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CPC Subgroup
A61L 2/16

using chemical substances

Full Title

Disinfection or sterilisation of materials or objects, in general; Accessories therefor > using chemical substances

Filing statistics

CPC A61L 2/16 belongs to the parent subclass A61L, which recorded 247,561 patent applications worldwide between 2013 and 2023. Annual filings grew from 14,608 in 2013 to 17,381 in 2023 (+19%), peaking at 32,809 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

4 direct subcodes

Child Classifications

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  • A61L 2/22 Phase substances, e.g. smokes or aerosols

Top Applicants

Top 10 applicants by patent filingsfor class A61, 2013–2023, worldwide · Source: EPO PATSTAT

  1. PHILIPS ELECTRONICS NL 20,621
  2. NOVARTIS CH 15,792
  3. ROCHE CH 14,303
  4. COVIDIEN US 13,862
  5. HARVARD UNIVERSITY US 13,454
  6. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA US 12,798
  7. P&G (PROCTER & GAMBLE COMPANY) US 12,140
  8. L'OREAL FR 11,800
  9. OLYMPUS CORPORATION JP 9,894
  10. BOSTON SCIENTIFIC SCIMED US 9,513