APPARATUS FOR PROCESSING EXPOSED PHOTOGRAPHIC MATERIALS; ACCESSORIES THEREFOR

Introduced: September 1968

Classification Context

Section:: PHYSICS
Class:: PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
Subclass:: APPARATUS FOR PROCESSING EXPOSED PHOTOGRAPHIC MATERIALS; ACCESSORIES THEREFOR

Description

G03D encompasses equipment and devices designed to process photographic materials after exposure, including developing, fixing, washing, and drying apparatus for film, plates, and paper. This subclass covers both manual and automatic processing systems, chemical handling equipment, and related accessories such as tanks, rollers, and transport mechanisms used in traditional photographic workflows. It excludes the photographic materials themselves (covered under G03C) and the initial image capture apparatus (covered under G03B), focusing instead on the post-exposure treatment and finishing stages.

Filing statistics

IPC subclass G03D recorded 826 patent applications worldwide between 2013 and 2023. Annual filings declined from 62 in 2013 to 49 in 2023 (-21%), peaking at 131 applications in 2017. The most active applicants in class G03 are CANON (31,416 applications), CANON (17,469 applications) and KYOCERA DOCUMENT SOLUTIONS (9,845 applications).

Source: EPO PATSTAT, worldwide filings

Additional Content

Cameras with both developing and finishing apparatus

Related Keywords

photographic equipment for DARK roomsapparatus for DEVELOPING in photographyhandling photographic FILM(S) during processingapparatus for FIXING of photographic materialprocessing apparatus for PHOTOGRAPHYhandling photographic PLATE(S) during processingPROCESSING apparatus for exposed photographic filmSPLICING of photographic materialTRAY(S) for use in photographic processing

8 direct subcodes

Child Classifications

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G03D 11/00 Reversal processing apparatus
G03D 13/00 Processing apparatus or accessories therefor, not covered by groups
G03D 15/00 Apparatus for treating processed material
G03D 17/00 Dark-room arrangements not provided for in the other groups of this subclass; Portable dark-rooms
G03D 3/00 Liquid processing apparatus involving immersion; Washing apparatus involving immersion
G03D 5/00 Liquid processing apparatus in which no immersion is effected; Washing apparatus in which no immersion is effected
G03D 7/00 Gas processing apparatus
G03D 9/00 Diffusion development apparatus

Top Applicants

Top 10 applicants by patent filingsfor class G03, 2013–2023, worldwide · Source: EPO PATSTAT

CANON 31,416
CANON JP 17,469
KYOCERA DOCUMENT SOLUTIONS 9,845
RICOH COMPANY 9,807
ASML NETHERLANDS NL 9,427
FUJIFILM JP 7,225
KONICA MINOLTA CORPORATION 7,216
FUJI XEROX COMPANY 5,711
CARL ZEISS SMT DE 4,971
RICOH COMPANY JP 4,123