CPC technology class · A23
A23N - Machines Or Apparatus For Treating Harvested Fruit
Machines or apparatus for treating harvested fruit, vegetables or flower bulbs in bulk, not otherwise provided for; peeling vegetables or fruit in bulk; apparatus for preparing animal feeding- stuffs. 606 US utility patents granted 2015–2025, with the leading assignees and year-by-year grant trajectory.
- 606
- US patents granted
- #11/11
- in A23
- 1.6%
- A23 class share
- +27%
- 5-yr velocity
The verdict
According to USPTO PatentsView, Machines Or Apparatus For Treating Harvested Fruit ranks #520 of 670 CPC technology areas - 606 US patents granted since 2015, with recorded grant volume up 27% over five years.
- #520
- of 670 CPC technology areas
- 606
- US patents granted, 2015–2025
- Wenger Manufacturing
- leading assignee (18)
- +27%
- grant velocity, last 5 yrs
How A23N's grant cadence moved
Between 2020–2024, A23N recorded 303 grants versus 239 in 2015–2019 (+27% equal-window velocity). Across complete years, output peaked in 2024 at 74 grants and bottomed in 2016 at 42 (+76% peak-over-trough). Lead assignee Wenger Manufacturing Inc. holds 3.0% of the class ; the top three share 7.3%.
Leaderboard read
A23N concentration, lead at 3.0%
Wenger Manufacturing Inc. leads this historical grant record at 3.0% of A23N - us corporation assignees hold 62% of class grants (174 of 280). Figures describe granted US utility patents in this CPC subclass, not current investment or legal strength.
- Leader's share
- 3.0%
- Top three share
- 7.3%
- Lead over #2
- 5
18 of 606 grants
of the class's recorded grants
more grants than Lyco Manufacturing, Inc.
Where A23N sits inside A23
Among 11 subclasses in A23 (Foods OR FOODSTUFFS; Treatment Thereof, NOT Covered BY Other Classes), A23N ranks #11 and holds 1.6% of the parent class's 36,876 recorded grants. Sibling chips below are the other subclasses in the same parent class, not the nationwide volume/lead-share peers further down.
Rising assignees active in A23N
Company-wide grant multiples (2022–2024 vs 2019–2021) among assignees with ≥5 patents in this subclass. Growth is company-wide; class patent counts are subclass-specific.
- #1 Jose Borrell S.A. 4.00x 1 → 4 company-wide · 8 in A23N
- #2 Smartwash Solutions, LLC 3.67x 3 → 11 company-wide · 13 in A23N
- #3 Aussie Wine Group Holdings PTY Ltd. 3.00x 0 → 3 company-wide · 5 in A23N
- #4 Bellwether Coffee Co. 1.75x 4 → 7 company-wide · 11 in A23N
- #5 Lyco Manufacturing, Inc. 1.14x 7 → 8 company-wide · 13 in A23N
A23N grants by year, peak 2024 (74)
US utility-patent grants per year in A23N, 2015–2025 - recent five years are up 27% versus 2015–2019.
Who leads A23N?
The 12 most active assignees in Machines OR Apparatus FOR Treating Harvested Fruit, Vegetables OR Flower Bulbs IN Bulk, NOT Otherwise Provided FOR; Peeling Vegetables OR Fruit IN BULK; Apparatus FOR Preparing Animal Feeding- Stuffs - wider bars mean more grants
- Wenger Manufacturing
Wenger Manufacturing Inc.
18 patents
- Lyco Manufacturing
Lyco Manufacturing, Inc.
13 patents
- Smartwash Solutions
Smartwash Solutions, LLC
13 patents
- Bellwether Coffee
Bellwether Coffee Co.
11 patents
- Calico Cottage
Calico Cottage, Inc.
11 patents
- Breville Pty
Breville Pty Limited
10 patents
- John Bean
John Bean Technologies Corporation
9 patents
- Goodnature Products
Goodnature Products, Inc.
8 patents
- Jose Borrell
Jose Borrell S.A.
8 patents
- Unitec S P A 7
Unitec S.P.A.
7 patents
- Nationwide 5 7
Nationwide 5, LLC
7 patents
- Brown International 7
Brown International Corporation, LLC
7 patents
What this shows Wenger Manufacturing is the most active filer in A23N, holding 18 of the 606 patents in this class. Concentration at the top signals how contestable this technology area is for new entrants.
View data table
| Rank | Company | Patents in A23N |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | Wenger Manufacturing Inc. | 18 |
| #2 | Lyco Manufacturing, Inc. | 13 |
| #3 | Smartwash Solutions, LLC | 13 |
| #4 | Bellwether Coffee Co. | 11 |
| #5 | Calico Cottage, Inc. | 11 |
| #6 | Breville Pty Limited | 10 |
| #7 | John Bean Technologies Corporation | 9 |
| #8 | Goodnature Products, Inc. | 8 |
| #9 | Jose Borrell S.A. | 8 |
| #10 | Unitec S.P.A. | 7 |
| #11 | Nationwide 5, LLC | 7 |
| #12 | Brown International Corporation, LLC | 7 |
| #13 | Vorwerk & Co. Interholding GMBH | 6 |
| #14 | NUC Electronics Co., Ltd. | 6 |
| #15 | Apeel Technology, Inc. | 6 |
| #16 | Insectergy LLC | 6 |
| #17 | Zumex Group, S.A. | 6 |
| #18 | Aussie Wine Group Holdings PTY Ltd. | 5 |
| #19 | EnWave Corporation | 4 |
| #20 | Dole Fresh Vegetables, Inc. | 4 |
Footprint here vs. claim strategy
Each dot is a leading A23N assignee, placed by how many patents it holds in this class (horizontal) against its company-wide average claims per patent (vertical) - a read on whether the class is led by broad-but-shallow filers or focused deep-claim players.
Classes near A23N's 606-grant footprint
Nationwide nearest neighbors for A23N (#520 of 670 by volume ; lead share 3.0%) - not the A23 parent-class siblings above.
Questions about A23N
Which company holds the most patents in A23N?
Which A23N assignees grew fastest recently?
How does A23N compare inside parent class A23?
What to do with this data
A23N in context - here's where to go next.
- Wenger Manufacturing Inc. leads A23N with 18 grants in this class. See full portfolio
- A23N ranks #520 of 670 by grant volume among all tracked CPC technology areas. See the ranking
- Inside parent class A23, the largest sibling subclass is A23L with 12,738 grants. Explore A23L
Figures reflect USPTO PatentsView grant data through 2026-05-15; pending applications not yet granted are not counted.
Methodology - A23N figures are USPTO PatentsView granted-utility totals for this subclass (606 grants in the tracked window).
Every figure on PlainPatent is rendered directly from USPTO source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on USPTO source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.