CHECKING-DEVICES

Description

G07 encompasses mechanical and electromechanical devices designed to verify, validate, or authenticate transactions, documents, or goods. This class covers coin-operated mechanisms, ticket validation systems, fare collection devices, and various checking apparatus used in commercial and public transport applications. The classification includes both automatic checking equipment and manual verification tools, excluding purely electronic computational or display devices addressed in other classes. Typical applications involve counters, validators, time-recording devices, and protective mechanisms for commercial operations.

Filing statistics

IPC G07 recorded 353,553 patent applications worldwide between 2013 and 2023, summed across its 5 subclasses. Annual filings grew from 19,046 in 2013 to 25,945 in 2023 (+36%), peaking at 44,234 applications in 2020. The most active applicants in class G07 are TOSHIBA TEC CORPORATION (3,312 applications), IGT (2,296 applications) and SHENZHEN YIHUA COMPUTER COMPANY (2,232 applications).

Source: EPO PATSTAT, worldwide filings