Abstract:Under the current situation of low oil price and reduced R & D investment, foreign oil service companies still maintain a high number of patent applications, and their patent layout closely matches with the main business markets, and their business covers the major oil and gas production areas in the world. The patent application of foreign oil service companies is relatively systematic, with a comprehensive layout for new technologies, new products and new methods. Among them, Schlumberger's patent layout is the most comprehensive. Halliburton has a rapid growth rate in recent five years, and the annual application volume exceeds that of Schlumberger. The authorized patents and applied patents of the three major oil service companies account for about 50% and 15% respectively. The average patent protection period is 10 years, with good protection effect. Based on the technology status at home and abroad, and fully combined with the technical needs of domestic enterprises, it is suggested to establish a breakthrough patent layout, strengthen patent monitoring and early warning, combine reference, optimization, improvement and combination, and implement the strategy of surrounding key technologies and differentiated technology layout.