Zeolite Catalyst Simulation Patents: Who Leads, Filing Trends 2026
- Filing has plateaued, not grown. activity peaked in 2023 at 29 families and the 2022 midpoint of 24 shows flat-to-declining momentum rather than an accelerating field.
- Claims cluster tightly in catalysis. 160 of 162 records sit in B01J, with only a handful reaching into exhaust treatment (F01N) or ceramics (C04B) — adjacent uses are barely claimed.
- Co-filing is rare and mostly intra-group. just 7 co-assignee pairs exist across the whole set, and the strongest links are between a parent company and its own research institute.
Filing growth compares 2021 (5 records) with 2024 (18) — 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 162 records in scope (CR5), not by the ranked leaders only.
What this landscape covers
This dataset tracks patent families where zeolite, zeolite catalyst or molecular sieve claims are combined with computational methods — density functional theory, microkinetic modeling, molecular simulation or diffusion modeling — and classified under catalysis, cheminformatics or computer-aided design IPC codes. It captures the intersection of physical zeolite synthesis and the simulation work used to design or explain it, not simulation software in general and not zeolite chemistry that makes no computational claim.
162 patent families were published between 2015 and the mid-2026 data cut-off. Because publication typically lags filing by around 18 months, the last one to two years in any trend line is undercounted and should be read as a floor, not a ceiling.
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Filing trends and technology composition
Two views of the same 162 families: how filing volume has moved year over year, and which parts of the IPC scheme carry the claims.
A plateau after 2023
Filings rose from 17 in 2017 to a peak of 29 in 2023, with the 2022 midpoint at 24. The trend since then is flat to declining — this reads as a maturing claim space rather than a growing one, though the most recent one to two years are still filling in.
Concentrated in catalysis, thin elsewhere
B01J (chemical/physical processes and catalysis) covers 160 of 162 records, with C01B (inorganic compounds, 89) and C07C (acyclic/carbocyclic compounds, 46) as the next-heaviest overlaps. Refining (C10G, 29) and separation (B01D, 20) show meaningful but secondary claim density. Exhaust treatment (F01N, 4), ceramics (C04B, 2) and heterocyclic compounds (C07D, 2) are barely touched — these are the adjacent application areas with the least claim pressure.
Shares are the percentage of the 162 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on Zeolite Catalyst Simulation and Modeling with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about zeolite catalyst simulation and modeling and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaRepresentative filing and most-cited prior art
Molecular sieve, its preparation and application thereof
The present invention relates to a molecular sieve, particularly to an ultra-macroporous molecular sieve. The present invention also relates to a process for the preparation of the molecular sieve and to its application as an adsorbent, a catalyst, or the like. The molecular sieve has a unique X-ray diffraction pattern and a unique crystal particle morphology.Filed by China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (Sinopec), published 2019-05-16.
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US10118163B1 | Methods for producing hierarchical mesoporous zeolite beta | 38 |
| 2 | US9376324B2 | Introduction of mesoporosity into zeolite materials with sequential acid, surfactant, and base treatment | 34 |
| 3 | US20150182953A1 | Introducing mesoporosity into zeolite materials with a modified acid pre-treatment step | 31 |
| 4 | US20170107114A1 | Methods of synthesizing chabazite zeolites with controlled aluminum distribution and structures made therefrom | 28 |
| 5 | US20160101415A1 | Organic-free synthesis of small pore zeolite catalysts | 25 |
| 6 | US10751709B1 | Methods for producing mesoporous zeolite multifunctional catalysts for upgrading pyrolysis oil | 13 |
| 7 | WO2015028741A1 | Zeolite material made from a mesoporous zeolite | 13 |
| 8 | US20210001318A1 | Methods for producing mesoporous zeolite multifunctional catalysts for upgrading pyrolysis oil | 12 |
| 9 | US20170173539A1 | Pore opened zeolite nanosheets and their suspensions and methods and uses related thereto | 11 |
| 10 | US20240009660A1 | Methods for synthesis of hierarchically ordered crystalline microporous materials with long-range mesoporous … | 10 |
Citation counts favor older filings in any searched corpus — treat this table as a signal of influence on later work, not of current technical importance.
Each row carries its publication number; clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
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Browse MCP servers →What the numbers mean for a filing decision
Three patterns stand out once the raw counts are put in context: where the field is concentrated, where it has stalled, and where the intersection with computation is thinnest.
Catalysis claims dominate the set
Almost every family in this dataset touches B01J catalysis claims, meaning new entrants are filing directly into the densest part of the space rather than around it. Differentiation has to come from the specific computational method or the zeolite structure, not from the broad catalysis category.
Growth has already peaked
Filing rose steadily to 2023 and has not exceeded that level since, with the 2022 midpoint of 24 confirming a flat-to-declining trajectory rather than a temporary dip. Treat the field as consolidating around known approaches rather than expanding into new ones.
Co-filing is the exception
Only seven co-assignee pairs appear across 162 families, and the strongest of them links a parent company to its own research institute rather than two independent organizations. Cross-company joint filings in this space are rare enough to be notable when they occur.
US-first filing strategy
United States filings outnumber the next office (WIPO/PCT) by roughly three to one, with Europe close behind PCT. India, Canada and Singapore each register single-digit-to-low-double-digit counts, suggesting protection outside the US/EU/PCT core is filed selectively rather than by default.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to zeolite catalyst simulation and modeling, with the prior art for and against each one.
Assignees and where they're pointed
Filing activity is led by a small group of refiners, catalyst makers and their affiliated research institutes, with momentum in the most recent year concentrated in just two organizations.
Saudi Aramco and KAUST
Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco) (Saudi Aramco) and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) (KAUST) each show one filing in the latest year and are linked as a co-assignee pair with 8 shared families — one of the strongest cross-institution links in the dataset.
Sinopec and its research institute
Sinopec Research Institute of Petroleum Processing (RIPP) and its parent China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (Sinopec) form the single strongest co-assignee link in the set, though both show zero filings in the latest year — activity appears to have front-loaded into earlier years.
Established filers have slowed
UOP LLC (UOP) shows a -100% year-over-year change with zero filings in the latest year, and Johnson Matthey PLC (UK) (Johnson Matthey) is similarly flat. This matches the overall plateau in the trend line rather than any single company retreating.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco) | 1 | — |
| King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) | 1 | — |
| Johnson Matthey PLC (UK) | 0 | — |
| Sinopec Research Institute of Petroleum Processing (RIPP) | 0 | — |
| China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (Sinopec) | 0 | — |
| UOP LLC | 0 | -100% |
| Chevron U.S.A. Inc. | 0 | -100% |
| Purdue Research Foundation | 0 | — |
Where to take this
The dataset points to a field that has stopped growing in volume but still has gaps in coverage. The next step depends on whether the goal is freedom-to-operate or finding open claim space.
Check freedom-to-operate against the top-cited cluster
The five most-cited records concentrate on mesoporosity and controlled aluminum distribution — any new hierarchical or chabazite zeolite work should be checked against these first.
Run a freedom-to-operate searchExplore the under-claimed branches
F01N exhaust treatment and C04B ceramic supports show almost no overlap with simulation claims despite active physical patenting elsewhere — a first-filer advantage may still exist there.
Explore white space with EurekaWatch the Saudi Aramco / KAUST pairing
This is the most active recent co-assignee link in the dataset and worth tracking for follow-on filings in molecular simulation of diffusion pathways.
Track assignee activityCommon questions
In this dataset, it is a patent family whose claims combine zeolite, zeolite catalyst or molecular sieve subject matter with a computational method — density functional theory, microkinetic modeling, molecular simulation or diffusion modeling — and that is classified under catalysis (B01J29), cheminformatics (G16C10) or computer-aided design (G06F30) codes. Patents that describe zeolite synthesis without any modeling claim, or simulation software with no zeolite application, are excluded. This means the 162 families here represent the intersection, not the full universe of zeolite patents or of catalysis-modeling patents separately.
Filing is led by a mix of national oil companies, refiners and their affiliated research institutes, most visibly China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation together with its own research institute, and Saudi Aramco paired with KAUST. Co-filing between unrelated organizations is uncommon — only seven co-assignee pairs exist across the full dataset. Recent-year momentum is concentrated in just a couple of these organizations rather than spread broadly, so leadership by cumulative volume and leadership by current activity are not the same group.
Filing grew from 17 families in 2017 to a peak of 29 in 2023, but the trend has been flat to declining since, with the 2022 midpoint sitting at 24. That pattern points to a field consolidating around established computational approaches rather than one still expanding into new methods. Keep in mind that publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, so the most recent one to two years in any count will look lower than they eventually settle.
The clearest gaps sit in the IPC subclasses with the fewest records despite active related patenting elsewhere: exhaust treatment (F01N, 4 records) and ceramics (C04B, 2 records) both have heavy physical-product patenting in adjacent fields but almost no simulation-method overlap. Diffusion modeling of hierarchical mesopores and DFT-guided control of aluminum distribution are also thin relative to the volume of physical zeolite-structure patents citing similar concepts. These are areas where a well-drafted first claim could still find open ground.
US20190144289A1 covers a specific ultra-macroporous molecular sieve defined by a particular X-ray diffraction pattern, crystal morphology and an organic template compound used in its preparation, assigned to China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation. It blocks filings that overlap those specific structural and process limitations, not zeolite or molecular sieve work in general. Anyone designing a molecular sieve with a different template chemistry, diffraction signature or synthesis route would need to compare claims directly rather than assume blanket coverage from this one filing.
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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.