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 grant trajectory.
- 18
- US patents granted
- #9/11
- in B41
- 0.0%
- B41 class share
- -79%
- 5-yr velocity
The verdict
According to USPTO PatentsView, Apparatus For The Mechanical Reproduction Of Printing Sur… ranks #654 of 670 CPC technology areas - 18 US patents granted since 2015, with recorded grant volume down 79% over five years.
- #654
- of 670 CPC technology areas
- 18
- US patents granted, 2015–2025
- Shachihata
- leading assignee (6)
- -79%
- grant velocity, last 5 yrs
How tightly B41D concentrates
Shachihata Inc. holds 33.3% of B41D's recorded grants (6 of 18) - 4 more than Trodat GmbH. Across complete PatentsView years, the class peaked in 2018 at 5 grants and bottomed in 2015 at 1 (+400% peak-over-trough). Equal-window velocity 2020–2024 vs 2015–2019: -79% (3 vs 14 grants).
Leaderboard read
B41D concentration, lead at 33.3%
Shachihata Inc. leads this historical grant record at 33.3% of B41D - foreign corporation assignees hold 100% of class grants (9 of 9). Figures describe granted US utility patents in this CPC subclass, not current investment or legal strength.
- Leader's share
- 33.3%
- Top three share
- 50.0%
- Lead over #2
- 4
6 of 18 grants
of the class's recorded grants
more grants than Trodat GmbH
Where B41D sits inside B41
Among 11 subclasses in B41 (PRINTING; Lining MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; Stamps), B41D ranks #9 and holds 0.0% of the parent class's 38,209 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 B41D
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 Shachihata Inc. 0.29x 7 → 2 company-wide · 6 in B41D
B41D grants by year, peak 2018 (5)
US utility-patent grants per year in B41D, 2015–2025 - recent five years are down 79% versus 2015–2019.
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
- Shachihata
Shachihata Inc.
6 patents
- Trodat 2
Trodat GmbH
2 patents
- Sasol Technology… 1
Sasol Technology Proprietary Limited
1 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.
View data table
| Rank | Company | Patents in B41D |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | Shachihata Inc. | 6 |
| #2 | Trodat GmbH | 2 |
| #3 | Sasol Technology Proprietary Limited | 1 |
Questions about B41D
Which company holds the most patents in B41D?
Which B41D assignees grew fastest recently?
How does B41D compare inside parent class B41?
What to do with this data
B41D in context - here's where to go next.
- Shachihata Inc. leads B41D with 6 grants in this class. See full portfolio
- B41D ranks #654 of 670 by grant volume among all tracked CPC technology areas. See the ranking
- Inside parent class B41, the largest sibling subclass is B41J with 26,654 grants. Explore B41J
Figures reflect USPTO PatentsView grant data through 2026-05-15; pending applications not yet granted are not counted.
Methodology - B41D figures are USPTO PatentsView granted-utility totals for this subclass (18 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.