A61B
Medical diagnosis and surgery
Official title: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D)
A61B (Medical diagnosis and surgery) appears on 311,689 US grants and 391,557 published applications in this corpus.
Search patents in A61B- Granted patents
- 311,689
- Published applications
- 391,557
- Assignees
- 53,363
- Inventors
- 340,034
- Latest grant
- 6 Oct 2026
Filings by year
| Year | Granted patents | Published applications |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 734 | 0 |
| 1977 | 694 | 0 |
| 1978 | 710 | 0 |
| 1979 | 569 | 0 |
| 1980 | 818 | 0 |
| 1981 | 867 | 0 |
| 1982 | 726 | 0 |
| 1983 | 720 | 0 |
| 1984 | 856 | 0 |
| 1985 | 952 | 0 |
| 1986 | 1181 | 0 |
| 1987 | 1305 | 0 |
| 1988 | 1261 | 0 |
| 1989 | 1754 | 0 |
| 1990 | 1729 | 0 |
| 1991 | 1951 | 0 |
| 1992 | 2043 | 0 |
| 1993 | 2298 | 0 |
| 1994 | 2755 | 0 |
| 1995 | 2776 | 0 |
| 1996 | 2836 | 0 |
| 1997 | 2987 | 0 |
| 1998 | 4121 | 0 |
| 1999 | 4058 | 0 |
| 2000 | 4138 | 0 |
| 2001 | 4255 | 1527 |
| 2002 | 4316 | 5454 |
| 2003 | 4862 | 6529 |
| 2004 | 3870 | 8235 |
| 2005 | 3229 | 9227 |
| 2006 | 3927 | 9656 |
| 2007 | 3715 | 10689 |
| 2008 | 3621 | 12097 |
| 2009 | 4267 | 12136 |
| 2010 | 6762 | 13357 |
| 2011 | 7624 | 13175 |
| 2012 | 9457 | 13973 |
| 2013 | 10959 | 15263 |
| 2014 | 11979 | 18266 |
| 2015 | 12266 | 17971 |
| 2016 | 12761 | 19133 |
| 2017 | 14088 | 20154 |
| 2018 | 13929 | 19967 |
| 2019 | 17557 | 22059 |
| 2020 | 17534 | 22292 |
| 2021 | 16468 | 22769 |
| 2022 | 16338 | 22112 |
| 2023 | 16201 | 21316 |
| 2024 | 17267 | 21148 |
| 2025 | 17372 | 19121 |
| 2026 | 12226 | 13931 |
By publication year. Applications have been published since 2001. 2026 runs to 8 Oct.
Main groups
Granted patents with any code in the group
- A61B 17/00Surgical instruments, devices or methods119,653
- A61B 5/00Measuring for diagnostic purposes115,646
- A61B 90/00Instruments, implements or accessories specially adapted for surgery or diagnosis and not51,667
- A61B 18/00Surgical instruments, devices or methods for transferring non-mechanical forms of energy to32,067
- A61B 6/00Apparatus or devices for radiation diagnosis30,577
- A61B 1/00Instruments for performing medical examinations of the interior of cavities or tubes26,056
- A61B 34/00Computer-aided surgery25,729
- A61B 2562/00Details of sensorsIndexing code23,157
All 24 main groupsShow fewer
- A61B 8/00Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves20,765
- A61B 2560/00Constructional details of operational features of apparatusIndexing code14,976
- A61B 3/00Apparatus for testing the eyes12,920
- A61B 10/00Instruments for taking body samples for diagnostic purposes9,791
- A61B 50/00Containers, covers, furniture or holders specially adapted for surgical or diagnostic appliances5,706
- A61B 2217/00General characteristics of surgical instrumentsIndexing code4,677
- A61B 2218/00Details of surgical instruments, devices or methods for transferring non-mechanical forms ofIndexing code4,365
- A61B 2503/00Evaluating a particular growth phase or type of persons or animalsIndexing code4,266
- A61B 2576/00Medical imaging apparatus involving image processing or analysisIndexing code3,503
- A61B 7/00Instruments for auscultation3,194
- A61B 2505/00Evaluating, monitoring or diagnosing in the context of a particular type ofIndexing code3,159
- A61B 46/00Surgical drapes2,763
- A61B 42/00Surgical gloves913
- A61B 13/00Instruments for depressing the tongue115
- A61B 9/00Instruments for examination by percussion102
- A61B 16/00Devices specially adapted for vivisection or autopsy52
Recent patents
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- System for alerting service animals to perform specified tasks6 Oct 2026US 12,751,425 B2Canine Companions for Independence, Inc.
- User feedback system and method6 Oct 2026US 12,751,499 B2Nicoventures Trading Limited
- Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and information processing program6 Oct 2026US 12,751,600 B2FUJIFILM Corporation
- Ultrasonic attachment assembly for an endoscope6 Oct 2026US 12,751,601 B2EndoSound, Inc.
- Oral care mode determination device, oral care mode determination method, and recording medium8 Oct 2026US 2026/0305810 A1Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
- Medical optical system, data processing system, computer program, and non-volatile computer-readable storage medium8 Oct 2026US 2026/0305912 A1Carl Zeiss Meditec AG
- Endoscopy device having enhanced fluid control mechanisms8 Oct 2026US 2026/0305913 A1Evoendo, Inc.
- Distal tip for medical devices and related methods8 Oct 2026US 2026/0305914 A1Boston Scientific Scimed, Inc.
- Fiber bragg grating for endoscopes8 Oct 2026US 2026/0305915 A1GYRUS ACMI INC. (d.b.a.Olympus Surgical Technologies America)
Most cited
By later US patents
- Electrosurgical hemostatic device4,011US 5,403,312 AEthicon, Inc. · 1995
- Robotic surgical tool with ultrasound cauterizing and cutting instrument3,961US 6,783,524 B2Intuitive Surgical, Inc. · 2004
- Articulation assembly for surgical instruments3,515US 5,704,534 AEthicon Endo-Surgery, Inc. · 1998
- Self contained gas powered surgical apparatus3,418US 5,312,023 AUnited States Surgical Corporation · 1994
- Surgical stapling instrument having a single lockout mechanism for prevention of firing3,405US 7,380,695 B2Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc. · 2008