B31D MAKING ARTICLES OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER, NOT PROVIDED FOR IN SUBCLASSES B31B OR B31C (manufacture by dry processes of articles made from particles or fibres consisting of wood or other lignocellulosic or like organic material B27N; making layered products not composed wholly of paper or cardboard B32B; making articles from cellulosic fibrous suspensions, e.g. wood pulp, D21J)
Introduced: September 1968
Description
B31D covers the manufacture of paper and cardboard articles through processes and techniques not specifically classified in other B31 subclasses. This residual category encompasses specialized or novel paper-working methods, unconventional article shapes, and emerging technologies applied to cellulose-based or analogous fibrous materials. It serves as a catch-all for paper-related inventions that fall outside the defined scope of subclasses B31B (making articles of paper or cardboard by folding or bending), B31C (corrugated or laminated paper), and B31F (working of paper or material worked analogously to paper). Examiners use B31D for genuinely novel manufacturing approaches, hybrid processes, or articles that do not fit the more specific technical definitions of neighboring classifications.
Title
Titles differ between systems:
IPC: MAKING ARTICLES OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER, NOT PROVIDED FOR IN SUBCLASSES OR
CPC: MAKING ARTICLES OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER, NOT PROVIDED FOR IN SUBCLASSES B31B OR B31C (manufacture by dry processes of articles made from particles or fibres consisting of wood or other lignocellulosic or like organic material B27N; making layered products not composed wholly of paper or cardboard B32B; making articles from cellulosic fibrous suspensions, e.g. wood pulp, D21J)
Full Title
Full titles differ between systems:
MAKING ARTICLES OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER, NOT PROVIDED FOR IN SUBCLASSES OR
MAKING ARTICLES OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER, NOT PROVIDED FOR IN SUBCLASSES B31B OR B31C (manufacture by dry processes of articles made from particles or fibres consisting of wood or other lignocellulosic or like organic material B27N; making layered products not composed wholly of paper or cardboard B32B; making articles from cellulosic fibrous suspensions, e.g. wood pulp, D21J)
Of 6 combined children, 4 exist in both systems.
2 codes are CPC-only extensions.
Note: 2 CPC extensions are marked as secondary classification only.
Child Classifications
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- B31D 2205/00 Multiple-step processes for making three-dimensional articles 2nd only +1 CPC CPC only CPC only
- B31D 3/00 Making articles of cellular structure, e.g. insulating board +2 CPC IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
- B31D 5/00 Multiple-step processes for making three-dimensional [3D] articles +7 CPC IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
- B31D 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass since 2006 IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
Top Applicants
Top Applicants (IPC)
Class B31,2013–2023, worldwide · Source: EPO PATSTAT
- GPI (GRAPHIC PACKAGING INTERNATIONAL) US 356
- KIMBERLY-CLARK CORPORATION US 296
- RANPAK CORPORATION US 257
- P&G (PROCTER & GAMBLE COMPANY) US 228
- BOBST MEX CH 218
- JIANGSU NANJIANG MACHINERY COMPANY 214
- SINOTECHO (WUHAN) INTELLIGENT TECHNOLOGY COMPANY 209
- DONGGUAN HONGMING MACHINERY COMPANY 195
- BHS CORRUGATED MASCHINEN- UND ANLAGENBAU DE 192
- TETRA LAVAL HOLDINGS & FINANCE CH 183
Top Applicants (CPC)
Class B31,2013–2023, worldwide · Source: EPO PATSTAT
- GPI (GRAPHIC PACKAGING INTERNATIONAL) US 496
- P&G (PROCTER & GAMBLE COMPANY) US 403
- KIMBERLY-CLARK CORPORATION US 332
- RANPAK CORPORATION US 279
- PULPAC SE 256
- BOBST MEX CH 251
- TETRA LAVAL HOLDINGS & FINANCE CH 246
- PREGIS INNOVATIVE PACKAGING US 210
- WESTROCK SHARED SERVICES US 204
- BHS CORRUGATED MASCHINEN- UND ANLAGENBAU DE 198