ARMOUR; ARMOURED TURRETS; ARMOURED OR ARMED VEHICLES; MEANS OF ATTACK OR DEFENCE, e.g. CAMOUFLAGE, IN GENERAL

Introduced: September 1968

Classification Context

Section:: MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
Class:: WEAPONS
Subclass:: ARMOUR; ARMOURED TURRETS; ARMOURED OR ARMED VEHICLES; MEANS OF ATTACK OR DEFENCE, e.g. CAMOUFLAGE, IN GENERAL

Description

F41H covers protective systems and equipment designed to defend military personnel, structures, and vehicles against hostile attack. This includes armour plating and materials, armoured turrets, and the integration of protective systems into armoured or armed vehicles. The classification extends to general means of attack or defence such as camouflage techniques and systems. Related mechanical aspects of weapons delivery systems are found in F41B–F41G, while this subclass focuses primarily on the defensive and protective engineering elements of military systems.

Filing statistics

IPC subclass F41H recorded 23,348 patent applications worldwide between 2013 and 2023. Annual filings grew from 1,571 in 2013 to 1,889 in 2023 (+20%), peaking at 2,564 applications in 2020. The most active applicants in class F41 are NEXTER SYSTEMS (509 applications), AGENCY FOR DEFENSE DEVELOPMENT (461 applications) and RHEINMETALL WAFFE MUNITION (409 applications).

Source: EPO PATSTAT, worldwide filings

Related Keywords

ARMOUR for military usewar DEFENCE installations in generalENTANGLEMENTS for military purposesarmour PROTECTIONWARFAREarmour; armoured vehicles or turrets

7 direct subcodes

Child Classifications

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F41H 1/00 Personal protection-gear
F41H 11/00 Defence installations; Defence devices; Means for clearing or detecting landmines
F41H 13/00 Means of attack or defence not otherwise provided for
F41H 3/00 Camouflage, i.e. means or methods for concealment or disguise
F41H 5/00 Armour; Armour plates; Shields
F41H 7/00 Armoured or armed vehicles
F41H 9/00 Equipment for attack or defence by spreading flame, gas, or smoke; Chemical warfare equipment

Top Applicants

Top 10 applicants by patent filingsfor class F41, 2013–2023, worldwide · Source: EPO PATSTAT

NEXTER SYSTEMS FR 509
AGENCY FOR DEFENSE DEVELOPMENT KR 461
RHEINMETALL WAFFE MUNITION DE 409
BAE SYSTEMS GB 388
CHONGQING JIANSHE INDUSTRY (GROUP) COMPANY 352
AXON ENTERPRISE US 345
LIG NEX1 COMPANY KR 323
RAYTHEON COMPANY US 320
KRAUSS-MAFFEI WEGMANN & COMPANY DE 263
NANJING UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 228