Patent Intelligence · Claims
Claims analysis
More claims = broader protection, higher prosecution cost, and more examiner scrutiny. But how many claims do patents actually have — and does it vary by technology domain?
Overall avg
23.9 claims
Median
22.0 claims
Patents sampled
1,002
Record claims
183 claims
Average Claims by Domain
Sorted most to fewest. Bar = avg; tick = median; shaded = 75th percentile.
Gene Editing
avg 28.5
med 23.0
n=30
E-Commerce
avg 27.1
med 23.0
n=97
Software
avg 26.9
med 23.0
n=483
Telecommunications
avg 25.7
med 23.0
n=422
Consumer Electronics
avg 25.0
med 22.0
n=560
Semiconductors
avg 24.4
med 22.0
n=184
AI & Machine Learning
avg 24.0
med 23.0
n=241
Pharmaceuticals
avg 23.1
med 21.0
n=156
Biotechnology
avg 23.1
med 21.0
n=207
Automotive
avg 22.0
med 22.0
n=103
Clean Energy
avg 19.9
med 20.0
n=101
Mechanical Engineering
avg 19.4
med 19.0
n=206
Claims Count Distribution
How many patents fall in each claim-count range (across all domains).
1
1.1%
2-5
4.9%
6-10
7.8%
11-20
25.0%
21-30
43.2%
31+
18.1%
Full Domain Breakdown
| Domain | Avg claims | Median | P75 | Max | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gene Editing | 28.5 | 23.0 | 36.0 | 90 | 30 |
| E-Commerce | 27.1 | 23.0 | 31.0 | 88 | 97 |
| Software | 26.9 | 23.0 | 28.5 | 183 | 483 |
| Telecommunications | 25.7 | 23.0 | 27.0 | 183 | 422 |
| Consumer Electronics | 25.0 | 22.0 | 27.0 | 183 | 560 |
| Semiconductors | 24.4 | 22.0 | 25.0 | 140 | 184 |
| AI & Machine Learning | 24.0 | 23.0 | 25.0 | 79 | 241 |
| Pharmaceuticals | 23.1 | 21.0 | 30.0 | 123 | 156 |
| Biotechnology | 23.1 | 21.0 | 29.0 | 123 | 207 |
| Automotive | 22.0 | 22.0 | 23.0 | 85 | 103 |
| Clean Energy | 19.9 | 20.0 | 23.0 | 88 | 101 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 19.4 | 19.0 | 23.0 | 88 | 206 |
Highest Claim Count in Our Database
How Computers Compress Data Using Dictionary Building
Why Claim Count Matters
Each independent claim defines a separate "fence" around a patentable invention. More independent claims = broader protection across different embodiments. Dependent claims narrow from independent claims and are cheaper (USPTO charges per claim over 20 total and per independent claim over 3). Pharmaceutical patents often have many claims because slight formulation variations can be independently claimed. Software and AI patents tend toward medium claim counts, while pure mechanical inventions sometimes have very few. A very high claim count can trigger more examiner scrutiny and restriction requirements. The magic number "3 independent + 17 dependent = 20 total" is common because that's the USPTO's per-claim fee threshold.