Supporting or fastening means

Introduced: January 1990

Full Title

Full titles differ between systems:

IPC:

Bandages or dressings; Absorbent pads > Absorbent pads, e.g. sanitary towels, swabs or tampons for external or internal application to the body; Supporting or fastening means therefor; Tampon applicators > Supporting or fastening means

CPC:

Bandages or dressings (radioactive dressings ); Absorbent pads > Absorbent pads, e.g. sanitary towels, swabs or tampons for external or internal application to the body; Supporting or fastening means therefor; Tampon applicators > Supporting or fastening means

CPC subdivides this area 3x more granularly than IPC with 6 additional codes.

6 codes are CPC-only extensions.

Note: 4 CPC extensions are marked as secondary classification only.

3 shared codes have differing titles between IPC and CPC.

Child Classifications

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A61F 13/5605 +2 CPC CPC only CPC only
A61F 13/5622 +3 CPC CPC only CPC only
A61F 13/58 Adhesive tab fastener elements (, A61F13/66 take precedence) since 1990 +5 CPC IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
A61F 13/62 Fabric strip fastener elements, e.g. hook and loop (A61F13/66 takes precedence) since 1990 +1 CPC IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
A61F 13/64 Straps, belts, ties or endless bands (, A61F13/66 take precedence) since 1990 IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
A61F 13/66 Garments, holders or supports not integral with absorbent pads since 1990 +1 CPC IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
A61F 2013/5661 2nd only CPC only CPC only
A61F 2013/5666 2nd only +2 CPC CPC only CPC only
A61F 2013/5683 2nd only +1 CPC CPC only CPC only
A61F 2013/5694 2nd only CPC only CPC only

Top Applicants

Top Applicants (IPC)

Class A61,2013–2023, worldwide · Source: EPO PATSTAT

PHILIPS ELECTRONICS NL 18,523
NOVARTIS CH 14,253
COVIDIEN US 13,953
ROCHE CH 12,005
CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 11,955
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA US 11,692
HARVARD UNIVERSITY US 11,596
L'OREAL FR 11,593
P&G (PROCTER & GAMBLE COMPANY) US 11,297
OLYMPUS CORPORATION JP 9,594

Top Applicants (CPC)

Class A61,2013–2023, worldwide · Source: EPO PATSTAT

PHILIPS ELECTRONICS NL 20,621
NOVARTIS CH 15,792
ROCHE CH 14,303
COVIDIEN US 13,862
HARVARD UNIVERSITY US 13,454
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA US 12,798
P&G (PROCTER & GAMBLE COMPANY) US 12,140
L'OREAL FR 11,800
OLYMPUS CORPORATION JP 9,894
BOSTON SCIENTIFIC SCIMED US 9,513