PlainPatent

CPC technology class · B02

B02B - Preparing Grain For Milling

Preparing grain for milling; refining granular fruit to commercial products by working the surface. 74 US utility patents granted 2015–2025, with the leading assignees and year-by-year grant trajectory.

74
US patents granted
#2/2
in B02
2.5%
B02 class share
+41%
5-yr velocity

The verdict

According to USPTO PatentsView, Preparing Grain For Milling ranks #631 of 670 CPC technology areas - 74 US patents granted since 2015, with recorded grant volume up 41% over five years.

#631
of 670 CPC technology areas
74
US patents granted, 2015–2025
General Mills
leading assignee (8)
+41%
grant velocity, last 5 yrs

How B02B's grant cadence moved

Between 2020–2024, B02B recorded 38 grants versus 27 in 2015–2019 (+41% equal-window velocity). Across complete years, output peaked in 2024 at 10 grants and bottomed in 2018 at 4 (+150% peak-over-trough). Lead assignee General Mills, Inc. holds 10.8% of the class ; the top three share 24.3%.

Leaderboard read

B02B concentration, lead at 10.8%

General Mills, Inc. leads this historical grant record at 10.8% of B02B - foreign corporation assignees hold 59% of class grants (17 of 29). Figures describe granted US utility patents in this CPC subclass, not current investment or legal strength.

Leader's share
10.8%

8 of 74 grants

Top three share
24.3%

of the class's recorded grants

Lead over #2
1

more grants than Satake Corporation

Where B02B sits inside B02

Among 2 subclasses in B02 (Crushing, Pulverising, OR DISINTEGRATING; Preparatory Treatment OF Grain FOR Milling), B02B ranks #2 and holds 2.5% of the parent class's 3,008 recorded grants. Sibling chips below are the other subclasses in the same parent class, not the nationwide volume/lead-share peers further down.

B02C 2,934

Rising assignees active in B02B

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. #1 Satake Corporation 1.25x 16 → 20 company-wide · 7 in B02B
  2. #2 General Mills, Inc. 0.83x 94 → 78 company-wide · 8 in B02B

B02B grants by year, peak 2024 (10)

US utility-patent grants per year in B02B, 2015–2025 - recent five years are up 41% versus 2015–2019.

24681012 20152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 3

Who leads B02B?

The 12 most active assignees in Preparing Grain FOR MILLING; Refining Granular Fruit TO Commercial Products BY Working THE Surface - wider bars mean more grants

patents

What this shows General Mills is the most active filer in B02B, holding 8 of the 74 patents in this class. Concentration at the top signals how contestable this technology area is for new entrants.

Source USPTO PatentsView, granted utility patents As of 2015–2025 grant years
View data table
Top patent holders in CPC subclass B02B
Rank Company Patents in B02B
#1 General Mills, Inc. 8
#2 Satake Corporation 7
#3 Buhler (India) PVT. Ltd. 3
#4 Gruma S.A.B. DE C.V. 2
#5 Jose Borrell S.A. 2
#6 Tate & Lyle Solutions USA LLC 1
#7 Ardent Mills, LLC 1
#8 Kompoferm GmbH 1
#9 Felters of South Carolina, LLC 1
#10 Cotton Incorporated 1
#11 Nara Machinery Co., Ltd. 1
#12 N.V. Desmet Ballestra Engineering S.A. 1

Footprint here vs. claim strategy

Each dot is a leading B02B 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.

Top 12 B02B assignees by class footprint. Bubble size = patents in B02B. Source: USPTO PatentsView (claim depth is company-wide across all classes). Scatter plot of 12 data points (bubble-sized by third dimension). 0510152025 0246810 Patents in B02B Avg claims / patent (company-wide) General MillsSatakeBuhler (India) PvtGruma B De C VJose BorrellTate & Lyle Solutions…Ardent MillsKompofermFelters of South…Cotton IncorporatedNara MachineryDesmet Ballestra…
Top 12 B02B assignees by class footprint. Bubble size = patents in B02B. Source: USPTO PatentsView (claim depth is company-wide across all classes).

Questions about B02B

Which company holds the most patents in B02B?
General Mills, Inc. leads B02B with 8 patents (10.8% of the subclass). By PatentsView assignee type, foreign corporations account for 59% of class grants.
Which B02B assignees grew fastest recently?
Among assignees with ≥5 grants in B02B, Satake Corporation shows the highest company-wide grant multiple (1.25x: 16 grants in 2019–2021 → 20 in 2022–2024) while holding 7 patents in this subclass. Growth is company-wide, not class-only.
How does B02B compare inside parent class B02?
Inside B02 (Crushing, Pulverising, OR DISINTEGRATING; Preparatory Treatment OF Grain FOR Milling), B02B ranks #2 of 2 subclasses by grant volume and holds 2.5% of the parent class total. The largest sibling is B02C (2,934 grants).

What to do with this data

B02B in context - here's where to go next.

Figures reflect USPTO PatentsView grant data through 2026-05-15; pending applications not yet granted are not counted.

Methodology - B02B figures are USPTO PatentsView granted-utility totals for this subclass (74 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.