DRYING

Description

Drying of solid or semi-solid materials by removal of moisture or other volatile liquids, including industrial drying equipment, processes, and methods. Covers tunnel dryers, chamber dryers, spray dryers, freeze dryers, and drum dryers used across industries such as food processing, textiles, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals. Encompasses both the mechanical apparatus and operational techniques for controlling temperature, humidity, and air circulation to achieve desired moisture reduction.

Filing statistics

IPC F26 recorded 305,945 patent applications worldwide between 2013 and 2023, summed across its 1 subclasses. Annual filings grew from 6,902 in 2013 to 43,839 in 2023 (+535%), peaking at 49,667 applications in 2020. The most active applicants in class F26 are LG ELECTRONICS (392 applications), TRUKING TECHNOLOGY (292 applications) and CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES (258 applications).

Source: EPO PATSTAT, worldwide filings