STAMPS; STAMPING OR NUMBERING APPARATUS OR DEVICES

Description

B41K covers hand-operated and mechanized devices for applying impressions, marks, or numbering sequences onto surfaces through stamping, embossing, or impact-based techniques. This includes rubber stamps, numbering machines, date stamps, marking dies, and related apparatus designed for manual or semi-automatic operation. The classification encompasses both the stamping devices themselves and the machinery that applies them, excluding printing presses and typewriter mechanisms covered by adjacent classes. Typical applications include document numbering, postal marking, industrial batch coding, and general-purpose impression marking on paper, cardboard, or other substrates.

Filing statistics

IPC subclass B41K recorded 11,667 patent applications worldwide between 2013 and 2023. Annual filings grew from 613 in 2013 to 718 in 2023 (+17%), peaking at 1,449 applications in 2020. The most active applicants in class B41 are SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION (14,672 applications), CANON (14,153 applications) and RICOH COMPANY (8,049 applications).

Source: EPO PATSTAT, worldwide filings