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PatentCliff

Updated April 2026 · USPTO PatentsView

CPC F02

Combustion Engines Patent Landscape

225 patents tracked across 4 companies in CPC F02.

The Combustion Engines technology class (CPC F02) covers 225 U.S. patents tracked here, held across 4 companies. Filing activity, top patent holders, and recent grants below all come directly from USPTO records.

Patent landscape for Combustion Engines technology (CPC class F02). Covers innovations in combustion engines from leading companies worldwide.

Combustion Engines at a Glance

225 patents under Combustion Engines make this a focused mid-tier technology class. Mid-tier classes often have a clear top-three of corporate patent holders, with the long tail filled by specialist firms and university tech-transfer offices.

General Electric (85 patents, grade C), Toyota (70, grade C), and Ford (50, grade D) hold the top three positions in Combustion Engines. The grade column reflects each company's overall Patent Strength Score across its full portfolio, not just patents in this technology class.

Patent Activity by Year

2012
4
2013
3
2015
6
2016
4
2017
12
2018
15
2019
24
2020
10
2021
8
2022
22
2023
15
2024
10
2025
13
2026
22
2027
7
2028
3

Filing activity in Combustion Engines has accelerated, with the most recent five years averaging about 11 new patents per year — roughly 36% above the earlier window. Acceleration often correlates with a technology shift attracting fresh corporate R&D, and it tends to push expiration cliffs further out as new filings replace older ones.

Recent Patents in Combustion Engines

Patent #TitleAssigneeGrantedExpiresClaimsStatus
10003546System and method for dynamic data processing using lidarFordSep 26, 2028Oct 10, 20442318.5y left
10003585Method for high-performance autonomous AI-driven navigationFordAug 12, 2028Mar 13, 20443717.9y left
10001412Power conversion system with multi-layer edge efficiencyGeneral ElectricApr 16, 2028Sep 8, 20444618.4y left
10003581Internal combustion engine with configurable neural systemFordNov 25, 2027Mar 6, 20442617.9y left
10003584high-performance electric vehicle nano-scale management systemFordSep 24, 2027Feb 15, 20434416.9y left
10001455Method for autonomous lidar fuel efficiencyGeneral ElectricSep 6, 2027Jan 14, 20432516.8y left
10001327Power conversion system with modular AI-driven efficiencyToyotaSep 3, 2027Jul 24, 20444218.3y left
10003578Method for low-latency neural fuel efficiencyFordJul 6, 2027Mar 28, 20434417.0y left
10003571Computer-implemented method for low-latency AI-driven optimizationFordFeb 25, 2027Jul 11, 20444618.3y left
10003588Apparatus for adaptive computational operations in 5G environmentsFordJan 22, 2027Mar 17, 20433216.9y left
10001347Method for multi-layer lidar fuel efficiencyBoeingDec 19, 2026Aug 10, 2044718.3y left
10001325Method for adaptive autonomous RF navigationToyotaDec 13, 2026Aug 15, 2043917.4y left
10001316Method of fabricating configurable digital componentsToyotaNov 16, 2026Feb 6, 20442217.8y left
10001446Internal combustion engine with low-latency RF systemGeneral ElectricNov 13, 2026Oct 14, 20441618.5y left
10001428Method for advanced machine learning inference using AI-drivenGeneral ElectricOct 25, 2026Nov 20, 20431217.6y left
10001450Method for dynamic analog energy storageGeneral ElectricOct 5, 2026Aug 4, 20441218.3y left
10003575System and method for enhanced data processing using quantumFordSep 19, 2026Apr 27, 20422916.1y left
10001288Vehicle MEMS system with optimized controlToyotaSep 8, 2026Oct 13, 20441518.5y left
10001466Internal combustion engine with high-performance photonic systemGeneral ElectricAug 27, 2026Feb 8, 20432916.8y left
10003582Apparatus for enhanced computational operations in graphene environmentsFordAug 6, 2026Aug 6, 20434017.3y left

What Expirations Mean for Combustion Engines

As patents in Combustion Engines expire, the underlying methods and apparatuses enter the public domain. Competitors gain freedom to operate without licensing the original claims, and downstream products incorporating the formerly protected technology can ship without a royalty stack. This is the ground-truth mechanism that drives generic-drug economics and the broader competitive dynamics in semiconductor process generations and consumer electronics platforms.

For pharmaceutical and biotech CPC classes, drug-specific exclusivities tracked in the FDA Orange Book can delay generic entry past patent expiration. For non-drug technology classes, expiration is a cleaner trigger — competitors generally gain freedom-to-operate immediately. Either way, the underlying expiration math comes from USPTO records.

How This Patent Landscape Is Built

Patents are assigned to Combustion Engines based on their primary CPC classification (F02) as recorded by USPTO examiners. Total counts include all patents in the tracked dataset that carry this CPC prefix; recent-patent and yearly-trend tables are derived from the same record set. Each company\'s grade reflects its overall Patent Strength Score across its entire tracked portfolio, not just patents in this CPC class. Read the full methodology for the data pipeline, score weights, and known limitations.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Combustion Engines CPC class?

Combustion Engines corresponds to Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) prefix F02, the international system used by the USPTO and EPO to organize patents by technical subject matter. Patent landscape for Combustion Engines technology (CPC class F02). Covers innovations in combustion engines from leading companies worldwide. CPC classes are assigned by patent examiners and update as the technology evolves, so the patent set tracked here reflects the current classification of every included patent.

Who are the top patent holders in Combustion Engines?

General Electric (85 patents), Toyota (70 patents), Ford (50 patents), Boeing (20 patents) are the leading holders in Combustion Engines. Patent counts at the company level are useful for spotting concentration, but they do not tell you about claim strength — for a finer signal, see each company's Patent Strength Score grade in the table below.

How many Combustion Engines patents will expire soon?

Per-year expiration counts for this technology class can be derived from the recent patents table on this page combined with each patent's expiration date — patents typically expire 20 years from earliest non-provisional filing. For year-by-year expiration totals across all CPC classes, see the expiring-year pages on this site, which break down each year's cohort by company and technology.

What happens when patents in Combustion Engines expire?

When a patent expires, its claims enter the public domain. For Combustion Engines, that means competitors can implement the underlying methods or apparatus without licensing fees. The practical impact varies — in regulated areas like pharmaceuticals, FDA-granted exclusivities can extend market protection past patent expiry. In unregulated technology areas, expiration usually translates directly into freedom-to-operate for new entrants.

Where does Combustion Engines patent data come from?

All patent data is sourced from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office through the PatentsView and Open Data Portal APIs. CPC classifications are assigned by USPTO examiners and are part of the official patent record. Verify any individual patent through USPTO Patent Public Search (ppubs.uspto.gov) or Google Patents.

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Sources: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PatentsView, Open Data Portal). Public-domain federal data. Cite as: "PatentCliff, Combustion Engines landscape, April 2026. Data: USPTO."

Last updated 2026-04-10 · 225 patents tracked in Combustion Engines.