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

Introduced: September 1968

Classification Context

Section:: HUMAN NECESSITIES
Class:: FOODS, FOODSTUFFS OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES; PREPARATION, TREATMENT OR PRESERVATION THEREOF
Subclass:: 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

Description

A23N encompasses machines and apparatus for post-harvest bulk treatment of fruits, vegetables, and flower bulbs, including specialized peeling equipment for removing skins or outer layers from produce at industrial scale. This classification also covers apparatus designed for mechanical preparation and processing of animal feed and feedstuffs. Excluded are specific treatment processes already covered in other A23 subclasses (such as washing, sorting, or preservation methods with dedicated classifications) and machines for initial agricultural harvesting operations.

Filing statistics

IPC subclass A23N recorded 99,459 patent applications worldwide between 2013 and 2023. Annual filings grew from 2,756 in 2013 to 11,598 in 2023 (+321%), peaking at 15,184 applications in 2020. The most active applicants in class A23 are KVASENKOV OLEG IVANOVICH (6,158 applications), NESTLE (4,562 applications) and NESTEC (3,354 applications).

Source: EPO PATSTAT, worldwide filings

In class comparison

A23N ranks 3rd of 10 subclasses with filings in A23, with 99,459 applications between 2013 and 2023, 10.2% of the class. Annual filings grew 321% from 2013 to 2023, above the class as a whole (+18%).

Subclasses of class A23 by patent applications, 2013–2023
Rank	Subclass	Title	Applications	Share
1	A23L, Foods, Foodstuffs or Non-Alcoholic Beverages, Not Otherwise Provided for; Preparation or Treatment Thereof	Foods, Foodstuffs or Non-Alcoholic Beverages, Not Otherwise Provided for; Preparation or Treatment Thereof	450,110	46.2%
2	A23K, Feeding-Stuffs Specially Adapted for Animals; Methods Specially Adapted for Production Thereof	Feeding-Stuffs Specially Adapted for Animals; Methods Specially Adapted for Production Thereof	106,027	10.9%
3	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	99,459	10.2%
4	A23F, Coffee; Tea; Their Substitutes; Manufacture, Preparation, or Infusion Thereof	Coffee; Tea; Their Substitutes; Manufacture, Preparation, or Infusion Thereof	78,125	8.0%
5	A23B, Preservation of Foods, Foodstuffs or Non-Alcoholic Beverages; Chemical Ripening of Fruit or Vegetables	Preservation of Foods, Foodstuffs or Non-Alcoholic Beverages; Chemical Ripening of Fruit or Vegetables	56,029	5.7%
6	A23P, Shaping or Working of Foodstuffs, Not Fully Covered by a Single Other Subclass	Shaping or Working of Foodstuffs, Not Fully Covered by a Single Other Subclass	55,814	5.7%
7	A23G, Cocoa; Cocoa Products, e.g. Chocolate; Substitutes for Cocoa or Cocoa Products; Confectionery; Chewing Gum; Ice-Cream; Preparation Thereof	Cocoa; Cocoa Products, e.g. Chocolate; Substitutes for Cocoa or Cocoa Products; Confectionery; Chewing Gum; Ice-Cream; Preparation Thereof	46,722	4.8%
8	A23C, Dairy Products, e.g. Milk, Butter or Cheese; Milk or Cheese Substitutes; Preparation Thereof	Dairy Products, e.g. Milk, Butter or Cheese; Milk or Cheese Substitutes; Preparation Thereof	43,005	4.4%
9	A23J, Protein Compositions for Foodstuffs; Working-Up Proteins for Foodstuffs; Phosphatide Compositions for Foodstuffs	Protein Compositions for Foodstuffs; Working-Up Proteins for Foodstuffs; Phosphatide Compositions for Foodstuffs	19,978	2.1%
10	A23D, Edible Oils or Fats, e.g. Margarines, Shortenings or Cooking Oils	Edible Oils or Fats, e.g. Margarines, Shortenings or Cooking Oils	19,209	2.0%

Source: EPO PATSTAT, worldwide filings

Related Keywords

machines for CORING fruit in bulkDRESSING fruits, nuts or vegetablesdevices for coring, destalking or stoning FRUIT in bulkPULPING of fruit or vegetablescrushing ROOT(S) for foodcoring or stoning fruittreating edible SEED(S) or nuts in bulkSTRAINING of foodstuffs in bulkSTRINGING foodstuffs in bulkTOPPING of fruitpreparation of VEGETABLE(S)

9 direct subcodes

Child Classifications

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A23N 1/00 Machines or apparatus for extracting juice
A23N 11/00 Removing pith from stems
A23N 12/00 Machines for cleaning, blanching, drying or roasting fruits or vegetables, e.g. coffee, cocoa, nuts
A23N 15/00 Machines or apparatus for other treatment of fruits or vegetables for human purposes; Machines or apparatus for topping or skinning flower bulbs
A23N 17/00 Apparatus specially adapted for preparing animal feeding-stuffs
A23N 3/00 Machines for coring or stoning fruit, characterised by their feeding device
A23N 4/00 Machines for stoning fruit or removing seed-containing sections from fruit, characterised by their stoning or removing device
A23N 5/00 Machines for hulling, husking, or cracking nuts
A23N 7/00 Peeling vegetables or fruit

Top Applicants

Top 10 applicants by patent filingsfor class A23, 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