PlainPatent

CPC technology class · B23

B23Q - Details

Details, components, or accessories for machine tools, e.g. arrangements for copying or controlling ; machine tools in general characterised by the construction of particular details or components; combinations or associations of metal-working machines, not directed to a particular result. 5,906 US utility patents granted 2015–2025, with the leading assignees and year-by-year filing trajectory.

5,906
US patents granted
B23
Parent CPC class
20
Active assignees
+16%
5-yr velocity

The verdict

Details ranks #237 of 670 CPC technology areas - 5,906 US patents granted since 2015, with filing up 16% over five years.

#237
of 670 CPC technology areas
5,906
US patents granted, 2015–2025
Fanuc
leading assignee (379)
+16%
filing velocity, last 5 yrs
Top assignee: Fanuc Corporation (379 patents)

CPC subclass B23Q - DETAILS, COMPONENTS, OR ACCESSORIES FOR MACHINE TOOLS, e.g. ARRANGEMENTS FOR COPYING OR CONTROLLING ; MACHINE TOOLS IN GENERAL CHARACTERISED BY THE CONSTRUCTION OF PARTICULAR DETAILS OR COMPONENTS; COMBINATIONS OR ASSOCIATIONS OF METAL-WORKING MACHINES, NOT DIRECTED TO A PARTICULAR RESULT - covers 5,906 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 B23Q is shaped by 20 distinct companies actively filing in this space. Fanuc Corporation leads with 379 patents, followed by Makita Corporation at 93 grants and DMG MORI Co., Ltd. at 89.

Filing activity in B23Q is up 16% 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 B23Q innovation accelerating?

US utility-patent grants per year in B23Q, 2015–2025 - recent five years are up 16% versus 2015–2019.

300400500600700800 20152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 390

Who leads B23Q?

The 12 most active assignees in DETAILS, COMPONENTS, OR ACCESSORIES FOR MACHINE TOOLS, e.g. ARRANGEMENTS FOR COPYING OR CONTROLLING ; MACHINE TOOLS IN GENERAL CHARACTERISED BY THE CONSTRUCTION OF PARTICULAR DETAILS OR COMPONENTS; COMBINATIONS OR ASSOCIATIONS OF METAL-WORKING MACHINES, NOT DIRECTED TO A PARTICULAR RESULT - wider bars mean more grants

patents

What this shows Fanuc is the most active filer in B23Q, holding 379 of the 5,906 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 B23Q
Rank Company Patents in B23Q
#1 Fanuc Corporation 379
#2 Makita Corporation 93
#3 DMG MORI Co., Ltd. 89
#4 Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation 86
#5 Okuma Corporation 77
#6 Makino Milling Machine Co., Ltd. 64
#7 Citizen Machinery Co., Ltd. 58
#8 Citizen Watch Co., Ltd. 56
#9 Black & Decker Inc. 50
#10 Disco Corporation 46
#11 Citic Dicastal Co., Ltd. 46
#12 Hilti Aktiengesellschaft 38
#13 Yamazaki Mazak Corporation 35
#14 Jtekt Corporation 31
#15 DMG MORI Seiki Co., Ltd. 29
#16 Deckel MAHO Pfronten Gmbh 29
#17 Trumpf Werkzeugmaschinen Gmbh + Co. KG 28
#18 Robert Bosch Tool Corporation 27
#19 Kosmek Ltd. 26
#20 SMC Corporation 24

About This Class

CPC subclass B23Q belongs to class B23.

5,906 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 B23Q 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 B23Q assignees by class footprint. Bubble size = patents in B23Q. Source: USPTO PatentsView (claim depth is company-wide across all classes).

Top 14 B23Q assignees by class footprint. Bubble size = patents in B23Q. Source: USPTO PatentsView (claim depth is company-wide across all classes). Scatter plot of 14 data points (bubble-sized by third dimension). 05101520 0100200300400 Patents in B23Q Avg claims / patent (company-wide) FanucMakitaDmg MoriMilwaukee Electric To…OkumaMakino Milling MachineCitizen MachineryCitizen WatchBlack & DeckerDiscoCitic DicastalHilti Aktiengesellsch…Yamazaki MazakJtekt
Top 14 B23Q assignees by class footprint. Bubble size = patents in B23Q. Source: USPTO PatentsView (claim depth is company-wide across all classes).

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CPC class B23Q?
CPC subclass B23Q covers DETAILS, COMPONENTS, OR ACCESSORIES FOR MACHINE TOOLS, e.g. ARRANGEMENTS FOR COPYING OR CONTROLLING ; MACHINE TOOLS IN GENERAL CHARACTERISED BY THE CONSTRUCTION OF PARTICULAR DETAILS OR COMPONENTS; COMBINATIONS OR ASSOCIATIONS OF METAL-WORKING MACHINES, NOT DIRECTED TO A PARTICULAR RESULT. It belongs to CPC class B23 (MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR), with 5,906 US utility patents granted since 2015.
How many patents have been filed in B23Q?
5,906 US utility patents were granted in CPC subclass B23Q between 2015 and 2025, based on USPTO PatentsView data.
Which company holds the most patents in B23Q?
Fanuc Corporation leads B23Q with 379 patents, making it the most active assignee in this technology area.
How is patent data for B23Q 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 B23Q 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.