Company patents
UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE
UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE's patent strategy reveals a surprising focus on "Business Methods & Fintech," which constitutes nearly half (49.2%) of its portfolio, despite a significant decline of 24.6% in 2025 and a further 53.5% so far in 2026. While many categories show a general decline in 2026, the company had a strong emerging focus in "Machine Learning & AI" with an 800.0% YoY growth in 2024, and "Conveying & Handling" with a 150.0% YoY growth in 2024, indicating a past emphasis on modernizing logistics and data processing, which now appears to be shifting.
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.
364 US filings (since 2023) · 12 categories · 24 themes
Systems and methods for uniquely identifying, tracking, and managing physical items using scannable codes (barcodes, QR codes) or wireless tags (RFID, IoT devices) to link physical objects to digital information, inventory, or services.
Systems and methods for efficient storage, retrieval, and sorting of items within warehouses, distribution centers, or manufacturing facilities, often involving vertical lifts, high-throughput sorters, or inventory management logic.
Methods and devices for generating, transferring, storing, and utilizing electronic or digitally encoded keys and access credentials, including physical keys with integrated digital information for enhanced security or convenience.
Systems that employ imaging and image processing to automatically detect defects, verify states, or ensure quality control in manufactured goods, printed materials, or industrial processes.
Mobile applications and systems leveraging wireless communication and location data (e.g., GPS, RFID, geo-fencing) to provide context-specific services, transactions, or user interactions.
Methods and apparatus for improving the visual fidelity, resolution, or compression efficiency of video signals, often through advanced processing, up-scaling, or neural network-based filters.
Locks integrating electronic components for remote control, wireless communication, internet connectivity, and digital credential management, often including features for user identification and access monitoring.
Systems for coordinating and controlling fleets of autonomous vehicles or machines, including task allocation, route optimization, and monitoring their operational status and progress.
Locking mechanisms specifically designed for automotive applications, recreational vehicles, or unique door types like bi-fold, sliding, or container doors, often incorporating specific safety, noise reduction, or operational features.
Systems and methods for authenticating users, devices, or applications, authorizing their access to resources based on policies, and managing digital identities across various platforms.
Systems designed to streamline and automate various commercial transactions, including mobile-enhanced processes, secure online checkouts, customer service interactions, and privilege issuance, often leveraging digital authentication.
Systems and mechanisms designed to safely and efficiently interface transport vehicles (trucks, trailers) with loading docks or automated loading systems, including vehicle restraint, telescopic loading arms, and specialized vehicle-mounted conveyors.
Innovations in the physical structure, materials, support mechanisms, and operational monitoring of conveyor belts to improve durability, cleanliness, safety, or specific handling capabilities, including specialized drive mechanisms.
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.
Mechanical lock designs and components focused on resisting picking, unauthorized manipulation, forced entry, or other technical unlocking methods, often through complex internal mechanisms or robust materials.
Methods and systems for integrating, transforming, and managing complex or domain-specific data from disparate sources into a unified structure, often for specific applications like social networks, genomics, or business forms.
Household articles engineered with mechanisms for folding, retracting, or collapsing to reduce their footprint, facilitate storage, or enable portability.
Systems and methods for monitoring, controlling, and optimizing the movement of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and other aircraft, including real-time connectivity, flight planning, and route modification.
Systems that use user data, preferences, and machine learning to generate tailored advice, product recommendations, goal-setting plans, or contextual information for individuals across different domains.
Technologies for transmitting critical alerts and information during emergencies, often involving wireless networks, specialized devices, and protocols to ensure timely and targeted communication to users or emergency services.
Integration of electronic controls, sensors, active lighting, or other intelligent components into household articles for automation, enhanced functionality, or user interaction.
Technologies for monitoring vehicle performance, detecting faults, collecting operational data, and providing remote assistance or automated control based on sensor inputs and network connectivity.
Technologies for securing, managing, and transacting with virtual currencies, non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and other blockchain-based digital assets, including hardware wallets and tokenization schemes for various purposes.
Focuses on the mechanisms, control, and sensing involved in robots or automated systems accurately grasping, moving, and releasing individual items, often in conjunction with conveyor systems or storage units, including path planning and end effector design.
Patents
Showing 1-8 of 8
Specialized Data Integration