APPLYING CLOSURE MEMBERS TO BOTTLES, JARS, OR SIMILAR CONTAINERS; OPENING CLOSED CONTAINERS

Description

B67B covers machinery and methods for mechanically applying closure members (caps, corks, stoppers, seals) to bottles, jars, and analogous containers, as well as devices for opening sealed containers. This includes capping machines, corking equipment, sealing apparatus, and corresponding manual or automated tools used in packaging operations. The classification encompasses both the mechanical processes and the apparatus designed to handle various closure types and container geometries. Adjacent classes B67A (opening or closing by hand or simple mechanical means) address non-mechanical methods, while B67C covers filling or emptying containers.

Filing statistics

IPC subclass B67B recorded 25,354 patent applications worldwide between 2013 and 2023. Annual filings grew from 1,225 in 2013 to 2,738 in 2023 (+124%), peaking at 3,374 applications in 2020. The most active applicants in class B67 are KRONES (1,255 applications), KHS (781 applications) and LG ELECTRONICS (687 applications).

Source: EPO PATSTAT, worldwide filings