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CPC Class Not Allocatable
B60

VEHICLES IN GENERAL

Description

B60 covers the design, construction, and components of vehicles intended for land, rail, water, or air transport, excluding those primarily designed for other purposes. This broad class encompasses automobiles, trucks, motorcycles, trains, ships, and aircraft, including their chassis, frames, bodies, engines, and integrated systems. The classification includes vehicle-specific technologies such as steering, braking, suspension, and propulsion systems, as well as safety features and equipment peculiar to vehicular use. Adjacent classes address specialized transport modes (e.g., B61 for railway vehicles), marine vessels (B63), and aircraft (B64) when their technical features warrant separate detailed treatment.

Filing statistics

CPC B60 recorded 1,764,212 patent applications worldwide between 2013 and 2023, summed across its 19 subclasses. Annual filings grew from 102,517 in 2013 to 165,300 in 2023 (+61%), peaking at 190,876 applications in 2019. The most active applicants in class B60 are HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY (31,729 applications), FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES (29,270 applications) and KIA MOTORS CORPORATION (23,892 applications).

Source: EPO PATSTAT, worldwide filings

19 direct subcodes

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Top Applicants

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

  1. HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY KR 31,729
  2. FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES US 29,270
  3. KIA MOTORS CORPORATION KR 23,892
  4. ROBERT BOSCH DE 20,384
  5. TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION JP 20,311
  6. TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION 20,237
  7. BMW (BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE) DE 14,629
  8. GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS US 11,896
  9. AUDI DE 11,084
  10. HONDA MOTOR COMPANY 10,940