Company patents
Snap-on Incorporated
Snap-on Incorporated's patent strategy reveals a surprising shift away from its core "Hand Tools" category, which, despite being 31.7% of its portfolio, saw a significant 60.0% decline in patenting activity so far in 2026 compared to 2025. Concurrently, while many categories show recent declines, the company had a notable emerging focus in "Motor Control" with a 500.0% YoY growth in 2024, though this has since sharply declined, and "Databases & Information Retrieval" shows a strong resurgence with a 100.0% YoY growth so far in 2026, indicating a potential pivot towards data-centric technologies.
Patent Trend by Technology Area
Yearly patent publications since 2023
Product themes
Product-level themes inferred from filings since 2023, with category chips showing where each theme appears. Select a theme to filter the patents below.
350 US filings (since 2023) · 12 categories · 23 themes
Design elements and integrated components that improve the usability, comfort, and versatility of hand tools, such as built-in lighting, vibration reduction, modular storage, or adjustable form factors.
Design and optimization of the mechanical components and power transmission systems within powered hand tools, including motors, gears, spindles, and impact mechanisms, for efficiency, durability, and compact form factor.
Technologies for monitoring vehicle performance, detecting faults, collecting operational data, and providing remote assistance or automated control based on sensor inputs and network connectivity.
Tools and systems engineered for the precise installation, removal, or manipulation of specific components or fasteners, often involving specialized gripping, depth control, or extraction mechanisms.
Integration of sensors, microcontrollers, and communication modules into hand tools to enable precise operation, remote configuration, and user guidance through real-time feedback or augmented reality.
Technologies that enable automated or mobile device-controlled access to a vehicle, including keyless entry, remote functions, and power-assisted steps or pedals designed to facilitate easier ingress and egress.
Methods and circuits for controlling the power electronic converters (inverters, bridges) that supply current and voltage to electric motors, including switching strategies, voltage command generation, and multi-phase configurations.
Techniques and apparatus for electrically testing semiconductor devices, integrated circuits, or wafers during manufacturing or post-assembly, including built-in self-test (BIST) and contact reliability assessment.
Integration and control of electronic components within the vehicle, including power distribution, thermal management for integrated circuits, and advanced user interfaces such as voice assistants, often involving specialized housings or trim.
Designing user interfaces and interaction methods specifically for mobile or wearable devices, enabling control of external systems, monitoring user states, or facilitating real-world transactions.
Methods and systems for identifying anomalies, failures, or impending issues within electric motors or their associated drive and power management circuits, often by monitoring electrical or operational parameters.
Systems utilizing various sensors (e.g., cameras, radar, sonar) to perceive the vehicle's surrounding environment, detect objects, and process/display relevant information to the driver for enhanced awareness, assistance in maneuvers, or safety.
Sophisticated software or hardware-implemented control strategies that optimize motor performance, such as precise speed/torque regulation, vibration reduction, or efficiency, often using model-based, predictive, or adaptive techniques.
Strategies and circuits for optimizing the supply and consumption of electrical power for motors, including current limiting, regenerative energy handling, battery integration, and managing power quality.
Devices and methods for accurately measuring or monitoring electrical current draw and power usage in various systems, often for control, optimization, or safety purposes.
Techniques and systems for precisely measuring electrical or electromagnetic properties of materials or components, often involving specialized resonators, waveguides, or multi-range measurement systems to ensure accuracy.
Techniques for determining the rotor position, speed, or other operational parameters of an electric motor without dedicated physical sensors, often relying on back-EMF, current, or voltage measurements.
Software, algorithms, and associated hardware for monitoring, controlling, and optimizing battery performance, safety, and lifespan, including charge/discharge cycles, thermal regulation, and system integration.
Integration of electric motors into larger systems (e.g., vehicles, power tools) and safety features for high-voltage components, including control interfaces, mechanical integration, and environmental protection (e.g., waterproofing).
Methods and systems for displaying complex data in three-dimensional graphical formats, allowing users to manipulate, explore, and derive insights from the data through interactive controls.
Systems that process data to provide personalized recommendations, predict events, or automate decision-making processes based on learned patterns, user behavior, or environmental factors.
Methods and systems for improving the quality of video streams, generating intermediate frames, or continuously locating and following objects within a sequence of images, even under occlusion.
Development of novel motor architectures beyond traditional radial flux designs, including linear, axial, or multi-armature configurations, often to optimize for specific performance characteristics like torque density or form factor.
Patents
Showing 11-20 of 551