A23 FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
Description
A23 encompasses the preparation, processing, treatment, and preservation of food products and non-alcoholic beverages across all stages from raw materials to finished consumer products. The class covers manufacturing technologies including cooking, mixing, fermentation, drying, freezing, and chemical preservation methods, as well as equipment and apparatus used in food production facilities. It includes innovations in food safety, quality control, nutritional enhancement, and shelf-life extension, but excludes alcoholic beverages (covered by C12C) and agricultural production methods for growing crops or raising animals (covered by A01).
Title
Titles differ between systems:
IPC: FOODS, FOODSTUFFS OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES; PREPARATION, TREATMENT OR PRESERVATION THEREOF
CPC: FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
Full Title
Full titles differ between systems:
FOODS, FOODSTUFFS OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES; PREPARATION, TREATMENT OR PRESERVATION THEREOF
FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
Of 11 combined children, 10 exist in both systems.
1 codes are CPC-only extensions.
5 shared codes have differing titles between IPC and CPC.
Child Classifications
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- A23B PRESERVATION OF FOODS, FOODSTUFFS OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES; CHEMICAL RIPENING OF FRUIT OR VEGETABLES heading IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
- A23C DAIRY PRODUCTS, e.g. MILK, BUTTER OR CHEESE; MILK OR CHEESE SUBSTITUTES; PREPARATION THEREOF (preservation thereof A23B11/00) heading +8 CPC IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
- A23D EDIBLE OILS OR FATS, e.g. MARGARINES, SHORTENINGS OR COOKING OILS (preservation thereof A23B20/00; production, refinement or preservation of animal or vegetable fats or oils C11B, C11C) heading IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
- A23F COFFEE; TEA; THEIR SUBSTITUTES; MANUFACTURE, PREPARATION, OR INFUSION THEREOF heading +1 CPC IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
- A23G COCOA; COCOA PRODUCTS, e.g. CHOCOLATE; SUBSTITUTES FOR COCOA OR COCOA PRODUCTS; CONFECTIONERY; CHEWING GUM; ICE-CREAM; PREPARATION THEREOF heading +3 CPC IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
- A23J PROTEIN COMPOSITIONS FOR FOODSTUFFS; WORKING-UP PROTEINS FOR FOODSTUFFS; PHOSPHATIDE COMPOSITIONS FOR FOODSTUFFS heading IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
- A23L FOODS, FOODSTUFFS OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; PREPARATION OR TREATMENT THEREOF (preservation thereof A23B) heading IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
- A23N MACHINES OR APPARATUS FOR TREATING HARVESTED FRUIT, VEGETABLES OR FLOWER BULBS IN BULK, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; PEELING VEGETABLES OR FRUIT IN BULK; APPARATUS FOR PREPARING ANIMAL FEEDING- STUFFS (machines for cutting straw or fodder A01F29/00; disintegrating, e.g. shredding, B02C; severing, e.g. cutting, splitting, slicing B26B, B26D) heading IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
- A23P SHAPING OR WORKING OF FOODSTUFFS, NOT FULLY COVERED BY A SINGLE OTHER SUBCLASS heading IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
- A23V INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO FOODS, FOODSTUFFS OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES AND LACTIC OR PROPIONIC ACID BACTERIA USED IN FOODSTUFFS OR FOOD PREPARATION heading +5 CPC CPC only CPC only
Top Applicants
Top Applicants (IPC)
2013–2023, worldwide · Source: EPO PATSTAT
- KVASENKOV OLEG IVANOVICH RU 6,158
- NESTLE CH 4,562
- NESTEC CH 3,354
- JIANGNAN UNIVERSITY 2,699
- DSM IP ASSETS (DUTCH STATE MINES IP ASSETS) NL 2,320
- SUNTORY HOLDINGS JP 1,926
- CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 1,804
- CJ CHEILJEDANG CORPORATION KR 1,653
- CARGILL US 1,588
- REPUBLIC OF KOREA (RURAL DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION) KR 1,314
Top Applicants (CPC)
2013–2023, worldwide · Source: EPO PATSTAT
- NESTLE CH 5,075
- NESTEC CH 3,916
- DSM IP ASSETS (DUTCH STATE MINES IP ASSETS) NL 2,558
- JIANGNAN UNIVERSITY 2,196
- SUNTORY HOLDINGS JP 2,133
- CJ CHEILJEDANG CORPORATION KR 1,842
- CARGILL US 1,708
- REPUBLIC OF KOREA (RURAL DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION) KR 1,341
- CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 1,279
- MARS US 1,161