YARNS; MECHANICAL FINISHING OF YARNS OR ROPES; WARPING OR BEAMING

Description

Class D02 encompasses the production, processing, and preparation of yarns and ropes through mechanical means. It covers yarn formation techniques, mechanical finishing operations such as twisting, plying, and texturizing, as well as rope manufacturing. The class also includes warping and beaming operations—preparatory processes that arrange yarns onto beams for weaving, knitting, or other downstream textile production. This classification excludes chemical or thermal finishing of yarns (covered elsewhere in Section D) and focuses specifically on mechanical transformations and yarn preparation for subsequent textile manufacturing stages.

Filing statistics

CPC D02 recorded 30,823 patent applications worldwide between 2013 and 2023, summed across its 3 subclasses. Annual filings grew from 1,618 in 2013 to 2,110 in 2023 (+30%), peaking at 3,922 applications in 2018. The most active applicants in class D02 are TORAY INDUSTRIES (443 applications), OERLIKON TEXTILE & COMPANY (242 applications) and KOLON INDUSTRIES (232 applications).

Source: EPO PATSTAT, worldwide filings