B60B VEHICLE WHEELS (making wheels or wheel parts by rolling B21H1/00, by forging, hammering or pressing B21K1/28); CASTORS; AXLES FOR WHEELS OR CASTORS; INCREASING WHEEL ADHESION
Description
B60B covers the design, construction, and functional improvement of vehicle wheels, castors, and their supporting axle systems. This includes wheel structures (rims, hubs, spokes), castor assemblies for movable furniture and equipment, axle designs for load distribution, and technologies for enhancing traction and adhesion between wheels and road surfaces. The classification encompasses both pneumatic and solid wheel types, bearing systems, and mechanical modifications to improve grip and handling characteristics.
Filing statistics
CPC subclass B60B recorded 40,292 patent applications worldwide between 2013 and 2023. Annual filings grew from 2,314 in 2013 to 3,094 in 2023 (+34%), peaking at 4,828 applications in 2020. 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
27 direct subcodes
Child Classifications
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- B60B 1/00 Spoked wheels; Spokes thereof (non-metallic B60B5/00 )
- B60B 11/00 Units comprising multiple wheels arranged side by side; Wheels having more than one rim or capable of carrying more than one tyre
- B60B 15/00 Wheels or wheel attachments designed for increasing traction (vehicle tires B60C; non-skid devices temporarily attachable to resilient tires or resiliently-tired wheels B60C)
- B60B 17/00 Wheels characterised by rail-engaging elements ( of model railways A63H19/22)
- B60B 19/00 Wheels not otherwise provided for or having characteristics specified in one of the subgroups of this group
- B60B 21/00 Rims (non-metallic B60B5/00; of high resiliency B60B9/00; capable of carrying more than one tyre B60B11/04; multiple rims on a single wheel body B60B11/06; of multi-part type B60B25/00; metal tyres B60C)
- B60B 2200/00 Type of product being used or applied
- B60B 23/00 Attaching rim to wheel body (attaching spokes to rim B60B1/04, B60B1/14; attaching rims resiliently to wheel body B60B9/00 )
- B60B 2310/00 Manufacturing methods
- B60B 2320/00 Manufacturing or maintenance operations
- B60B 2340/00 Wheel transporting, Mounting of wheels
- B60B 2360/00 Materials; Physical forms thereof
- B60B 2380/00 Bearings
- B60B 25/00 Rims built-up of several main parts (tools for assembling divided rims B60B31/04)
- B60B 27/00 Hubs (non-metallic B60B5/00; of high resiliency B60B9/00)
- B60B 29/00 Apparatus or tools for mounting or dismounting wheels
- B60B 2900/00 Purpose of invention
- B60B 3/00 Disc wheels, i.e. wheels with load-supporting disc body (non- metallic B60B5/00; wheel cover discs B60B7/00 )
- B60B 30/00 Means for holding wheels or parts thereof (spare wheel stowing, holding or mounting arrangements on vehicles B62D43/00)
- B60B 31/00 Apparatus or tools for assembling or disassembling wheels
Top Applicants
Top 10 applicants by patent filingsfor class B60, 2013–2023, worldwide · Source: EPO PATSTAT
- HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY KR 31,729
- FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES US 29,270
- KIA MOTORS CORPORATION KR 23,892
- ROBERT BOSCH DE 20,384
- TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION JP 20,311
- TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION 20,237
- BMW (BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE) DE 14,629
- GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS US 11,896
- AUDI DE 11,084
- HONDA MOTOR COMPANY 10,940