Wellhead and Casing Head Equipment Patents: Leaders & Trends 2026
Wellhead and Casing Head Equipment Patents: Who Leads and Where Filing Is Headed
43.5% concentration. The top 5 ranked assignees hold 1,057 of the 2,432 records in scope — an oilfield-equipment field consolidated around a small set of established suppliers. Filings peaked at 105 in 2017 and have declined since; 2021's 54 records fell to 23 by 2024, a -57% move over that three-year span. The 2025-2026 figures are still filling in as publications catch up with filings and should not be read as a continued fall.
- 1VETCO GRAY INC456
- 2FMC TECHNOLOGIES INC185
- 3CAMERSON INT CORP148
- 4DRIL QUIP INC135
- 5ABB VETCO GRAY INC133
See the full wellhead and casing head equipment analysis in Eureka
- The complete ranking, not just the top five
- Every IPC branch with its share of the corpus
- The most-cited records, and where claim space is still thin
Common questions on wellhead and casing head patents
Who are the leading patent holders in wellhead and casing head equipment?
The ranking covers 100 companies, with the leading assignee holding 456 of the 2,432 records in scope compared with 133 at fifth place and 52 at tenth. The top 5 together account for 43.5% of all records and the top 10 for 59.0%, so ownership is concentrated among a small group of established oilfield-equipment suppliers rather than spread evenly. Several of these same leading assignees show zero filings in the most recent tracked year, which is worth checking against your own competitive intelligence before assuming continued dominance.
Is patent filing in this field growing or shrinking?
Filing peaked in 2017 at 105 records and has declined since, with 2021’s 54 records falling to 23 by 2024 — a -57% move over that three-year span, which is the last period that can be treated as complete. Figures for 2025 and 2026 are still artificially low because publication typically lags filing by around 18 months, so they should not be read as evidence the decline is continuing. The honest read is a mature field with reduced but ongoing filing activity through 2024.
What does US5025864A actually cover, and does it still matter?
US5025864A, granted to Vetco Gray in 1991, covers a wear bushing that mounts inside a casing hanger bore before running into the well, together with the running-tool and setting-ring mechanism that releases it after cementing and seal-setting. It is one of the more heavily cited records in this corpus, which reflects its foundational position in casing-hanger running-tool mechanics rather than current commercial dominance. Anyone designing a new wear-bushing or setting-sleeve mechanism should review this filing and its citing family before finalising claim language.
Disclaimer. This analysis is based on Patsnap Eureka data drawn from a limited snapshot of global patent records and is provided for general information and reference only. Patent data carries inherent limitations — recent filings are under-counted because of publication lag, counts may be on a record or family basis, classification and applicant-name data may contain errors or duplicates, and the underlying search query defines the scope shown — so the analysis may be incomplete or inaccurate and may not reflect the full technology landscape.
Nothing here is an exhaustive prior-art, novelty, freedom-to-operate or validity search, nor does it constitute legal, financial or professional advice, and it should not be relied upon as such. Verify independently and review with qualified patent and legal professionals before acting on it.
Method: Filing trend and technology composition. Derived from a Patsnap search on Wellhead and Casing Head Equipment covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish. Every share divides by all records in scope. Data: Patsnap Eureka. See the full landscape report.