X-Ray Fluorescence Patents: Top Companies & Filing Trends 2026
- Filing has cooled from its 2019 peak of 653 records to 40 in the most recent (partial) year, with the 2021→2024 complete-year span down 37% from 494 to 310.
- No single filer dominates: the leader holds 377 records and the top 5 combined reach only 11.8% of the 10,296 records in scope.
- Material analysis (G01N) sits under medicinal preparations (A61K) in class frequency, signalling that a large share of this corpus is driven by pharmaceutical and polymer analytics rather than instrumentation alone.
Filing growth compares 2021 (494 records) with 2024 (310) — 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 10,296 records in scope (CR5), not by the ranked leaders only.
What the X-ray fluorescence patent record actually shows
X-ray fluorescence spectrometry patents in this dataset span 10,296 records filed between 2015 and mid-2026, covering matrix correction methods, fundamental-parameter calculations, detection-limit improvements, sample pelletizing, handheld analyzer design and calibration standards. The corpus is not a narrow instrumentation niche: it overlaps heavily with pharmaceutical composition claims (A61K, A61P) and polymer chemistry (C08F, C08L), which means a filing strategy built purely around detector hardware will miss where much of the competitive claim space actually sits.
Filing volume rose through the late 2010s, peaked in 2019, and has declined across the most recent complete years. Publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, so figures for 2025 and 2026 will fill in as later-filed applications publish; they should not yet be read as a slowdown.
Filing trend and technology composition
Two views of the same 10,296 records: how filing volume has moved year over year, and which IPC subclasses carry the claim density.
A cooling filing curve after a 2019 peak
Annual filings ran from 453 in 2017 to a peak of 653 in 2019, then eased across the following complete years, with the 2021-2024 span down 37% (494 to 310). The 2025-2026 figures are still incomplete because of publication lag and will rise as later filings post.
Composition skews toward chemical and pharmaceutical use classes
A61K (medicinal preparations) leads at 19.9% of the 10,296 records, ahead of G01N (material analysis and testing) at 14.6% and C07D (heterocyclic compounds) at 13.2%. Because records can carry multiple IPC classes, these shares sum to more than 100% and should be read as overlap, not as a partition of the field.
Shares are the percentage of the 10,296 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrometry with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about x-ray fluorescence spectrometry and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaA representative claim in calibration methodology
US6519543B1 — Calibration method for quantitative elemental analysis
The method determines a concentration of an element within a known matrix, obtains a calibration standard of that matrix via a polishing process representative of the concentration, and derives a detection limit of the analytical tool with respect to that concentration. Secondary ion mass spectrometry may be used to establish the element concentration within the known matrix.Filed by Bell Semiconductor, LLC; granted 2003-02-11.
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US6454811B1 | Composites for tissue regeneration and methods of manufacture thereof | 523 |
| 2 | US6601776B1 | Liquid atomization methods and devices | 480 |
| 3 | WO1999064638A1 | Removal of oxygen from metal oxides and solid solutions by electrolysis in a fused salt | 432 |
| 4 | US5591581A | Electrochemiluminescent rhenium moieties and methods for their use | 406 |
| 5 | US20150364747A1 | Materials for solid state electrolytes and protective electrode coatings for lithium batteries | 400 |
| 6 | US6719828B1 | High capacity regenerable sorbent for removal of mercury from flue gas | 391 |
| 7 | US20070131915A1 | Stable dispersions of polymer-coated graphitic nanoplatelets | 378 |
| 8 | EP0874005A1 | Olefin polymerization catalysts, transition metal compounds, processes for olefin polymerization, and Alpha-o… | 375 |
| 9 | WO2010052263A1 | Solid catalyst composition | 285 |
| 10 | US20160116839A1 | Organometallic solution based high resolution patterning compositions and corresponding methods | 282 |
Citation counts favour older records simply because they have had longer to accumulate citations inside the searched corpus; treat them as a signal of influence, not of current commercial relevance.
Each row carries its publication number; clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
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Browse MCP servers →What the concentration and citation figures mean for a filing decision
Three figures matter more than the raw record count: how concentrated ownership is at the top, how the technology composition splits across use cases, and how citation weight is distributed.
Ownership is dispersed, not cornered
The leading assignee holds 377 records and fifth place holds 155, yet the top five combined reach only 11.8% of all records in scope. Extending to the top ten adds only another 6.2 percentage points to reach 18.0%. That leaves the large majority of filings spread across a long tail of single- and few-filing entrants.
Pharmaceutical use drives much of the corpus
Medicinal preparations (A61K) and therapeutic activity (A61P) together account for a substantial share of records, ahead of material analysis and testing (G01N) itself. Filers focused purely on instrumentation should expect to compete for claim space with pharmaceutical and polymer analytics filers using XRF as an analytical tool within a broader composition claim.
A cooling curve, not a dead field
Complete-year filings fell from 494 in 2021 to 310 in 2024. Because publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, the 2025 and 2026 figures are still incomplete and should not be read into this trend; the 2021-2024 window is the most reliable recent signal.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to x-ray fluorescence spectrometry, with the prior art for and against each one.
A fragmented field with a handful of repeat filers
No single company controls the field. The leader's 377 records represent a real position, but the bulk of activity is spread across a long tail, and several previously active filers have gone quiet in the most recent year.
A clear leader without a dominant share
The top-ranked assignee's 377 records outpace the field, but that still represents a small fraction of the 10,296 records in scope, leaving substantial room for new entrants to build a competing position.
Recent-year activity has slowed sharply among incumbents
Several of the most active historical filers show steep year-over-year declines in their latest reported year, with some down to zero filings. This is consistent with the broader 2021-2024 decline rather than an isolated retreat by any one firm.
Co-filing is rare and concentrated in a few relationships
Only ten co-assignee pairs appear in the dataset, and the strongest of these involves a small cluster of related corporate entities rather than cross-industry partnerships. Most patent activity in this field is filed by a single assignee acting alone.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Daikin Industries, Ltd. | 10 | -67% |
| Fujifilm Corporation | 1 | -91% |
| Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation | 1 | -75% |
| Borealis AG | 0 | -100% |
| BASF SE | 0 | -100% |
| Shell Internationale Research Maatschappij B.V. | 0 | — |
| Celgene Corporation | 0 | -100% |
| Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. | 0 | — |
Where to take this analysis
The dataset points to a fragmented ownership structure and several specific sub-areas with thinner filing density. Turning that into a filing or freedom-to-operate decision requires drilling into the actual claim language.
Map claim scope on the calibration-method cluster
Representative records like US6519543B1 show how calibration and detection-limit claims are constructed; checking claim breadth against a new method before filing avoids costly overlap.
Explore claim charts in EurekaTrack momentum shifts among incumbent filers
Several previously active assignees have slowed sharply in the most recent reported year, which may open filing space that would have been contested two years ago.
Monitor assignee activity in EurekaTest white-space branches against prior art
Under-claimed areas such as handheld analyzer miniaturisation or field calibration formats look thin in this dataset, but a proper prior-art search is needed before committing R&D spend.
Run a white space search in EurekaCommon questions about X-ray fluorescence spectrometry patents
The dataset ranks 100 companies by patent family count, with the leading assignee holding 377 records against a total of 10,296 records in scope. Concentration is low: the top five assignees combined reach only 11.8% of all records, and the top ten reach 18.0%. This means no single company controls the field, and a competitive analysis needs to look well beyond the first few names on any ranking to understand the full landscape.
Filing peaked in 2019 at 653 records and has declined since, with the most reliable complete-year comparison showing a 37% drop from 494 records in 2021 to 310 in 2024. Figures for 2025 and 2026 appear lower still, but that is largely an artifact of publication lag, which typically runs about 18 months behind actual filing dates. The honest read is a cooling trend through 2024, with the most recent two years not yet fully reported.
Material analysis and testing (G01N) accounts for 14.6% of the 10,296 records, but medicinal preparations (A61K) and therapeutic activity (A61P) classes are also heavily represented, together suggesting that a large portion of this corpus uses XRF as an analytical method within pharmaceutical or polymer composition claims rather than as standalone instrumentation. Anyone filing pure detector or calibration hardware claims should still check pharmaceutical-adjacent filings, since overlap is common and these shares are not mutually exclusive because records carry multiple IPC classes.
US6519543B1, assigned to Bell Semiconductor, LLC and granted in 2003, claims a calibration method that determines an element's concentration within a known matrix, produces a calibration standard through a polishing process representative of that concentration, and establishes a detection limit for the analytical tool. It also references using secondary ion mass spectrometry to determine element concentration within the matrix. Anyone building a calibration-standard workflow that follows this specific sequence of steps should review this record's claim language closely, though its scope is limited to the particular calibration methodology described rather than XRF instrumentation broadly.
Filing density is comparatively thin in areas such as handheld analyzer miniaturisation, fundamental-parameter algorithm refinements, sample pelletizing for heterogeneous matrices, and field-deployable calibration standard formats, based on the technology composition and assignee patterns in this dataset. These are not guaranteed gaps; they are branches where the dataset shows fewer concentrated claims relative to the core calibration and matrix-correction cluster. A freedom-to-operate search remains necessary before committing engineering resources to any of them.
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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.