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IPC Subgroup
A61C 15/04

Dental floss; Floss holders

Introduced: January 1985

Last revised: January 2006

Full Title

Devices for cleaning between the teeth > Dental floss; Floss holders

Classification Context

Section:
HUMAN NECESSITIES
Class:
MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
Subclass:
DENTISTRY; APPARATUS OR METHODS FOR ORAL OR DENTAL HYGIENE

Description

A61C15/04 covers dental floss and floss holders as devices for cleaning between the teeth. Subject matter includes the floss material itself, e.g. waxed multifilament threads or PTFE tapes, flavour or medicament coatings, single-use flossers, fork-shaped holders, and dispensing or tensioning arrangements. Powered flossing appliances are included as far as they concern the floss and its holder. Toothpicks are classified in A61C15/02, and other interdental cleaning devices in the remaining subgroups of A61C15/00.

Filing statistics

IPC A61C 15/04 belongs to the parent subclass A61C, which recorded 114,389 patent applications worldwide between 2013 and 2023. Annual filings grew from 6,894 in 2013 to 11,845 in 2023 (+72%), peaking at 14,229 applications in 2020. The most active applicants in class A61 are PHILIPS ELECTRONICS (18,523 applications), NOVARTIS (14,253 applications) and COVIDIEN (13,953 applications).

Source: EPO PATSTAT, worldwide filings

Related Keywords

dental FLOSS

Top Applicants

Top 10 applicants by patent filingsfor class A61, 2013–2023, worldwide · Source: EPO PATSTAT

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