Floating bridges, e.g. pontoon bridges (landing bridges E01D15/24; floating bodies or pontoons B63B)

Description

E01D15/14 covers floating bridges, e.g. pontoon bridges, in which the deck is carried by buoyant supports instead of fixed piers. Subject matter includes military and civil pontoon crossings, the coupling and anchoring of floating sections, and arrangements for compensating water-level changes. The group belongs to the movable and portable bridges of E01D15/00. Landing bridges for embarking or disembarking are classified in E01D15/24, and the floating bodies or pontoons themselves in B63B.

Filing statistics

CPC E01D 15/14 belongs to the parent subclass E01D, which recorded 43,217 patent applications worldwide between 2013 and 2023. Annual filings grew from 1,120 in 2013 to 5,567 in 2023 (+397%), peaking at 6,371 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