B07 SEPARATING SOLIDS FROM SOLIDS; SORTING
Description
B07 covers mechanical separation and sorting processes that divide solid materials into distinct groups based on physical properties such as size, density, shape, or composition. This class encompasses screening equipment, classifiers, density separators, and sorters used across industries including mining, agriculture, waste management, and manufacturing. Excluded are wet separation methods (classified under B03) and magnetic or electrostatic separation of particles (B03B, B03C), though the boundaries with B03 can overlap for combined wet-dry processes.
Filing statistics
CPC B07 recorded 94,302 patent applications worldwide between 2013 and 2023, summed across its 2 subclasses. Annual filings grew from 2,291 in 2013 to 10,681 in 2023 (+366%), peaking at 15,399 applications in 2020. The most active applicants in class B07 are DERRICK CORPORATION (427 applications), SOLYSTIC (370 applications) and M-I SWACO (223 applications).
Source: EPO PATSTAT, worldwide filings
2 direct subcodes
Child Classifications
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- B07B SEPARATING SOLIDS FROM SOLIDS BY SIEVING, SCREENING, SIFTING OR BY USING GAS CURRENTS; SEPARATING BY OTHER DRY METHODS APPLICABLE TO BULK MATERIAL, e.g. LOOSE ARTICLES FIT TO BE HANDLED LIKE BULK MATERIAL (wet separating processes, sorting by processes using fluent material in the same way as liquid B03; combinations of dry separating apparatus with wet separating apparatus B03B; using liquids B03B, B03D; sorting by magnetic or electrostatic separation of solid materials from solid materials or fluids, separation by high voltage electric fields B03C; centrifuges or vortex apparatus for carrying out physical processes B04; hand sorting, postal sorting, sorting by switching or other devices actuated in response to detection or measurement of some feature of articles or samples of material B07C)
- B07C POSTAL SORTING; SORTING INDIVIDUAL ARTICLES, OR BULK MATERIAL FIT TO BE SORTED PIECE-MEAL, e.g. BY PICKING (specially adapted for a specific purpose covered by another class, see the relevant place, e.g. A43D33/06, B23Q7/12)
Top Applicants
Top 10 applicants by patent filings, 2013–2023, worldwide · Source: EPO PATSTAT
- DERRICK CORPORATION US 427
- SOLYSTIC FR 370
- M-I SWACO US 223
- SATAKE CORPORATION JP 190
- ANHUI JIEXUN OPTOELECTRONIC TECHNOLOGY COMPANY 186
- SIEMENS DE 175
- UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE US 158
- ANHUI UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 156
- UNITEC IT 150
- XINXIANG ZHEN YING MACHINERY EQUIPMENT COMPANY 149