Wind-Assist Ship Hull Design Patent Snapshot 2026
The patent corpus for wind-assist ship hull design is extremely small and entirely concentrated in a single independent inventor filing exclusively in the United States. Activity peaked in 2020 and 2022 with no evidence of entry by major shipbuilders or propulsion OEMs, leaving the field structurally open.
One filer holds every patent family in scope
HIGGINSON TIMOTHY B is the sole ranked applicant, accounting for all 4 patent families in the corpus. The top five filers’ share of the ranked applicants visible in this query’ combined total is 100%, reflecting complete concentration in a single individual rather than an institutional or corporate R&D program.
There is no discernible tier gap between a leader and a challenger because no challenger exists. All documented IP activity originates from one source, which is an unusual structural condition even for an early-stage niche.
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | HIGGINSON TIMOTHY B | 4 |
The absence of corporate or institutional applicants suggests that major shipbuilders, classification societies, and propulsion OEMs have not yet engaged in formal IP protection for this specific design intersection, despite broader industry interest in wind-assisted propulsion.
The most recent 18–24 months of filings are subject to publication lag and may be under-represented; the apparent absence of 2023–2026 activity should not be read as confirmed inactivity. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Sporadic filing bursts and a consistent AI-marine technology pairing
The annual trend and IPC composition together reveal both the pace and the technical framing of wind-assist ship hull IP: activity is episodic, and every family simultaneously invokes marine vessel design, marine propulsion, and AI-based computing.
Annual filing trend
Families were filed in two discrete bursts — 2020 and 2022 — with zero activity in all other years of the window. The field has plateaued near its modest peak; the multi-year growth rate is flat at zero percent. Publication lag means 2024–2026 should be treated as potentially incomplete, but the pattern to date is episodic rather than sustained.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
All 4 patent records fall under three IPC classes simultaneously: B63B (ships and marine vessels), B63H (marine propulsion and steering), and G06N (computing based on AI models). The uniform co-occurrence of all three classes across every family indicates that the filer’s design approach integrates AI-driven control directly into the hull-propulsion system rather than treating them as separate inventions.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaHighly cited patent families surfaced by the query
Citation-heavy patent families returned by the query. Use this section as citation context, not as a curated list of the most topic-specific patents.
Wind-propelled boat having parallel self-righting …
A wind-propelled vessel is described herein. The vessel includes at least one hull and at least one set of paired masts. Each paired mast of the at least one set of paired masts has a first mast located to one side of the vessel and a second mast located on the opposite side of the vessel. Also, each mast of the at least one set of paired masts has a spar… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wind-propelled boat having parallel self-righting … | 2 |
Ranked by total forward citations. Citation counts favour older and broadly cited patent families, and broad or adjacent patents may appear when they match the search scope. Treat this section as citation context, not as a curated list of the most topic-specific patents. Some patent titles may be shown in their original, non-English language where an accurate translation could not be guaranteed.
Assignee snapshot from the current evidence set
The applicants below are visible in this query result. Because the evidence set is relatively small, read this section as a directional snapshot rather than a full competitive ranking.
HIGGINSON TIMOTHY B
HIGGINSON TIMOTHY B holds all 4 patent families in scope and is classified as a new entrant, with 2 families in the recent period. Every family spans B63B (ships and marine vessels), B63H (marine propulsion and steering), and G06N (AI-based computing), indicating a design philosophy that couples hull aerodynamics with intelligent propulsion control. There is no trajectory data for a prior cohort to compare against, consistent with new-entrant status.
families: 4No ranked challenger identified
No second applicant appears in the ranking. The challenger position is structurally vacant. Any corporate or institutional filer entering this space would immediately become the second-largest right holder in the corpus by virtue of filing a single family.
families: 0Frequently asked questions
The evidence contains 4 patent families in scope, all filed in the United States and all attributed to a single independent inventor.
HIGGINSON TIMOTHY B is the sole ranked applicant, holding all 4 patent families. No corporate or institutional filer appears in the ranking.
Every family in the corpus is classified under three IPC branches simultaneously: B63B (ships and marine vessels), B63H (marine propulsion and steering), and G06N (computing based on AI models). The consistent co-occurrence suggests an integrated AI-plus-hull-propulsion design approach.
All 4 patent records are filed in the United States. No PCT, EPO, or other national office filings are present in the evidence.
The evidence characterizes the field as at a plateau stage. Annual filings peaked in 2020 and have eased since, with the multi-year growth rate at zero percent. Publication lag means very recent years may be under-represented.
No. The collaboration evidence is empty — there are no co-applicant relationships on record. No shipbuilder, propulsion OEM, or research institution appears as a filer or co-filer in the corpus.
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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.
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