G10 MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS; ACOUSTICS
Description
G10 encompasses musical instruments of all types and the physics of sound production, transmission, and acoustic properties. This class covers the mechanical design, construction, and operation of instruments (such as stringed, wind, percussion, and keyboard instruments), as well as acoustic theory and principles governing sound in musical contexts. It includes innovations in instrument materials, tuning mechanisms, sound amplification, and acoustic modification techniques. Adjacent classes cover related but distinct areas: G11 covers sound recording and reproduction (separate from instrument design), while H04 addresses electroacoustics and electrical audio systems.
Filing statistics
CPC G10 recorded 250,155 patent applications worldwide between 2013 and 2023, summed across its 8 subclasses. Annual filings grew from 12,635 in 2013 to 23,726 in 2023 (+88%), peaking at 30,291 applications in 2020. The most active applicants in class G10 are SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS COMPANY (6,277 applications), GOOGLE (5,429 applications) and FRAUNHOFER (4,984 applications).
Source: EPO PATSTAT, worldwide filings
8 direct subcodes
Child Classifications
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- G10B ORGANS, HARMONIUMS OR SIMILAR WIND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH ASSOCIATED BLOWING APPARATUS (accordions, concertinas or the like or keyboards therefor G10D11/00; automatic wind instruments G10F1/12)
- G10C PIANOS, HARPSICHORDS, SPINETS OR SIMILAR STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH ONE OR MORE KEYBOARDS (automatic musical instruments G10F)
- G10D STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS; WIND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS; ACCORDIONS OR CONCERTINAS; PERCUSSION MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS; AEOLIAN HARPS; SINGING-FLAME MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS; MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR (organs, harmoniums or similar wind musical instruments with associated blowing apparatus G10B; pianos, harpsichords, spinets or similar stringed musical instruments with one or more keyboards G10C; automatic musical instruments G10F; electrophonic musical instruments in which tones are generated by electromechanical means G10H)
- G10F AUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS (non-musical aspects of toy instruments A63H5/00; sound recording or reproducing G11B; working in association with recording or reproducing apparatus G11B31/02)
- G10G REPRESENTATION OF MUSIC; RECORDING MUSIC IN NOTATION FORM; ACCESSORIES FOR MUSIC OR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR, e.g. SUPPORTS (music stands A47B; non-musical aspects of musical toy instruments A63H5/00; metronomes G04F5/02; teaching music G09B15/00)
- G10H ELECTROPHONIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS; INSTRUMENTS IN WHICH THE TONES ARE GENERATED BY ELECTROMECHANICAL MEANS OR ELECTRONIC GENERATORS, OR IN WHICH THE TONES ARE SYNTHESISED FROM A DATA STORE
- G10K SOUND-PRODUCING DEVICES; METHODS OR DEVICES FOR PROTECTING AGAINST, OR FOR DAMPING, NOISE OR OTHER ACOUSTIC WAVES IN GENERAL; ACOUSTICS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G10L SPEECH ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES OR SPEECH SYNTHESIS; SPEECH RECOGNITION; SPEECH OR VOICE PROCESSING TECHNIQUES; SPEECH OR AUDIO CODING OR DECODING
Top Applicants
Top 10 applicants by patent filings, 2013–2023, worldwide · Source: EPO PATSTAT
- SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS COMPANY KR 6,277
- GOOGLE US 5,429
- FRAUNHOFER DE 4,984
- SONY CORPORATION JP 2,808
- HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES COMPANY CN 2,577
- MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING US 2,382
- DOLBY LABORATORIES LICENSING CORPORATION US 2,123
- QUALCOMM US 2,117
- IBM (INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION) US 2,049
- AMAZON TECHNOLOGIES US 1,924