MANUFACTURE, SHAPING, OR SUPPLEMENTARY PROCESSES

Introduced: September 1968

Description

C03B covers the manufacturing and shaping processes for glass, mineral wool, and slag wool, including both primary production methods and supplementary operations. This subclass encompasses technologies such as melting, fining, homogenizing, forming (casting, drawing, pressing, blowing), annealing, and thermal treatment of glass materials, as well as production of fibrous wool products from mineral or slag feedstocks. It includes equipment and process innovations for industrial-scale glass production facilities, specialized forming techniques for different glass product types, and post-formation processing steps that modify mechanical or thermal properties. Related chemical composition of glass itself is classified separately under C03C.

Title

Titles differ between systems:

IPC: MANUFACTURE OR SHAPING OF GLASS, OR OF MINERAL OR SLAG WOOL; SUPPLEMENTARY PROCESSES IN THE MANUFACTURE OR SHAPING OF GLASS, OR OF MINERAL OR SLAG WOOL

CPC: MANUFACTURE, SHAPING, OR SUPPLEMENTARY PROCESSES

Full Title

Full titles differ between systems:

IPC:

MANUFACTURE OR SHAPING OF GLASS, OR OF MINERAL OR SLAG WOOL; SUPPLEMENTARY PROCESSES IN THE MANUFACTURE OR SHAPING OF GLASS, OR OF MINERAL OR SLAG WOOL

CPC:

MANUFACTURE, SHAPING, OR SUPPLEMENTARY PROCESSES

Additional Content IPC

Glossary

Annealing Process of slowly cooling glass to relieve internal stresses after it was formed Cullet Scraps of broken or waste glass for remelting Gob gobs Lump of molten glass used to make a piece of glassware Mineral wool Inorganic fibrous material made from molten glass Slag wool Mineral wool made from blast-furnace slag Tempering Process of heating glass above its annealing point and then rapidly cooling it. Debiteuse Clay block floating upon molten glass in a tank furnace and containing a long slot that shapes glass into a sheet as it is drawn through it

Limiting references

Preparation of finely divided silica Chemical aspects of glass Changing the surface of the glass ribbon by chemical methods Refining agents Chemical aspects of hollow, porous, sintered or foamed beads Beads composition Surface treatment of glass by coating with glass Surface treatment of fibres or filaments from glass, minerals or wools, sizing of the fibres Coating of the fibre during the drawing process Polarisation-maintaining optical fibres per se Cutting or severing of light guides Fusion-splicing of light guides Treatment of light guides to shape optical elements

Of 31 combined children, 23 exist in both systems.

7 codes are CPC-only extensions, 1 exist only in IPC.

Note: 7 CPC extensions are marked as secondary classification only.

8 shared codes have differing titles between IPC and CPC.

Child Classifications

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C03B 1/00 Preparing the batches (chemical compositions C03C) IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
C03B 11/00 Pressing glass +1 CPC IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
C03B 13/00 Rolling glass IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
C03B 15/00 Drawing glass upwardly from the melt IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
C03B 17/00 Forming glass by flowing-out, pushing-out, or drawing downwardly or laterally from forming slits or by overflowing over lips IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
C03B 18/00 Shaping glass in contact with the surface of a liquid IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
C03B 19/00 Other methods of shaping glass (manufacture or treatment of flakes, fibres or filaments from softened glass, minerals or slags C03B37/00) IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
C03B 20/00 Processes specially adapted for the production of quartz or fused silica articles since 1980 IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
C03B 21/00 Severing glass sheets, tubes or rods while still plastic IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
C03B 2201/00 Type of glass produced 2nd only +5 CPC CPC only CPC only
C03B 2203/00 Fibre product details, e.g. structure, shape 2nd only +8 CPC CPC only CPC only
C03B 2205/00 Fibre drawing or extruding details 2nd only +20 CPC CPC only CPC only
C03B 2207/00 Glass deposition burners 2nd only +12 CPC CPC only CPC only
C03B 2211/00 Heating processes for glass melting in glass melting furnaces 2nd only +4 CPC CPC only CPC only
C03B 2215/00 Press-moulding glass 2nd only +21 CPC CPC only CPC only
C03B 2225/00 Transporting hot glass sheets during their manufacture 2nd only +1 CPC CPC only CPC only
C03B 23/00 Re-forming shaped glass (re-forming fibres or filaments C03B37/14) +10 CPC IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
C03B 25/00 Annealing glass products IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
C03B 27/00 Tempering glass products IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
C03B 29/00 Reheating glass products for softening or fusing their surfaces; Fire-polishing; Fusing of margins IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC

Top Applicants

Top Applicants (IPC)

Class C03,2013–2023, worldwide · Source: EPO PATSTAT

CORNING US 8,800
SAINT-GOBAIN GLASS FR 3,535
NIPPON ELECTRIC GLASS COMPANY JP 2,675
NIPPON ELECTRIC GLASS COMPANY 2,616
AGC JP 1,911
SCHOTT DE 1,846
ASAHI GLASS COMPANY JP 1,632
CORNING 1,556
A G C 1,250
SEKISUI CHEMICAL COMPANY JP 1,087

Top Applicants (CPC)

Class C03,2013–2023, worldwide · Source: EPO PATSTAT

CORNING US 9,559
SAINT-GOBAIN GLASS FR 3,824
NIPPON ELECTRIC GLASS COMPANY JP 2,792
SCHOTT DE 2,029
AGC JP 1,938
ASAHI GLASS COMPANY JP 1,679
CORNING 1,650
NIPPON ELECTRIC GLASS COMPANY 1,501
A G C 1,049
O-I (OWENS-ILLINOIS) US 1,027