PRODUCING PARTICULAR ARTICLES FROM PLASTICS OR FROM SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE

Introduced: September 1968

Last revised: January 1985

Classification Context

Section:: PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
Class:: WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
Subclass:: PRODUCING PARTICULAR ARTICLES FROM PLASTICS OR FROM SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE

Description

B29D covers the manufacture of finished or semi-finished plastic articles through various forming and shaping processes applied to plastic materials or substances in a plastic state. This subclass encompasses diverse production techniques including molding, extrusion, thermoforming, casting, and lamination, applied to create specific end products such as containers, films, tubes, sheets, and composite structures. The classification focuses on the article-specific manufacturing processes rather than the general working methods, which are covered in the parent class B29C, or the machines and equipment used in production.

Filing statistics

IPC subclass B29D recorded 68,717 patent applications worldwide between 2013 and 2023. Annual filings grew from 5,332 in 2013 to 6,141 in 2023 (+15%), peaking at 6,791 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

In class comparison

B29D ranks 4th of 5 subclasses with filings in B29, with 68,717 applications between 2013 and 2023, 5.8% of the class. Annual filings grew 15% from 2013 to 2023, below the class as a whole (+118%).

Subclasses of class B29 by patent applications, 2013–2023
Rank	Subclass	Title	Applications	Share
1	B29C, Shaping or Joining of Plastics; Shaping of Material in a Plastic State, Not Otherwise Provided for; After-Treatment of the Shaped Products, e.g. Repairing	Shaping or Joining of Plastics; Shaping of Material in a Plastic State, Not Otherwise Provided for; After-Treatment of the Shaped Products, e.g. Repairing	798,253	67.2%
2	B29B, Preparation or Pretreatment of the Material to Be Shaped; Making Granules or Preforms; Recovery of Plastics or Other Constituents of Waste Material Containing Plastics	Preparation or Pretreatment of the Material to Be Shaped; Making Granules or Preforms; Recovery of Plastics or Other Constituents of Waste Material Containing Plastics	135,785	11.4%
3	B29L, Indexing Scheme Associated With Subclass , Relating to Particular Articles	Indexing Scheme Associated With Subclass , Relating to Particular Articles	133,081	11.2%
4	B29D	Producing Particular Articles From Plastics or From Substances in a Plastic State	68,717	5.8%
5	B29K, Indexing Scheme Associated With Subclasses , or , Relating to Moulding Materials or to Materials for Reinforcements, Fillers or Preformed Parts, e.g. Inserts	Indexing Scheme Associated With Subclasses , or , Relating to Moulding Materials or to Materials for Reinforcements, Fillers or Preformed Parts, e.g. Inserts	51,855	4.4%

Source: EPO PATSTAT, worldwide filings

Additional Content

Glossary

Bearing bearings Plastic device to allow constrained relative motion between two or more parts, typically rotation or linear movement. Bush bushes Thin plastic sleeve or tubular lining serving as a bearing or guide. Carrier of records a body, such as a cylinder, disc, card, tape, or wire, capable of permanently holding information, which can be read-off by a sensing element movable relatively to the record carrier.

Limiting references

Making granules Making performs Manufacture of layers comprising fibrous parallel reinforcements of substantial or continuous length Connection of valves to inflatable elastic bodies

Related Keywords

CUTTING plastics or substances in a plastic statePLANING of plasticsmaking articles from sheets of or substances in a plastic statemaking particular articles of RUBBERworking SHEET(S) of cardboard, paper, plastic sheet or metal foilTRANSFER(S) mouldingworking WEB(S) of cardboard, paper, plastic sheet or metal foil

20 direct subcodes

Child Classifications

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B29D 1/00 Producing articles provided with screw threads
B29D 11/00 Producing optical elements, e.g. lenses or prisms
B29D 12/00 Producing frames
B29D 15/00 Producing gear wheels or similar articles with grooves or projections, e.g. control knobs
B29D 16/00 Producing articles with corrugations
B29D 17/00 Producing carriers of records containing fine grooves or impressions, e.g. disc records for needle playback or cylinder records; Producing record discs from master stencils
B29D 19/00 Producing buttons or semi-finished parts of buttons
B29D 21/00 Producing hair combs or similar toothed or slotted articles
B29D 22/00 Producing hollow articles
B29D 23/00 Producing tubular articles
B29D 24/00 Producing articles with hollow walls
B29D 25/00 Producing frameless domes
B29D 28/00 Producing nets or the like
B29D 29/00 Producing belts or bands
B29D 30/00 Producing pneumatic or solid tyres or parts thereof
B29D 33/00 Producing bushes for bearings
B29D 35/00 Producing footwear
B29D 5/00 Producing elements of slide fasteners; Combined making and attaching of elements of slide fasteners
B29D 7/00 Producing flat articles, e.g. films or sheets
B29D 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass

Top Applicants

Top 10 applicants by patent filingsfor class B29, 2013–2023, worldwide · Source: EPO PATSTAT

HEWLETT-PACKARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY US 3,802
BOEING COMPANY US 3,087
COMPAGNIE GENERALE DES ETABLISSEMENTS MICHELIN FR 2,315
SUMITOMO RUBBER IND 1,784
GE (GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY) US 1,663
CANON 1,658
3M INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES COMPANY (MINNESOTA MINING AND MANUFACTURING INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES COMPANY) US 1,587
TORAY INDUSTRIES JP 1,555
BASF (BADISCHE ANILIN & SODA FABRIK) DE 1,470
LG CHEM KR 1,415