IPC Subclass
B60B VEHICLE WHEELS; CASTORS; AXLES FOR WHEELS OR CASTORS; INCREASING WHEEL ADHESION
Introduced: September 1968
Classification Context
- Section:
- PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- Class:
- VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- Subclass:
- VEHICLE WHEELS; CASTORS; AXLES FOR WHEELS OR CASTORS; INCREASING WHEEL ADHESION
Description
B60B covers the design, construction, and functional improvement of vehicle wheels, castors, and their supporting axle systems. This includes wheel structures (rims, hubs, spokes), castor assemblies for movable furniture and equipment, axle designs for load distribution, and technologies for enhancing traction and adhesion between wheels and road surfaces. The classification encompasses both pneumatic and solid wheel types, bearing systems, and mechanical modifications to improve grip and handling characteristics.
Filing statistics
IPC subclass B60B recorded 76,043 patent applications worldwide between 2013 and 2023. Annual filings grew from 4,157 in 2013 to 8,554 in 2023 (+106%), peaking at 10,866 applications in 2020. The most active applicants in class B60 are TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION (28,052 applications), HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY (27,773 applications) and FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES (26,243 applications).
Source: EPO PATSTAT, worldwide filings
In class comparison
B60B ranks 13th of 18 subclasses with filings in B60, with 76,043 applications between 2013 and 2023, 3.6% of the class. Annual filings grew 106% from 2013 to 2023, above the class as a whole (+68%).
| Rank | Subclass | Title | Applications | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | B60R, Vehicles, Vehicle Fittings, or Vehicle Parts, Not Otherwise Provided for | Vehicles, Vehicle Fittings, or Vehicle Parts, Not Otherwise Provided for | 421,964 | 20.2% |
| 2 | B60L, Propulsion of Electrically-Propelled Vehicles; Supplying Electric Power for Auxiliary Equipment of Electrically-Propelled Vehicles; Electrodynamic Brake Systems for Vehicles in General; Magnetic Suspension or Levitation for Vehicles; Monitoring Operating Variables of Electrically-Propelled Vehicles; Electric Safety Devices for Electrically-Propelled Vehicles | Propulsion of Electrically-Propelled Vehicles; Supplying Electric Power for Auxiliary Equipment of Electrically-Propelled Vehicles; Electrodynamic Brake Systems for Vehicles in General; Magnetic Suspension or Levitation for Vehicles; Monitoring Operating Variables of Electrically-Propelled Vehicles; Electric Safety Devices for Electrically-Propelled Vehicles | 274,295 | 13.1% |
| 3 | B60K, Arrangement or Mounting of Propulsion Units or of Transmissions in Vehicles; Arrangement or Mounting of Plural Diverse Prime-Movers in Vehicles; Auxiliary Drives for Vehicles; Instrumentation or Dashboards for Vehicles; Arrangements in Connection With Cooling, Air Intake, Gas Exhaust or Fuel Supply of Propulsion Units in Vehicles | Arrangement or Mounting of Propulsion Units or of Transmissions in Vehicles; Arrangement or Mounting of Plural Diverse Prime-Movers in Vehicles; Auxiliary Drives for Vehicles; Instrumentation or Dashboards for Vehicles; Arrangements in Connection With Cooling, Air Intake, Gas Exhaust or Fuel Supply of Propulsion Units in Vehicles | 249,338 | 12.0% |
| 4 | B60W, Conjoint Control of Vehicle Sub-Units of Different Type or Different Function; Control Systems Specially Adapted for Hybrid Vehicles; Road Vehicle Drive Control Systems for Purposes Not Related to the Control of a Particular Sub-Unit | Conjoint Control of Vehicle Sub-Units of Different Type or Different Function; Control Systems Specially Adapted for Hybrid Vehicles; Road Vehicle Drive Control Systems for Purposes Not Related to the Control of a Particular Sub-Unit | 198,743 | 9.5% |
| 5 | B60N, Seats Specially Adapted for Vehicles; Vehicle Passenger Accommodation Not Otherwise Provided for | Seats Specially Adapted for Vehicles; Vehicle Passenger Accommodation Not Otherwise Provided for | 128,521 | 6.2% |
| 6 | B60T, Vehicle Brake Control Systems or Parts Thereof; Brake Control Systems or Parts Thereof, in General; Arrangement of Braking Elements on Vehicles in General; Portable Devices for Preventing Unwanted Movement of Vehicles; Vehicle Modifications to Facilitate Cooling of Brakes | Vehicle Brake Control Systems or Parts Thereof; Brake Control Systems or Parts Thereof, in General; Arrangement of Braking Elements on Vehicles in General; Portable Devices for Preventing Unwanted Movement of Vehicles; Vehicle Modifications to Facilitate Cooling of Brakes | 102,029 | 4.9% |
| 7 | B60H, Arrangements of Heating, Cooling, Ventilating or Other Air-Treating Devices Specially Adapted for Passenger or Goods Spaces of Vehicles | Arrangements of Heating, Cooling, Ventilating or Other Air-Treating Devices Specially Adapted for Passenger or Goods Spaces of Vehicles | 96,136 | 4.6% |
| 8 | B60C, Vehicle Tyres; Tyre Inflation; Tyre Changing; Connecting Valves to Inflatable Elastic Bodies in General; Devices or Arrangements Related to Tyres | Vehicle Tyres; Tyre Inflation; Tyre Changing; Connecting Valves to Inflatable Elastic Bodies in General; Devices or Arrangements Related to Tyres | 95,602 | 4.6% |
| 9 | B60Q, Arrangement of Signalling or Lighting Devices, the Mounting or Supporting Thereof or Circuits Therefor, for Vehicles in General | Arrangement of Signalling or Lighting Devices, the Mounting or Supporting Thereof or Circuits Therefor, for Vehicles in General | 95,567 | 4.6% |
| 10 | B60P, Vehicles Adapted for Load Transportation or to Transport, to Carry, or to Comprise Special Loads or Objects | Vehicles Adapted for Load Transportation or to Transport, to Carry, or to Comprise Special Loads or Objects | 87,420 | 4.2% |
| 13 | B60B | Vehicle Wheels; Castors; Axles for Wheels or Castors; Increasing Wheel Adhesion | 76,043 | 3.6% |
Source: EPO PATSTAT, worldwide filings
Additional Content
Wheels for roller skates
Related Keywords
RAILWAY(S),RAILROAD(S) vehicle wheels or axlesvehicle wheel RIMSSTUB axleswheels for VEHICLESfurniture castorsvehicle WHEEL(S)
20 direct subcodes
Child Classifications
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- B60B 1/00 Spoked wheels; Spokes thereof
- B60B 11/00 Units comprising multiple wheels arranged side by side; Wheels having more than one rim or capable of carrying more than one tyre
- B60B 15/00 Wheels or wheel attachments designed for increasing traction
- B60B 17/00 Wheels characterised by rail-engaging elements
- B60B 19/00 Wheels not otherwise provided for or having characteristics specified in one of the subgroups of this group
- B60B 21/00 Rims
- B60B 23/00 Attaching rim to wheel body
- B60B 25/00 Rims built-up of several main parts
- B60B 27/00 Hubs
- B60B 29/00 Apparatus or tools for mounting or dismounting wheels
- B60B 3/00 Disc wheels, i.e. wheels with load-supporting disc body
- B60B 30/00 Means for holding wheels or parts thereof
- B60B 31/00 Apparatus or tools for assembling or disassembling wheels
- B60B 33/00 Castors in general
- B60B 35/00 Axle units; Parts thereof
- B60B 37/00 Wheel-axle combinations, e.g. wheel sets
- B60B 39/00 Increasing wheel adhesion
- B60B 5/00 Wheels, spokes, disc bodies, rims, hubs, wholly or predominantly made of non-metallic material
- B60B 7/00 Wheel cover discs, rings, or the like, for ornamenting, protecting, or obscuring, wholly or in part, the wheel body, rim, hub, or tyre sidewall
- B60B 9/00 Wheels of high resiliency
Top Applicants
Top 10 applicants by patent filingsfor class B60, 2013–2023, worldwide · Source: EPO PATSTAT
- TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION 28,052
- HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY KR 27,773
- FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES US 26,243
- KIA MOTORS CORPORATION KR 20,110
- ROBERT BOSCH DE 19,033
- TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION JP 17,924
- BMW (BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE) DE 14,214
- HONDA MOTOR COMPANY 12,527
- AUDI DE 10,806
- GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS US 10,336