CPC Subgroup
A61L 2/20 Gaseous substances, e.g. vapours
Full Title
Disinfection or sterilisation of materials or objects, in general; Accessories therefor > using chemical substances > Gaseous substances, e.g. vapours
Filing statistics
CPC A61L 2/20 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 2/202 Ozone
- A61L 2/204 Formaldehyde
- A61L 2/206 Ethylene oxide
- A61L 2/208 Hydrogen peroxide
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