G06F ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
Introduced: September 1968
Classification Context
- Section:
- PHYSICS
- Class:
- COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
- Subclass:
- ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
Description
G06F encompasses the design, structure, and operation of general-purpose electronic digital computers and their constituent components, including processors, memory systems, input/output devices, and control mechanisms. This subclass covers the fundamental architecture of computing systems, such as instruction execution, data processing methods, and the hardware organization of digital processing units. It includes technologies for error detection and correction, memory management, system buses, and peripheral device interfaces that form the core infrastructure of digital computation systems. Adjacent classes such as G06E (optical computing), G06G (analogue computers), and G06K (document recognition) address specialized computing paradigms, while more specific software and application-oriented inventions may fall under G06F's subordinate classes.
Filing statistics
IPC subclass G06F recorded 2,990,091 patent applications worldwide between 2013 and 2023. Annual filings grew from 193,009 in 2013 to 380,314 in 2023 (+97%). 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
In class comparison
G06F ranks 1st of 12 subclasses with filings in G06, with 2,990,091 applications between 2013 and 2023, 46.1% of the class. Annual filings grew 97% from 2013 to 2023, below the class as a whole (+191%).
| Rank | Subclass | Title | Applications | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | G06F | Electric Digital Data Processing | 2,990,091 | 46.1% |
| 2 | G06Q, Information and Communication Technology [ICT] Specially Adapted for Administrative, Commercial, Financial, Managerial or Supervisory Purposes; Systems or Methods Specially Adapted for Administrative, Commercial, Financial, Managerial or Supervisory Purposes, Not Otherwise Provided for | Information and Communication Technology [ICT] Specially Adapted for Administrative, Commercial, Financial, Managerial or Supervisory Purposes; Systems or Methods Specially Adapted for Administrative, Commercial, Financial, Managerial or Supervisory Purposes, Not Otherwise Provided for | 1,187,966 | 18.3% |
| 3 | G06T, Image Data Processing or Generation, in General | Image Data Processing or Generation, in General | 689,851 | 10.6% |
| 4 | G06N, Computing Arrangements Based on Specific Computational Models | Computing Arrangements Based on Specific Computational Models | 613,242 | 9.5% |
| 5 | G06K, Graphical Data Reading; Presentation of Data; Record Carriers; Handling Record Carriers | Graphical Data Reading; Presentation of Data; Record Carriers; Handling Record Carriers | 601,580 | 9.3% |
| 6 | G06V, Image or Video Recognition or Understanding | Image or Video Recognition or Understanding | 380,096 | 5.9% |
| 7 | G06M, Counting Mechanisms; Counting of Objects Not Otherwise Provided for | Counting Mechanisms; Counting of Objects Not Otherwise Provided for | 11,112 | 0.2% |
| 8 | G06G, Analogue Computers | Analogue Computers | 5,173 | 0.1% |
| 9 | G06E, Optical Computing Devices | Optical Computing Devices | 1,661 | 0.0% |
| 10 | G06C, Digital Computers in Which All the Computation Is Effected Mechanically | Digital Computers in Which All the Computation Is Effected Mechanically | 1,283 | 0.0% |
Source: EPO PATSTAT, worldwide filings
Additional Content
Glossary
Handling includes processing or transporting of data. Data processing equipment An association of an electric digital data processor classifiable under group , with one or more arrangements classifiable under groups and .
Limiting references
Computer systems based on specific computational models
Related Keywords
22 direct subcodes
Child Classifications
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- G06F 1/00 Details not covered by groups and
- G06F 11/00 Error detection; Error correction; Monitoring
- G06F 111/00 Details relating to CAD techniques
- G06F 113/00 Details relating to the application field
- G06F 115/00 Details relating to the type of the circuit
- G06F 117/00 Details relating to the type or aim of the circuit design
- G06F 119/00 Details relating to the type or aim of the analysis or the optimisation
- G06F 12/00 Accessing, addressing or allocating within memory systems or architectures
- G06F 123/00 Data types
- G06F 13/00 Interconnection of, or transfer of information or other signals between, memories, input/output devices or central processing units
- G06F 15/00 Digital computers in general; Data processing equipment in general
- G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
- G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions
- G06F 18/00 Pattern recognition
- G06F 21/00 Security arrangements for protecting computers, components thereof, programs or data against unauthorised activity
- G06F 3/00 Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
- G06F 30/00 Computer-aided design [CAD]
- G06F 40/00 Handling natural language data
- G06F 5/00 Methods or arrangements for data conversion without changing the order or content of the data handled
- G06F 7/00 Methods or arrangements for processing data by operating upon the order or content of the data handled
Top Applicants
Top 10 applicants by patent filingsfor class G06, 2013–2023, worldwide · Source: EPO PATSTAT
- SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS COMPANY KR 66,669
- IBM (INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION) US 62,313
- MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING US 41,918
- GOOGLE US 32,969
- SGCC(STATE GRID CORPORATION OF CHINA) 30,822
- INTEL CORPORATION US 30,010
- TENCENT TECHNOLOGY (SHENZHEN) COMPANY 28,235
- HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES COMPANY CN 26,079
- APPLE US 21,891
- HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES COMPANY 20,505