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CPC Class Not Allocatable
B26

HAND CUTTING TOOLS; CUTTING; SEVERING

Description

B26 encompasses hand-operated cutting and severing tools, including knives, scissors, shears, saws, and similar manual implements designed for cutting materials such as paper, textiles, wood, and metal. The class covers the design and construction of cutting blades, handles, fastening mechanisms, and the functional principles underlying manual cutting operations. Related processes such as shearing, slicing, and severing by hand tools are included, along with specialized applications like hedge trimming, grass cutting, and food preparation. This class excludes powered cutting equipment and machine tools, which fall under other mechanical operation classifications.

Filing statistics

CPC B26 recorded 115,260 patent applications worldwide between 2013 and 2023, summed across its 3 subclasses. Annual filings grew from 5,501 in 2013 to 9,702 in 2023 (+76%), peaking at 15,363 applications in 2020. The most active applicants in class B26 are GILLETTE COMPANY (1,745 applications), PHILIPS ELECTRONICS (1,410 applications) and BIC-VIOLEX (638 applications).

Source: EPO PATSTAT, worldwide filings

3 direct subcodes

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Top Applicants

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

  1. GILLETTE COMPANY US 1,745
  2. PHILIPS ELECTRONICS NL 1,410
  3. BIC-VIOLEX GR 638
  4. PHILIPS ELECTRONICS 378
  5. DISCO CORPORATION JP 355
  6. BRAUN DE 325
  7. WEBER MASCHINENBAUBREIDENBACH DE 304
  8. DORCO COMPANY KR 297
  9. GILLETTE COMPANY 290
  10. URSCHEL LABORATORIES US 264