TREATMENT OF INORGANIC MATERIALS, OTHER THAN FIBROUS FILLERS, TO ENHANCE THEIR PIGMENTING OR FILLING PROPERTIES (treatment of materials specially adapted to enhance their filling properties in mortars, concrete or artificial stone C04B14/00, C04B18/00, C04B20/00); PREPARATION OF CARBON BLACK

Description

C09C covers physical and chemical treatment methods applied to inorganic materials to improve their performance as pigments or fillers in paints, coatings, plastics, and related compositions. This includes surface modification, coating, grinding, and purification of mineral pigments and fillers, as well as the synthesis and processing of carbon black from carbonaceous sources. The subclass excludes fibrous fillers (covered elsewhere) and focuses on particulate inorganic solids that enhance color, opacity, or mechanical properties of end-use formulations.

Filing statistics

CPC subclass C09C recorded 24,571 patent applications worldwide between 2013 and 2023. Annual filings declined from 2,162 in 2013 to 1,562 in 2023 (-28%), peaking at 2,738 applications in 2016. The most active applicants in class C09 are LG CHEM (7,954 applications), HALLIBURTON ENERGY SERVICES GROUP (6,584 applications) and NITTO DENKO CORPORATION (6,500 applications).

Source: EPO PATSTAT, worldwide filings