CPC technology class · B23

B23H - Working OF Metal BY THE Action OF A HIGH Concentration OF…

Working of metal by the action of a high concentration of electric current on a workpiece using an electrode which takes the place of a tool; such working combined with other forms of working of metal. 839 US utility patents granted 2015–2025, with the leading assignees and year-by-year filing trajectory.

Compiled byPlainPatent Editorial, US Patent Intelligence Editorial Team · May 15, 2026

839
US patents granted: B23
Parent CPC class: 20
Active assignees: -15%
5-yr velocity

The verdict

Working OF Metal BY THE Action OF A HIGH Concentration OF… ranks #478 of 670 CPC technology areas - 839 US patents granted since 2015, with filing down 15% over five years.

#478
of 670 CPC technology areas: 839
US patents granted, 2015–2025: Fanuc
leading assignee (165): -15%
filing velocity, last 5 yrs

Top assignee: Fanuc Corporation (165 patents)

CPC subclass B23H - WORKING OF METAL BY THE ACTION OF A HIGH CONCENTRATION OF ELECTRIC CURRENT ON A WORKPIECE USING AN ELECTRODE WHICH TAKES THE PLACE OF A TOOL; SUCH WORKING COMBINED WITH OTHER FORMS OF WORKING OF METAL - covers 839 US utility patents granted between 2015 and 2025 according to USPTO PatentsView records, within the broader CPC class B23 (MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR). See our CPC classification guide for how the system works.

The competitive landscape in B23H is shaped by 20 distinct companies actively filing in this space. Fanuc Corporation leads with 165 patents, followed by Sodick Co., Ltd. at 32 grants and Agie Charmilles Sa at 19.

Filing activity in B23H is down 15% over the past five years versus 2015-2019, a relatively steady filing pace. All counts come directly from USPTO PatentsView and reflect US granted utility patents only.

Is B23H innovation accelerating?

US utility-patent grants per year in B23H, 2015–2025 - recent five years are down 15% versus 2015–2019.

Fanuc

165
Sodick

32
Agie Charmilles

19
Mtu Aero Engines

17
Makino Milling Machine

15
Seibu Electric & Mach…

8
Metal Industries Rese…

7
Ecp Entwicklungsgesel…

5
Canon Marketing Japan

5
Thermocompact

5
Roche Sequencing Solu…

4
Whg Properties

4

What this shows Fanuc is the most active filer in B23H, holding 165 of the 839 patents in this class. Concentration at the top signals how contestable this technology area is for new entrants.

View data table

Top patent holders in CPC subclass B23H
Rank	Company	Patents in B23H
#1	Fanuc Corporation	165
#2	Sodick Co., Ltd.	32
#3	Agie Charmilles Sa	19
#4	MTU Aero Engines Ag	17
#5	Makino Milling Machine Co., Ltd.	15
#6	Seibu Electric & Machinery Co., Ltd.	8
#7	Metal Industries Research & Development Centre	7
#8	ECP Entwicklungsgesellschaft Mbh	5
#9	Canon Marketing Japan Kabushiki Kaisha	5
#10	Thermocompact	5
#11	Roche Sequencing Solutions, Inc.	4
#12	WHG Properties, Llc	4
#13	Powdermet, Inc.	4
#14	Intai Technology Corp.	4
#15	Hoden Seimitsi KAKO Kenkyusho Co., Ltd.	4
#16	Faraday Technology Corp.	3
#17	Vactronix Scientific, Llc	3
#18	Franz Haimer Maschinenbau KG	3
#19	Medical Microinstruments, Inc.	3
#20	Changsha University OF Science AND Technology	2

About This Class

CPC subclass B23H belongs to class B23.

839 patents were granted in this class between 2015 and 2025.

20 companies actively patent in this space.

Classification System

Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) is a hierarchical patent classification system used by the USPTO and EPO.

← All Technology Classes Technology Rankings →

Footprint here vs. claim strategy

Each dot is a leading B23H 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 14 B23H assignees by class footprint. Bubble size = patents in B23H. Source: USPTO PatentsView (claim depth is company-wide across all classes).

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CPC class B23H?

CPC subclass B23H covers WORKING OF METAL BY THE ACTION OF A HIGH CONCENTRATION OF ELECTRIC CURRENT ON A WORKPIECE USING AN ELECTRODE WHICH TAKES THE PLACE OF A TOOL; SUCH WORKING COMBINED WITH OTHER FORMS OF WORKING OF METAL. It belongs to CPC class B23 (MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR), with 839 US utility patents granted since 2015.

How many patents have been filed in B23H?

839 US utility patents were granted in CPC subclass B23H between 2015 and 2025, based on USPTO PatentsView data.

Which company holds the most patents in B23H?

Fanuc Corporation leads B23H with 165 patents, making it the most active assignee in this technology area.

How is patent data for B23H collected?

Patent data comes from USPTO PatentsView, a public research dataset maintained by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. It covers all US granted utility patents and assigns CPC codes based on the technology described in each patent.

What is the difference between CPC class and subclass?

A CPC class (e.g., B23) is a broad technology category. Subclasses like B23H provide finer granularity within that category. PlainPatent organizes data at the subclass level (4-character codes) for the most useful view of technology domains.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Data sourced from USPTO PatentsView - official U.S. government patent data. See our methodology for computation details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainPatent Editorial

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.