G06M COUNTING MECHANISMS; COUNTING OF OBJECTS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
Introduced: September 1968
Classification Context
- Section:
- PHYSICS
- Class:
- COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
- Subclass:
- COUNTING MECHANISMS; COUNTING OF OBJECTS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
Description
G06M encompasses mechanical and electromechanical counting devices and systems for tallying discrete objects or events, excluding counting mechanisms integrated into larger computing or specialized apparatus covered elsewhere in G06. This subclass includes odometers, tally counters, revolution counters, and similar instruments that perform incremental counting through mechanical, electromagnetic, or simple electromechanical means. The classification applies to the mechanisms themselves—such as gear trains, escapements, and display systems—rather than to the broader computational devices or digital systems classified under other G06 subclasses.
Filing statistics
IPC subclass G06M recorded 11,112 patent applications worldwide between 2013 and 2023. Annual filings grew from 597 in 2013 to 1,049 in 2023 (+76%), peaking at 1,602 applications in 2020. 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
G06M ranks 7th of 12 subclasses with filings in G06, with 11,112 applications between 2013 and 2023, 0.2% of the class. Annual filings grew 76% from 2013 to 2023, below the class as a whole (+191%).
| Rank | Subclass | Title | Applications | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | G06F, Electric Digital Data Processing | 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 | 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
Counting in machines for making cigarettes Counting in machines for shaping metal without removing material Counting in printing machines or presses Counting in office copying machines Counting of axles of rail vehicles Counting in packaging machines Entry or exit registers
Related Keywords
6 direct subcodes
Child Classifications
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- G06M 1/00 Design features of general application
- G06M 11/00 Counting of objects distributed at random, e.g. on a surface
- G06M 15/00 Counting of objects, not otherwise provided for
- G06M 3/00 Counters with additional facilities
- G06M 7/00 Counting of objects carried by a conveyor
- G06M 9/00 Counting of objects in a stack thereof
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