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

Related Keywords

CAMELS for raising sunken shipsCAREENING shipsDIVINGREEFING [gear]hauling or towing of SHIP(S)launching, hauling-out or dry-docking of SHIP(S)

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