CPC Main Group
A61F 4/00 Methods or devices enabling patients or disabled persons to operate an apparatus or a device not forming part of the body
Filing statistics
CPC A61F 4/00 belongs to the parent subclass A61F, which recorded 314,652 patent applications worldwide between 2013 and 2023. Annual filings declined from 25,920 in 2013 to 21,354 in 2023 (-18%), peaking at 33,334 applications in 2020. The most active applicants in class A61 are PHILIPS ELECTRONICS (20,621 applications), NOVARTIS (15,792 applications) and ROCHE (14,303 applications).
Source: EPO PATSTAT, worldwide filings
Top Applicants
Top 10 applicants by patent filingsfor class A61, 2013–2023, worldwide · Source: EPO PATSTAT
- PHILIPS ELECTRONICS NL 20,621
- NOVARTIS CH 15,792
- ROCHE CH 14,303
- COVIDIEN US 13,862
- HARVARD UNIVERSITY US 13,454
- UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA US 12,798
- P&G (PROCTER & GAMBLE COMPANY) US 12,140
- L'OREAL FR 11,800
- OLYMPUS CORPORATION JP 9,894
- BOSTON SCIENTIFIC SCIMED US 9,513