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Intuitive Surgical Patent Portfolio Analysis -Lumenci

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Disclaimer: This report has been updated through 12 August 2026. The information is provided for reference only and does not represent any opinion, recommendation, or endorsement. 

Overview 

Intuitive Surgical, Inc. is a US-based medical technology company and the pioneer of robotic-assisted surgery, with a patent portfolio spanning surgical robotics, teleoperated manipulator arms, endoscopic instruments and end effectors, surgical visualization and 3D imaging, instrument wristing and articulation, force feedback and haptics, catheter-based and endoluminal navigation, surgeon consoles and user interfaces, sterile interfaces and drapes, and surgical data and analytics. Its filings cover master-slave control architectures, remote centre-of-motion kinematics, tool-tracking and image-guided navigation, fluorescence imaging, stapling and energy instruments, and digital tools for surgical training and workflow. The company develops the da Vinci surgical system family, including da Vinci 5 and da Vinci SP, and the Ion endoluminal platform, and the portfolio includes patents filed across multiple decades and jurisdictions covering a broad range of minimally invasive care technologies. 

Key Metrics 
  • Total Patents: 9,901 
  • Simple Families: 1,995 
  • Extended Families: 1,729 
  • Jurisdictions Covered: 25 
  • Litigated Patents: 11 
  • Challenged Patents: 8 

Intuitive Surgical’s patent portfolio comprises 9,901 patents distributed across 1,995 simple families and 1,729 extended families. The portfolio spans 25 jurisdictions and includes patents associated with surgical robotics, instrument design, visualization and imaging, navigation, control systems, and related medical device technologies. 

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Asset Status 
  • Active: 7,196 
  • Active Grants: 5,145 
  • Active Applications: 2,051 
  • Inactive: 2,696 
  • Expired: 45 
  • Expired due to Term: 681 
  • Expired due to Fees: 301 
  • Withdrawn: 141 
  • Abandoned Applications: 1,528 

Intuitive Surgical’s portfolio consists of 7,196 active assets and 2,696 inactive assets. Active holdings include 5,145 granted patents and 2,051 patent applications. Inactive assets comprise expired patents, patents expired due to term or maintenance fee non-payment, withdrawn applications, and abandoned applications. 

Jurisdictional Distribution 

Intuitive Surgical’s patents span 25 jurisdictions, with the United States accounting for the largest share of filings and grants. 

Intutive Jurisdictional Distribution
  • United States (US): 3,914 
  • China (CN): 1,372 
  • European Patent Office (EP): 1,346 
  • World Intellectual Property Organization (WO): 1,253 
  • Japan (JP): 936 
  • South Korea (KR): 718 
  • Germany (DE): 87 
  • Canada (CA): 60 
  • European Union (EM): 52 
  • Australia (AU): 47 

Total Patents: 9,901 

The portfolio includes patent assets across North America, Asia, and Europe, with the largest concentration located in the United States. Substantial holdings in China, the European Patent Office, Japan, and South Korea reflect Intuitive’s international expansion and the principal markets for robotic-assisted surgical systems. 

Technological Distribution 

Intutive Jurisdictional Distribution
  • Healthcare: 84.3% 
  • Computer Systems and Components: 7.1% 
  • Software: 3.8% 
  • Imaging: 1.9% 
  • Consumer Electronics: 1.1% 
  • Consumer Goods: 0.7% 
  • Industrial: 0.6% 
  • Networking: 0.3% 
  • Automotive: 0.1% 
  • Semiconductor: 0.1% 

Intuitive Surgical’s patent portfolio is overwhelmingly concentrated in healthcare, reflecting its focus on surgical robotics, instruments, and minimally invasive care. Secondary domains include computer systems and components covering robotic control hardware and manipulator systems, software covering surgical planning and data analytics, and imaging covering endoscopic visualization and fluorescence technologies.

Citations 

Top Citing Assignees (Forward Citations) 
  • Intuitive Surgical Holdings, LLC – 2,653 
  • Johnson & Johnson – 1,278 
  • Medtronic Plc – 1,053 
  • Olympus Corporation – 445 
  • Stryker Corporation – 429 
  • Karl Storz SE & Co. KG – 272 
  • Globus Medical, Inc. – 186 
  • Koninklijke Philips N.V. – 178 
  • Boston Scientific Corporation – 154 
  • Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska – 141 
Top Cited Assignees (Backward Citations) 
  • Intuitive Surgical Holdings, LLC – 4,766 
  • Johnson & Johnson – 2,926 
  • Medtronic Plc – 2,353 
  • Olympus Corporation – 1,990 
  • Stryker Corporation – 1,520 
  • Boston Scientific Corporation – 1,290 
  • Evident Corporation – 1,077 
  • Karl Storz SE & Co. KG – 1,056 
  • Koninklijke Philips N.V. – 974 
  • Siemens AG – 875 
Top Cited Patents (Forward Citations) 
  • US12376735B2 – 752 citations 
  • US12690866B2 – 751 citations 
  • US12329360B2 – 751 citations 
  • US12133631B2 – 742 citations 
  • US11882996B2 – 734 citations 
  • US11779195B2 – 731 citations 
  • US12508024B2 – 728 citations 
  • US12642528B2 – 724 citations 
  • US11889982B2 – 723 citations 
  • US12408824B2 – 723 citations 

Litigation Activities 
  • Active Cases: 3 
  • Inactive Cases: 21 
  • Appeals: 24 
  • Patents in Litigation: 46 
  • Petitions: 27 
  • Reexaminations: 2 
  • Chinese PRB Proceedings: 15 
  • Related Parties: 11 

Intuitive Surgical’s litigation dataset includes 46 patents that have been involved in litigation matters, 27 petitions, 2 reexaminations, and 15 Chinese Patent Reexamination Board proceedings. The dataset also includes 3 active cases, 21 inactive cases, 24 appeals, and 11 related parties. 

Patent Filing Activity by Publication/Issue Year 

Intutive Patent Filing Activity by Publication
Ownership and Acquisition 

Ownership Type 
  • Acquired Patents: 403 
  • Originally Assigned Patents: 9,498 
Sources of Acquired Patents 
  • Operating Companies: 354 
  • Other Sources: 24 
  • Universities: 4 

Intuitive Surgical’s patent portfolio consists of 9,498 originally assigned patents and 403 acquired patents, indicating a predominantly organically developed portfolio. Acquired patents originate largely from operating companies, with smaller contributions from universities and other sources. 

Notable Acquisitions and M&A 

Intuitive Surgical has grown primarily through internal research and development rather than large-scale acquisitions, a pattern reflected in the portfolio’s 96% originally assigned share. Its principal corporate transactions have been targeted technology acquisitions and joint ventures supporting market access. 

2019 – Orpheus Medical 

Intuitive acquired Orpheus Medical, an Israel-based developer of surgical video capture, management, and integration software, expanding its digital and data capabilities across the operating room. 

2017 – Intuitive Fosun joint venture (China) 

Intuitive established a joint venture with Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical to develop and manufacture robotic-assisted catheter-based technologies for the Chinese market, supporting local regulatory approval and market access in one of its fastest-growing regions. 

Business Performance 

Intuitive Surgical, Inc., which trades as Intuitive, is a publicly listed medical technology company on the Nasdaq (ISRG) and is a component of the S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100. It is the pioneer and market leader in robotic-assisted surgery through its da Vinci surgical system family and the Ion endoluminal platform. 

  • Q2 2026 revenue: US$2.89 billion, up 19% year over year from US$2.44 billion; GAAP net income US$818 million (US$2.29 per diluted share); non-GAAP net income US$1.00 billion (US$2.80 per share, up 28%). 
  • Q1 2026 revenue: US$2.77 billion, up 23% year over year from US$2.25 billion. 
  • Procedure growth (Q2 2026): worldwide procedures up approximately 16% year over year, with da Vinci procedures up approximately 15% and Ion procedures up approximately 36%. 
  • Installed base (as of 30 June 2026): 11,710 da Vinci surgical systems, up 12% year over year, and 1,096 Ion systems, up 21%. 
  • System placements (Q2 2026): 468 da Vinci systems, of which 246 were da Vinci 5 systems, compared with 395 systems including 180 da Vinci 5 units in Q2 2025; plus 55 Ion systems. 
  • Revenue mix (Q2 2026): instruments and accessories revenue of US$1.73 billion (up 18%) and systems revenue of US$685 million; recurring revenue accounted for approximately 85% of total revenue. 
  • Guidance: full-year 2026 da Vinci procedure growth maintained at 13.5% to 15.5%, with gross margin guidance raised to 68% to 69%. 
  • Cumulative clinical use: the da Vinci platform has been used in more than 14 million procedures; da Vinci 5 received FDA clearance in March 2024. 

Leadership (Current) 
  • Dave Rosa: President and Chief Executive Officer (appointed 1 July 2025). 
  • Gary Guthart: Executive Chair of the Board of Directors; Chief Executive Officer from 2010 to 2025. 
  • Jamie Samath: Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and Enterprise Technology Leader. 
  • Craig Barratt: Lead Independent Director. 

Headquarters 

Intuitive Surgical, Inc. 

1020 Kifer Road 

Sunnyvale, CA 94086 

United States 

Intuitive Surgical’s global headquarters are located in Sunnyvale, California. 

Conclusion 

Intuitive Surgical’s patent portfolio includes 9,901 patents across 25 jurisdictions. The portfolio contains patent assets in surgical robotics, teleoperated manipulator systems, endoscopic instruments and end effectors, surgical visualization and imaging, endoluminal navigation, surgeon consoles, and surgical data and analytics. 

The portfolio includes 1,995 simple families, 1,729 extended families, 11 litigated patents, and 8 challenged patents, with 7,196 active assets of which 2,051 are pending applications. 

Conclusion 

Intuitive Surgical’s patent portfolio includes 9,901 patents across 25 jurisdictions. The portfolio contains patent assets in surgical robotics, teleoperated manipulator systems, endoscopic instruments and end effectors, surgical visualization and imaging, endoluminal navigation, surgeon consoles, and surgical data and analytics. 

The portfolio includes 1,995 simple families, 1,729 extended families, 11 litigated patents, and 8 challenged patents, with 7,196 active assets of which 2,051 are pending applications. 

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Frequently Asked Questions

Intuitive Surgical’s patent portfolio contains 9,901 patents across 25 jurisdictions. The portfolio includes 1,995 simple families and 1,729 extended families.

Healthcare accounts for roughly 84% of the portfolio, covering surgical robotics, instruments, and minimally invasive care, followed by computer systems and components at about 7% and software at roughly 4%.

Intuitive Surgical’s portfolio includes 7,196 active patent assets, consisting of 5,145 active grants and 2,051 active applications.

The United States contains the largest number of Intuitive Surgical patent assets, followed by China, the European Patent Office, World Intellectual Property Organization filings, Japan, and South Korea.

The litigation dataset includes 46 patents in litigation, 27 petitions, 24 appeals, 2 reexaminations, and 15 Chinese PRB proceedings.

The portfolio contains 9,498 originally assigned patents and 403 acquired patents, meaning roughly 96% of the portfolio was developed internally.

The citation data includes significant references involving Johnson & Johnson, Medtronic, Olympus, Stryker, Boston Scientific, Karl Storz, Philips, and Siemens.

Dave Rosa has served as President and Chief Executive Officer since 1 July 2025, succeeding Gary Guthart, who led the company from 2010 and now serves as Executive Chair of the board.

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