PREPARATION OR PRETREATMENT OF THE MATERIAL TO BE SHAPED; MAKING GRANULES OR PREFORMS; RECOVERY OF PLASTICS OR OTHER CONSTITUENTS OF WASTE MATERIAL CONTAINING PLASTICS

Description

B29B encompasses preparation, pretreatment, and conditioning operations on plastic materials prior to shaping or molding processes, including mixing, blending, heating, and drying of virgin or recycled polymers. The class also covers granulation, pelletization, and formation of preforms—intermediate products used in subsequent shaping operations. Additionally, B29B includes recovery and separation technologies for extracting plastics and other valuable constituents from waste streams, such as sorting, cleaning, and processing of post-consumer or post-industrial plastic waste. This classification bridges upstream material processing and downstream shaping technologies covered in other B29 subclasses, excluding the actual shaping/molding operations themselves.

Filing statistics

IPC subclass B29B recorded 135,785 patent applications worldwide between 2013 and 2023. Annual filings grew from 5,410 in 2013 to 18,579 in 2023 (+243%), peaking at 20,079 applications in 2020. The most active applicants in class B29 are HEWLETT-PACKARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY (3,802 applications), BOEING COMPANY (3,087 applications) and COMPAGNIE GENERALE DES ETABLISSEMENTS MICHELIN (2,315 applications).

Source: EPO PATSTAT, worldwide filings