A01K ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; AVICULTURE; APICULTURE; PISCICULTURE; FISHING; REARING OR BREEDING ANIMALS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NEW BREEDS OF ANIMALS
Description
A01K covers technologies and methods for managing domesticated and farmed animals, including livestock housing, feeding systems, breeding techniques, and animal health management. This subclass encompasses specialized animal production sectors: aviculture (poultry farming), apiculture (beekeeping), pisciculture (fish farming), and general fishing methods. It includes innovations in animal husbandry equipment, genetic selection for new breeds, and associated management practices, but excludes veterinary treatments (covered by A61D) and food processing of animal products (covered by A23).
Filing statistics
CPC subclass A01K recorded 175,078 patent applications worldwide between 2013 and 2023. Annual filings grew from 8,096 in 2013 to 13,788 in 2023 (+70%), peaking at 22,006 applications in 2018. The most active applicants in class A01 are JOHN DEERE (6,949 applications), MONSANTO TECHNOLOGY (6,297 applications) and DOW AGROSCIENCES (5,458 applications).
Source: EPO PATSTAT, worldwide filings
57 direct subcodes
Child Classifications
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- A01K 1/00 Housing animals; Equipment therefor
- A01K 11/00 Marking of animals (marking poultry or other birds A01K35/00)
- A01K 13/00 Devices for grooming or caring of animals, e.g. curry-combs; Fetlock rings; Tail-holders (as part of the harness B68B5/04); Devices for preventing crib-biting; Washing devices; Protection against weather conditions or insects
- A01K 14/00 Removing the fleece from live sheep or similar animals (hand-held clippers or shavers with a plurality of cutting edges, specially adapted for shearing animals, e.g. sheep, B26B19/24)
- A01K 15/00 Devices for taming animals, e.g. nose-rings or hobbles; Devices for overturning animals in general; Training or exercising equipment; Covering boxes
- A01K 17/00 Dehorners; Horn trainers
- A01K 19/00 Weaning apparatus
- A01K 21/00 Devices for assisting or preventing mating
- A01K 2207/00 Modified animals
- A01K 2217/00 Genetically modified animals
- A01K 2227/00 Animals characterised by species
- A01K 2267/00 Animals characterised by purpose
- A01K 23/00 Manure or urine pouches
- A01K 25/00 Muzzles
- A01K 27/00 Leads or collars, e.g. for dogs
- A01K 29/00 Other apparatus for animal husbandry
- A01K 3/00 Pasturing equipment, e.g. tethering devices; Grids for preventing cattle from straying; Electrified wire fencing (electric circuits or apparatus for supplying electric wire fencing H05C)
- A01K 31/00 Housing birds
- A01K 33/00 Nest-eggs
- A01K 35/00 Marking poultry or other birds
Top Applicants
Top 10 applicants by patent filingsfor class A01, 2013–2023, worldwide · Source: EPO PATSTAT
- JOHN DEERE US 6,949
- MONSANTO TECHNOLOGY US 6,297
- DOW AGROSCIENCES US 5,458
- BASF (BADISCHE ANILIN & SODA FABRIK) DE 5,296
- BAYER CROPSCIENCE DE 4,654
- PIONEER HI-BRED INTERNATIONAL US 4,631
- SYNGENTA PARTICIPATIONS CH 4,410
- CNH INDUSTRIAL AMERICA US 4,128
- CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 3,805
- BAYER DE 3,607