TOBACCO; CIGARS; CIGARETTES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES; SMOKERS' REQUISITES

Description

Class A24 covers the manufacture, composition, and ancillary products related to tobacco and tobacco-derived smoking articles, including cigars, cigarettes, and their components (papers, filters, wrappers). It also encompasses simulated smoking devices (e.g., electronic cigarettes, heat-not-burn products) and related accessories such as pipes, lighters, ashtrays, and tobacco storage containers. This class includes inventions addressing tobacco processing, blending, flavoring, packaging, and safety features in smoking products. Adjacent classes address broader food and beverage processing (A23) and personal care items (A45), while A24 remains focused specifically on tobacco consumption-related technologies and apparatus.

Filing statistics

CPC A24 recorded 174,363 patent applications worldwide between 2013 and 2023, summed across its 4 subclasses. Annual filings grew from 7,347 in 2013 to 16,001 in 2023 (+118%), peaking at 22,343 applications in 2021. The most active applicants in class A24 are PHILIP MORRIS PRODUCTS (13,994 applications), NICOVENTURES TRADING (7,744 applications) and KT & G CORPORATION (4,857 applications).

Source: EPO PATSTAT, worldwide filings

4 direct subcodes

Child Classifications

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A24B MANUFACTURE OR PREPARATION OF TOBACCO FOR SMOKING OR CHEWING; TOBACCO; SNUFF
A24C MACHINES FOR MAKING CIGARS OR CIGARETTES
A24D CIGARS; CIGARETTES; TOBACCO SMOKE FILTERS; MOUTHPIECES OF CIGARS OR CIGARETTES; MANUFACTURE OF TOBACCO SMOKE FILTERS OR MOUTHPIECES
A24F SMOKERS' REQUISITES; MATCH BOXES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES (inhaling appliances for medical purposes, shaped like cigars, cigarettes or pipes A61M15/06)

Top Applicants

Top 10 applicants by patent filings, 2013–2023, worldwide · Source: EPO PATSTAT

PHILIP MORRIS PRODUCTS CH 13,994
NICOVENTURES TRADING GB 7,744
KT & G CORPORATION KR 4,857
JAPAN TOBACCO JP 4,561
JT INTERNATIONAL CH 3,946
BRITISH AMERICAN TOBACCO (INVESTMENTS) GB 2,374
ALTRIA CLIENT SERVICES US 2,122
RAI STRATEGIC HOLDINGS US 2,061
NICOVENTURES TRADING 1,940
PHILIP MORRIS PRODUCTS 1,855