SOUND-PRODUCING DEVICES; METHODS OR DEVICES FOR PROTECTING AGAINST, OR FOR DAMPING, NOISE OR OTHER ACOUSTIC WAVES IN GENERAL; ACOUSTICS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR

Introduced: September 1968

Last revised: January 1995

Classification Context

Section:: PHYSICS
Class:: MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS; ACOUSTICS
Subclass:: SOUND-PRODUCING DEVICES; METHODS OR DEVICES FOR PROTECTING AGAINST, OR FOR DAMPING, NOISE OR OTHER ACOUSTIC WAVES IN GENERAL; ACOUSTICS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR

Description

G10K encompasses mechanical and electromechanical devices that generate, transmit, or manipulate sound waves, as well as technologies for noise control and acoustic damping across general applications. This includes loudspeakers, sirens, horns, acoustic transducers, and sound reproduction systems, alongside noise reduction methods such as sound-absorbing materials, silencers, vibration isolation, and active noise cancellation. The classification also covers general acoustic phenomena and measurement techniques not covered by more specialized acoustics classes dedicated to specific musical instruments or underwater acoustics. Adjacent specialized classes (G10B-G10H for musical instruments, G10L for speech analysis) are excluded from this scope.

Filing statistics

IPC subclass G10K recorded 54,920 patent applications worldwide between 2013 and 2023. Annual filings grew from 2,659 in 2013 to 6,088 in 2023 (+129%), peaking at 8,272 applications in 2020. The most active applicants in class G10 are SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS COMPANY (5,218 applications), GOOGLE (4,644 applications) and FRAUNHOFER (4,601 applications).

Source: EPO PATSTAT, worldwide filings

Additional Content

Sound-producing toys

Related Keywords

sound-producing devices for ALARM(S)MOUTHPIECES for other sound-producing devicesproducing SOUND(S) otherwise than by musical instruments

8 direct subcodes

Child Classifications

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G10K 1/00 Devices in which sound is produced by striking a resonating body, e.g. bells, chimes or gongs
G10K 11/00 Methods or devices for transmitting, conducting or directing sound in general; Methods or devices for protecting against, or for damping, noise or other acoustic waves in general
G10K 13/00 Cones, diaphragms, or the like, for emitting or receiving sound in general
G10K 15/00 Acoustics not otherwise provided for
G10K 3/00 Rattles or like noise-producing devices
G10K 5/00 Whistles
G10K 7/00 Sirens
G10K 9/00 Devices in which sound is produced by vibrating a diaphragm or analogous element, e.g. fog horns, vehicle hooters or buzzers

Top Applicants

Top 10 applicants by patent filingsfor class G10, 2013–2023, worldwide · Source: EPO PATSTAT

SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS COMPANY KR 5,218
GOOGLE US 4,644
FRAUNHOFER DE 4,601
SONY CORPORATION JP 2,380
HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES COMPANY CN 2,179
YAMAHA CORPORATION 2,120
IBM (INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION) US 1,974
MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING US 1,916
AMAZON TECHNOLOGIES US 1,866
DOLBY LABORATORIES LICENSING CORPORATION US 1,843