SUBJECT MATTER NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR IN THIS SECTION

Description

F99 serves as a residual classification for mechanical engineering inventions, lighting systems, heating apparatus, weapons, and blasting technologies that do not fit within the more specific classes F01–F98 of Section F. This catch-all category accommodates novel or atypical mechanical technologies, unusual combinations of known mechanical elements, and emerging mechanical engineering concepts that lack adequate coverage elsewhere in the section. Examiners should conduct thorough searching in F01–F98 before classifying documents in F99, as it is intended only for inventions genuinely outside the scope of established mechanical engineering classifications.

Filing statistics

CPC F99 recorded 4 patent applications worldwide between 2013 and 2023, summed across its 1 subclasses. Annual filings declined from 3 in 2017 to 1 in 2018 (-67%). The most active applicants in class F99 are MOTOKO HAZAMA (2 applications), HAZAMA MOTOKO (1 applications) and HAZAMA MOTOKO (1 applications).

Source: EPO PATSTAT, worldwide filings