BELTS, CABLES, OR ROPES, PREDOMINANTLY USED FOR DRIVING PURPOSES; CHAINS; FITTINGS PREDOMINANTLY USED THEREFOR

Introduced: September 1968

Classification Context

Section:: MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
Class:: ENGINEERING ELEMENTS OR UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
Subclass:: BELTS, CABLES, OR ROPES, PREDOMINANTLY USED FOR DRIVING PURPOSES; CHAINS; FITTINGS PREDOMINANTLY USED THEREFOR

Description

F16G covers flexible and rigid mechanical power transmission elements used primarily for driving applications, including belts, cables, ropes, and chains, along with their associated hardware components. This subclass encompasses the design, construction, and materials of these drive systems, as well as pulleys, sprockets, tensioners, and other fittings integral to their operation. It excludes lifting or hoisting equipment designed primarily for load suspension, which fall under F16H and other sections; the focus here is on continuous rotational or linear motion transmission between mechanical components.

Filing statistics

IPC subclass F16G recorded 22,382 patent applications worldwide between 2013 and 2023. Annual filings grew from 1,753 in 2013 to 1,877 in 2023 (+7%), peaking at 2,484 applications in 2020. The most active applicants in class F16 are SCHAEFFLER TECHNOLOGIES & COMPANY (21,545 applications), ZAHNRADFABRIK FRIEDRICHSHAFEN (9,446 applications) and TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION (7,215 applications).

Source: EPO PATSTAT, worldwide filings

Additional Content

Limiting references

Endless conveyor belts Making of belts . Producing belts of plastics Making driving belts of leather

Application references

Belts . Gearings using endless flexible members , Belts specially adapted for gearings with variable ratio by using endless flexible members Preventing or carrying off electrostatic charges Making of belts . Woven fabrics designed to make specified articles Chains . Gearings using endless flexible members , Chains specially adapted for gearings with variable ratio by using endless flexible members Fastenings for ropes or cables . Straining wire in general Attachment of ropes or cables to drums or barrels of winding mechanisms Cable clamps for suspension bridge cables Rope clamps in earth drilling

Related Keywords

securing ropes by BELAYINGDRIVING -beltsLINK(S) of chainsTIGHTENING by straining-wires

9 direct subcodes

Child Classifications

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F16G 1/00 Driving-belts
F16G 11/00 Means for fastening cables or ropes to one another or to other objects; Caps or sleeves for fixing on cables or ropes
F16G 13/00 Chains
F16G 15/00 Chain couplings; Shackles; Chain joints; Chain links; Chain bushes
F16G 17/00 Hooks as integral parts of chains
F16G 3/00 Belt fastenings, e.g. for conveyor belts
F16G 5/00 V-belts, i.e. belts of tapered cross-section
F16G 7/00 V-belt fastenings
F16G 9/00 Ropes or cables specially adapted for driving, or for being driven by, pulleys or other gearing elements

Top Applicants

Top 10 applicants by patent filingsfor class F16, 2013–2023, worldwide · Source: EPO PATSTAT

SCHAEFFLER TECHNOLOGIES & COMPANY DE 21,545
ZAHNRADFABRIK FRIEDRICHSHAFEN DE 9,446
TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION 7,215
HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY KR 6,846
ROBERT BOSCH DE 6,106
NTN CORPORATION 5,305
SKF SE 4,219
KIA MOTORS CORPORATION KR 3,852
NSK 3,850
HONDA MOTOR COMPANY 3,639