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PatentCliff

Updated April 2026 · USPTO PatentsView

CPC B60

Vehicles & Automotive Patent Landscape

160 patents tracked across 3 companies in CPC B60.

The Vehicles & Automotive technology class (CPC B60) covers 160 U.S. patents tracked here, held across 3 companies. Filing activity, top patent holders, and recent grants below all come directly from USPTO records.

Patent landscape for Vehicles & Automotive technology (CPC class B60). Covers innovations in vehicles & automotive from leading companies worldwide.

Vehicles & Automotive at a Glance

160 patents tracked under Vehicles & Automotive. Smaller technology classes can be either nascent areas with growing filing activity or legacy areas where filing has slowed — the yearly trend on this page is the easiest way to tell which.

Toyota (70 patents, grade C), Ford (50, grade D), and Tesla (40, grade D) hold the top three positions in Vehicles & Automotive. 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
1
2015
1
2016
2
2017
7
2018
14
2019
15
2020
11
2021
6
2022
15
2023
10
2024
9
2025
9
2026
15
2027
6
2028
3

Filing activity in Vehicles & Automotive has accelerated, with the most recent five years averaging about 8 new patents per year — roughly 49% 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 Vehicles & Automotive

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
10003678Method for modular RF energy storageTeslaMar 27, 2028Aug 19, 20441318.4y 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
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
10001325Method for adaptive autonomous RF navigationToyotaDec 13, 2026Aug 15, 2043917.4y left
10001316Method of fabricating configurable digital componentsToyotaNov 16, 2026Feb 6, 20442217.8y left
10003662Method for configurable analog energy storageTeslaNov 15, 2026Jun 16, 2042816.2y 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
10003582Apparatus for enhanced computational operations in graphene environmentsFordAug 6, 2026Aug 6, 20434017.3y left
10001282Semiconductor device with adaptive CMOS structureToyotaJul 21, 2026Dec 20, 2044918.7y left
10001330Internal combustion engine with advanced cloud systemToyotaJul 7, 2026Apr 27, 2044718.1y left
10001302optimized electric vehicle photonic management systemToyotaJun 23, 2026Sep 17, 20443118.4y left
10003579Method for distributed machine learning inference using 5GFordJun 12, 2026Apr 19, 2044518.0y left
10001308Internal combustion engine with efficient nano-scale systemToyotaMay 6, 2026Oct 20, 20431517.5y left

What Expirations Mean for Vehicles & Automotive

As patents in Vehicles & Automotive 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 Vehicles & Automotive based on their primary CPC classification (B60) 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 Vehicles & Automotive CPC class?

Vehicles & Automotive corresponds to Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) prefix B60, the international system used by the USPTO and EPO to organize patents by technical subject matter. Patent landscape for Vehicles & Automotive technology (CPC class B60). Covers innovations in vehicles & automotive 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 Vehicles & Automotive?

Toyota (70 patents), Ford (50 patents), Tesla (40 patents) are the leading holders in Vehicles & Automotive. 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 Vehicles & Automotive 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 Vehicles & Automotive expire?

When a patent expires, its claims enter the public domain. For Vehicles & Automotive, 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 Vehicles & Automotive 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, Vehicles & Automotive landscape, April 2026. Data: USPTO."

Last updated 2026-04-10 · 160 patents tracked in Vehicles & Automotive.