E01B PERMANENT WAY; PERMANENT-WAY TOOLS; MACHINES FOR MAKING RAILWAYS OF ALL KINDS (derailing or rerailing blocks on track, track brakes or retarders B61K)
Description
E01B covers the design, construction, and maintenance of railway track structures (permanent way), including rails, sleepers, ballast, and fastening systems. It encompasses tools, machines, and equipment used for laying, assembling, aligning, and servicing railway tracks across all railway types and gauges. This classification includes machines for track grinding, welding, tamping, and ballast placement, as well as specialized apparatus for track inspection and repair. Related bridge and road construction work is classified separately under E01C and E01D respectively.
Filing statistics
CPC subclass E01B recorded 21,234 patent applications worldwide between 2013 and 2023. Annual filings grew from 1,035 in 2013 to 1,523 in 2023 (+47%), peaking at 2,607 applications in 2020. The most active applicants in class E01 are PLASSER & THEURER EXPORT VON BAHNBAUMASCHINEN (998 applications), CATERPILLAR PAVING PRODUCTS (937 applications) and CHINA RAILWAY SIYUAN SURVEY AND DESIGN GROUP COMPANY (869 applications).
Source: EPO PATSTAT, worldwide filings
26 direct subcodes
Child Classifications
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- E01B 1/00 Ballastway; Other means for supporting the sleepers or the track; Drainage of the ballastway (draining by trenches, culverts, or conduits E01F5/00)
- E01B 11/00 Rail joints (electrical connection of the rail B60M5/00)
- E01B 13/00 Arrangements preventing shifting of the track
- E01B 15/00 Guards for preventing a person's foot being trapped in grooved rails
- E01B 17/00 Cattle guards connected to the permanent way (grids in general for preventing cattle from straying A01K3/00)
- E01B 19/00 Protection of permanent way against development of dust or against the effect of wind, sun, frost, or corrosion; Means to reduce development of noise (snow fences E01F7/02, snow-ploughs E01H8/02, watering E01H11/00)
- E01B 2/00 General structure of permanent way (railway networks B61B1/00; foundations for pavings E01C3/00; foundations in general E02D)
- E01B 21/00 Track superstructure adapted for tramways in paved streets (paving E01C9/04, E01C9/06)
- E01B 2201/00 Fastening or restraining methods
- E01B 2202/00 Characteristics of moving parts of rail systems, e.g. switches, special frogs, tongues
- E01B 2203/00 Devices for working the railway-superstructure
- E01B 2204/00 Characteristics of the track and its foundations
- E01B 2205/00 Electrical insulation of railway track parts
- E01B 23/00 Easily dismountable or movable tracks, e.g. temporary railways; Details specially adapted therefor
- E01B 25/00 Tracks for special kinds of railways (systems B61B; wheel tracks on roads E01C9/02)
- E01B 26/00 Tracks or track components not covered by any one of the preceding groups
- E01B 27/00 Placing, renewing, working, cleaning, or taking-up the ballast, with or without concurrent work on the track; Devices therefor; Packing sleepers
- E01B 29/00 Laying, rebuilding, or taking-up tracks; Tools or machines therefor (E01B27/00, E01B31/00 take precedence)
- E01B 3/00 Transverse or longitudinal sleepers (for switches or crossings E01B7/22); Other means resting directly on the ballastway for supporting rails
- E01B 31/00 Working rails, sleepers, baseplates, or the like, in or on the line; Machines, tools, or auxiliary devices specially designed therefor (characterised by features independent of use on assembled track B21, B23 - B25, B27)
Top Applicants
Top 10 applicants by patent filingsfor class E01, 2013–2023, worldwide · Source: EPO PATSTAT
- PLASSER & THEURER EXPORT VON BAHNBAUMASCHINEN AT 998
- CATERPILLAR PAVING PRODUCTS US 937
- CHINA RAILWAY SIYUAN SURVEY AND DESIGN GROUP COMPANY 869
- WIRTGEN DE 740
- CHINA RAILWAY MAJOR BRIDGE ENGINEERING GROUP COMPANY 685
- CHANG AN UNIVERSITY 615
- CREEC (CHINA RAILWAY ERYUAN ENGINEERING GROUP) 613
- SOUTHEAST UNIVERSITY 562
- TONGJI UNIVERSITY 500
- ROAD & BRIDGE INTERNATIONAL COMPANY 491