C03B MANUFACTURE, SHAPING, OR SUPPLEMENTARY PROCESSES
Description
C03B covers the manufacturing and shaping processes for glass, mineral wool, and slag wool, including both primary production methods and supplementary operations. This subclass encompasses technologies such as melting, fining, homogenizing, forming (casting, drawing, pressing, blowing), annealing, and thermal treatment of glass materials, as well as production of fibrous wool products from mineral or slag feedstocks. It includes equipment and process innovations for industrial-scale glass production facilities, specialized forming techniques for different glass product types, and post-formation processing steps that modify mechanical or thermal properties. Related chemical composition of glass itself is classified separately under C03C.
Filing statistics
CPC subclass C03B recorded 57,876 patent applications worldwide between 2013 and 2023. Annual filings grew from 4,190 in 2013 to 4,485 in 2023 (+7%), peaking at 6,433 applications in 2018. The most active applicants in class C03 are CORNING (9,559 applications), SAINT-GOBAIN GLASS (3,824 applications) and NIPPON ELECTRIC GLASS COMPANY (2,792 applications).
Source: EPO PATSTAT, worldwide filings
30 direct subcodes
Child Classifications
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- C03B 1/00 Preparing the batches (chemical compositions C03C)
- C03B 11/00 Pressing glass
- C03B 13/00 Rolling glass
- C03B 15/00 Drawing glass upwardly from the melt
- C03B 17/00 Forming glass by flowing-out, pushing-out, or drawing downwardly or laterally from forming slits or by overflowing over lips
- C03B 18/00 Shaping glass in contact with the surface of a liquid
- C03B 19/00 Other methods of shaping glass (manufacture or treatment of flakes, fibres or filaments from softened glass, minerals or slags C03B37/00)
- C03B 20/00 Processes specially adapted for the production of quartz or fused silica articles
- C03B 21/00 Severing glass sheets, tubes or rods while still plastic
- C03B 2201/00 Type of glass produced
- C03B 2203/00 Fibre product details, e.g. structure, shape
- C03B 2205/00 Fibre drawing or extruding details
- C03B 2207/00 Glass deposition burners
- C03B 2211/00 Heating processes for glass melting in glass melting furnaces
- C03B 2215/00 Press-moulding glass
- C03B 2225/00 Transporting hot glass sheets during their manufacture
- C03B 23/00 Re-forming shaped glass (re-forming fibres or filaments C03B37/14)
- C03B 25/00 Annealing glass products
- C03B 27/00 Tempering glass products
- C03B 29/00 Reheating glass products for softening or fusing their surfaces; Fire-polishing; Fusing of margins
Top Applicants
Top 10 applicants by patent filingsfor class C03, 2013–2023, worldwide · Source: EPO PATSTAT
- CORNING US 9,559
- SAINT-GOBAIN GLASS FR 3,824
- NIPPON ELECTRIC GLASS COMPANY JP 2,792
- SCHOTT DE 2,029
- AGC JP 1,938
- ASAHI GLASS COMPANY JP 1,679
- CORNING 1,650
- NIPPON ELECTRIC GLASS COMPANY 1,501
- A G C 1,049
- O-I (OWENS-ILLINOIS) US 1,027