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CPC technology class · B41

B41D - Apparatus FOR THE Mechanical Reproduction OF Printing Sur…

Apparatus for the mechanical reproduction of printing surfaces for stereotype printing; shaping elastic or deformable material to form printing surfaces. 18 US utility patents granted 2015–2025, with the leading assignees and year-by-year filing trajectory.

18
US patents granted
B41
Parent CPC class
3
Active assignees
-79%
5-yr velocity

The verdict

Apparatus FOR THE Mechanical Reproduction OF Printing Sur… ranks #654 of 670 CPC technology areas - 18 US patents granted since 2015, with filing down 79% over five years.

#654
of 670 CPC technology areas
18
US patents granted, 2015–2025
Shachihata
leading assignee (6)
-79%
filing velocity, last 5 yrs
Top assignee: Shachihata Inc. (6 patents)

CPC subclass B41D - APPARATUS FOR THE MECHANICAL REPRODUCTION OF PRINTING SURFACES FOR STEREOTYPE PRINTING; SHAPING ELASTIC OR DEFORMABLE MATERIAL TO FORM PRINTING SURFACES - covers 18 US utility patents granted between 2015 and 2025 according to USPTO PatentsView records, within the broader CPC class B41 (PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS). See our CPC classification guide for how the system works.

The competitive landscape in B41D is shaped by 3 distinct companies actively filing in this space. Shachihata Inc. leads with 6 patents, followed by Trodat Gmbh at 2 grants and Sasol Technology Proprietary Limited at 1.

Filing activity in B41D is down 79% over the past five years versus 2015-2019, a notable slowdown that may signal a maturing field. All counts come directly from USPTO PatentsView and reflect US granted utility patents only.

Is B41D innovation accelerating?

US utility-patent grants per year in B41D, 2015–2025 - recent five years are down 79% versus 2015–2019.

0123456 2015201620172018201920202023 1

Who leads B41D?

The 12 most active assignees in APPARATUS FOR THE MECHANICAL REPRODUCTION OF PRINTING SURFACES FOR STEREOTYPE PRINTING; SHAPING ELASTIC OR DEFORMABLE MATERIAL TO FORM PRINTING SURFACES - wider bars mean more grants

patents

What this shows Shachihata is the most active filer in B41D, holding 6 of the 18 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 B41D
Rank Company Patents in B41D
#1 Shachihata Inc. 6
#2 Trodat Gmbh 2
#3 Sasol Technology Proprietary Limited 1

About This Class

CPC subclass B41D belongs to class B41.

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

3 companies actively patent in this space.

Classification System

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

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is CPC class B41D?
CPC subclass B41D covers APPARATUS FOR THE MECHANICAL REPRODUCTION OF PRINTING SURFACES FOR STEREOTYPE PRINTING; SHAPING ELASTIC OR DEFORMABLE MATERIAL TO FORM PRINTING SURFACES. It belongs to CPC class B41 (PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS), with 18 US utility patents granted since 2015.
How many patents have been filed in B41D?
18 US utility patents were granted in CPC subclass B41D between 2015 and 2025, based on USPTO PatentsView data.
Which company holds the most patents in B41D?
Shachihata Inc. leads B41D with 6 patents, making it the most active assignee in this technology area.
How is patent data for B41D 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., B41) is a broad technology category. Subclasses like B41D 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.