B63C LAUNCHING, HAULING-OUT, OR DRY-DOCKING OF VESSELS; LIFE-SAVING IN WATER; EQUIPMENT FOR DWELLING OR WORKING UNDER WATER; MEANS FOR SALVAGING OR SEARCHING FOR UNDERWATER OBJECTS
Introduced: September 1968
Classification Context
- Section:
- PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- Class:
- SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
- Subclass:
- LAUNCHING, HAULING-OUT, OR DRY-DOCKING OF VESSELS; LIFE-SAVING IN WATER; EQUIPMENT FOR DWELLING OR WORKING UNDER WATER; MEANS FOR SALVAGING OR SEARCHING FOR UNDERWATER OBJECTS
Description
B63C covers equipment and systems for vessel launch and recovery operations, including slipways, dry docks, and hauling-out mechanisms used to move ships between water and land. The subclass also encompasses life-saving devices and personal protective equipment for water safety, such as lifeboats, life jackets, and rescue apparatus. Additionally, it includes diving equipment, underwater habitats, and apparatus for working submerged, along with tools and techniques for locating, salvaging, or investigating objects on the seafloor or underwater. Related vessel propulsion and navigation systems are classified elsewhere in B63.
Filing statistics
IPC subclass B63C recorded 34,323 patent applications worldwide between 2013 and 2023. Annual filings grew from 1,822 in 2013 to 3,822 in 2023 (+110%), peaking at 3,998 applications in 2020. The most active applicants in class B63 are SAMSUNG HEAVY INDUSTRIES (5,719 applications), DAEWOO SHIPBUILDING & MARINE ENGINEERING COMPANY (4,684 applications) and HYUNDAI HEAVY INDUSTRIES COMPANY (3,015 applications).
Source: EPO PATSTAT, worldwide filings
In class comparison
B63C ranks 3rd of 5 subclasses with filings in B63, with 34,323 applications between 2013 and 2023, 13.2% of the class. Annual filings grew 110% from 2013 to 2023, above the class as a whole (+85%).
| Rank | Subclass | Title | Applications | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | B63B, Ships or Other Waterborne Vessels; Equipment for Shipping | Ships or Other Waterborne Vessels; Equipment for Shipping | 152,466 | 58.7% |
| 2 | B63H, Marine Propulsion or Steering | Marine Propulsion or Steering | 46,736 | 18.0% |
| 3 | B63C | Launching, Hauling-Out, or Dry-Docking of Vessels; Life-Saving in Water; Equipment for Dwelling or Working Under Water; Means for Salvaging or Searching for Underwater Objects | 34,323 | 13.2% |
| 4 | B63G, Offensive or Defensive Arrangements on Vessels; Mine-Laying; Mine-Sweeping; Submarines; Aircraft Carriers | Offensive or Defensive Arrangements on Vessels; Mine-Laying; Mine-Sweeping; Submarines; Aircraft Carriers | 13,273 | 5.1% |
| 5 | B63J, Auxiliaries on Vessels | Auxiliaries on Vessels | 12,759 | 4.9% |
Source: EPO PATSTAT, worldwide filings
Related Keywords
8 direct subcodes
Child Classifications
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- B63C 1/00 Dry-docking of vessels or flying-boats
- B63C 11/00 Equipment for dwelling or working under water; Means for searching for underwater objects
- B63C 13/00 Equipment forming part of, or attachable to, vessels, facilitating transport over land
- B63C 15/00 Storing of vessels on land otherwise than by dry-docking
- B63C 3/00 Launching or hauling-out, e.g. by landborne slipways; Slipways
- B63C 5/00 Equipment usable both on slipways and in dry docks
- B63C 7/00 Salvaging of disabled, stranded, or sunken vessels; Salvaging of vessel parts or furnishings, e.g. of safes; Salvaging of other underwater objects
- B63C 9/00 Life-saving in water
Top Applicants
Top 10 applicants by patent filingsfor class B63, 2013–2023, worldwide · Source: EPO PATSTAT
- SAMSUNG HEAVY INDUSTRIES KR 5,719
- DAEWOO SHIPBUILDING & MARINE ENGINEERING COMPANY KR 4,684
- HYUNDAI HEAVY INDUSTRIES COMPANY KR 3,015
- ZHEJIANG OCEAN UNIVERSITY 1,359
- HUDONG-ZHONGHUA SHIPBUILDING (GROUP) COMPANY 1,221
- HARBIN ENGINEERING UNIVERSITY 1,175
- SHANGHAI WAIGAOQIAO SHIPBUILDING COMPANY 1,129
- CSSC HUANGPU WENCHONG SHIPBUILDING COMPANY 1,113
- GUANGZHOU SHIPYARD INTERNATIONAL COMPANY 1,073
- JIANGSU UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 963