TOBACCO; CIGARS; CIGARETTES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES; SMOKERS' REQUISITES

Description

Class A24 covers the manufacture, composition, and ancillary products related to tobacco and tobacco-derived smoking articles, including cigars, cigarettes, and their components (papers, filters, wrappers). It also encompasses simulated smoking devices (e.g., electronic cigarettes, heat-not-burn products) and related accessories such as pipes, lighters, ashtrays, and tobacco storage containers. This class includes inventions addressing tobacco processing, blending, flavoring, packaging, and safety features in smoking products. Adjacent classes address broader food and beverage processing (A23) and personal care items (A45), while A24 remains focused specifically on tobacco consumption-related technologies and apparatus.

Filing statistics

IPC A24 recorded 197,659 patent applications worldwide between 2013 and 2023, summed across its 4 subclasses. Annual filings grew from 8,945 in 2013 to 22,531 in 2023 (+152%), peaking at 27,285 applications in 2022. The most active applicants in class A24 are PHILIP MORRIS PRODUCTS (13,201 applications), NICOVENTURES TRADING (7,482 applications) and KT & G CORPORATION (4,818 applications).

Source: EPO PATSTAT, worldwide filings