OPTICAL COMPUTING DEVICES

Description

G06E covers computing and calculating devices that use optical phenomena as the primary operational mechanism, including photonic processors and light-based logic systems. These technologies employ photons, light beams, or optical signals to perform computational functions such as arithmetic operations, data processing, and logical operations that are traditionally handled by electronic computers. Typical inventions include optical gates, photonic circuits, holographic processors, and systems using interference or diffraction for information manipulation. This subclass excludes purely electronic computing devices (G06F) and optical display or measurement instruments lacking computational function.

Filing statistics

IPC subclass G06E recorded 1,661 patent applications worldwide between 2013 and 2023. Annual filings grew from 129 in 2013 to 209 in 2023 (+62%), peaking at 323 applications in 2021. The most active applicants in class G06 are SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS COMPANY (66,669 applications), IBM (INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION) (62,313 applications) and MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING (41,918 applications).

Source: EPO PATSTAT, worldwide filings

Additional Content

Digital storage using optical elements