B61L
Guiding railway traffic
Official title: GUIDING RAILWAY TRAFFIC; ENSURING THE SAFETY OF RAILWAY TRAFFIC (brakes or auxiliary equipment B61H, B61K; point or crossing construction E01B)
B61L (Guiding railway traffic) appears on 5,152 US grants and 5,297 published applications in this corpus.
Search patents in B61L- Granted patents
- 5,152
- Published applications
- 5,297
- Assignees
- 1,451
- Inventors
- 8,859
- Latest grant
- 6 Oct 2026
Filings by year
| Year | Granted patents | Published applications |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 60 | 0 |
| 1977 | 37 | 0 |
| 1978 | 47 | 0 |
| 1979 | 21 | 0 |
| 1980 | 29 | 0 |
| 1981 | 39 | 0 |
| 1982 | 31 | 0 |
| 1983 | 24 | 0 |
| 1984 | 22 | 0 |
| 1985 | 25 | 0 |
| 1986 | 27 | 0 |
| 1987 | 32 | 0 |
| 1988 | 38 | 0 |
| 1989 | 33 | 0 |
| 1990 | 38 | 0 |
| 1991 | 42 | 0 |
| 1992 | 29 | 0 |
| 1993 | 27 | 0 |
| 1994 | 32 | 0 |
| 1995 | 44 | 0 |
| 1996 | 40 | 0 |
| 1997 | 59 | 0 |
| 1998 | 67 | 0 |
| 1999 | 50 | 0 |
| 2000 | 62 | 0 |
| 2001 | 70 | 18 |
| 2002 | 73 | 70 |
| 2003 | 77 | 69 |
| 2004 | 66 | 106 |
| 2005 | 52 | 107 |
| 2006 | 73 | 98 |
| 2007 | 71 | 109 |
| 2008 | 49 | 101 |
| 2009 | 47 | 102 |
| 2010 | 89 | 119 |
| 2011 | 58 | 127 |
| 2012 | 114 | 148 |
| 2013 | 133 | 169 |
| 2014 | 173 | 245 |
| 2015 | 197 | 201 |
| 2016 | 182 | 318 |
| 2017 | 249 | 267 |
| 2018 | 209 | 311 |
| 2019 | 270 | 359 |
| 2020 | 275 | 355 |
| 2021 | 250 | 380 |
| 2022 | 264 | 321 |
| 2023 | 246 | 366 |
| 2024 | 351 | 343 |
| 2025 | 334 | 297 |
| 2026 | 225 | 191 |
By publication year. Applications have been published since 2001. 2026 runs to 8 Oct.
Main groups
Granted patents with any code in the group
- B61L 15/00Indicators provided on the vehicle or train for signalling purposes1,976
- B61L 27/00Central railway traffic control systems1,813
- B61L 25/00Recording or indicating positions or identities of vehicles or trains or setting1,526
- B61L 23/00Control, warning or like safety means along the route or between vehicles1,447
- B61L 3/00Devices along the route for controlling devices on the vehicle or train678
- B61L 2205/00Communication or navigation systems for railway trafficIndexing code674
- B61L 1/00Devices along the route controlled by interaction with the vehicle or train532
- B61L 29/00Safety means for rail/road crossing traffic462
All 20 main groupsShow fewer
- B61L 5/00Local operating mechanisms for points or track-mounted scotch-blocks392
- B61L 2201/00Control methodsIndexing code186
- B61L 17/00Switching systems for classification yards133
- B61L 21/00Station blocking between signal boxes in one yard133
- B61L 2207/00Features of light signalsIndexing code96
- B61L 19/00Arrangements for interlocking between points and signals by means of a single82
- B61L 7/00Remote control of local operating means for points, signals, or track-mounted scotch-blocks82
- B61L 2210/00Vehicle systemsIndexing code59
- B61L 11/00Operation of points from the vehicle or by the passage of the58
- B61L 13/00Operation of signals from the vehicle or by the passage of the46
- B61L 99/00Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass43
- B61L 9/00Illumination specially adapted for points, form signals, or gates20
Recent patents
- Methods and systems for decentralized rail signaling and positive train control6 Oct 2026US 12,752,823 B2Metrom Rail, LLC
- Electromagnet switch for shuttles on a track6 Oct 2026US 12,752,824 B1Amazon Technologies, Inc.
- Train preparation method and gateway for a train preparation method6 Oct 2026US 12,752,825 B2Siemens Mobility GmbH
- Systems and methods for efficiently switching railcars in a railroad yard6 Oct 2026US 12,752,826 B2BNSF Railway Company
- Intrusion detection6 Oct 2026US 12,752,827 B2International Electronic Machines Corp.
- Rail guided carriage system and method for estimating abnormal section of rail guided carriage system8 Oct 2026US 2026/0307689 A1Murata Machinery, Ltd.
- Failsafe audible signal power assisted switch for railroads8 Oct 2026US 2026/0307690 A1Apex Rail Automation
- Railroad virtual track block system8 Oct 2026US 2026/0307691 A1BNSF Railway Company
- System and method for improved rail bridge strike detection8 Oct 2026US 2026/0307692 A1Southern Methodist University
- Apparatuses, systems, and methods for monitoring moving vehicles8 Oct 2026US 2026/0307693 A1Georgia Tech Research Corporation
Most cited
By later US patents
- LED vehicle lamp assembly654US 5,632,551 AGrote Industries, Inc. · 1997
- Interrogation, and detection system536US 4,075,632 AThe United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy · 1978
- Obstacle-detecting apparatus502US 5,331,312 AMatsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. · 1994
- LED lamp assembly with means to conduct heat away from the LEDS470US 6,045,240 ARelume Corporation · 2000
- Signal light unit having heat dissipating function456US 4,729,076 A1988