitry (F25B) follow at 34.4% and 27.1% respectively, with load-handling vehicle structure (B60P) at 24.8%. Power supply and grid systems, vehicle propulsion drive, engine control and vehicle accessories all sit under 10%, marking them as comparatively open relative to the core thermal classes.
The thinner IPC classes relative to the core thermal stack point to genset power integration and grid connectivity, electric drive unit control, door-opening loss compensation and multi-zone temperature uniformity sensing as areas with comparatively less claim density. These are not guarantees of a clear path, since a small number of records can still carry broad claims, but they are a reasonable starting point for a focused prior-art search ahead of drafting. Checking recent-year momentum for the specific sub-area is also worthwhile given publication lag in the newest filings.
US5181389A, covering methods for monitoring transport refrigeration system operation, is the most-cited record in this dataset at 198 citations, followed by US6708507B1 on temperature control fault detection at 126. High citation counts in a searched corpus tend to favour older filings simply because they have had longer to accumulate citations, so these figures signal historical influence on later drafting rather than current commercial weight. Newer high-value filings may simply not have had enough time to catch up in citation count.
Answers are grounded in the same dataset. Derived from a Patsnap search on Transport Refrigeration Units 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.