CPC technology class · B63

B63C - Launching

Launching, hauling-out, or dry-docking of vessels; life-saving in water; equipment for dwelling or working under water; means for salvaging or searching for underwater objects. 1,244 US utility patents granted 2015–2025, with the leading assignees and year-by-year grant trajectory.

1,244
US patents granted
#3/5
in B63
9.4%
B63 class share
+16%
5-yr velocity

The verdict

According to USPTO PatentsView, Launching ranks #427 of 670 CPC technology areas - 1,244 US patents granted since 2015, with recorded grant volume up 16% over five years.

#427
of 670 CPC technology areas
1,244
US patents granted, 2015–2025
Goodrich
leading assignee (63)
+16%
grant velocity, last 5 yrs

How B63C's grant cadence moved

Between 2020–2024, B63C recorded 617 grants versus 533 in 2015–2019 (+16% equal-window velocity). Across complete years, output peaked in 2020 at 150 grants and bottomed in 2016 at 98 (+53% peak-over-trough). Lead assignee Goodrich Corporation holds 5.1% of the class ; the top three share 7.6%.

Leaderboard read

B63C concentration, lead at 5.1%

Goodrich Corporation leads this historical grant record at 5.1% of B63C - us corporation assignees hold 60% of class grants (311 of 518). Figures describe granted US utility patents in this CPC subclass, not current investment or legal strength.

Leader's share
5.1%

63 of 1,244 grants

Top three share
7.6%

of the class's recorded grants

Lead over #2
46

more grants than AIR Cruisers Company, LLC

Where B63C sits inside B63

Among 5 subclasses in B63 (Ships OR Other Waterborne VESSELS; Related Equipment), B63C ranks #3 and holds 9.4% of the parent class's 13,303 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 B63C

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 Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals Ireland Limited 3.43x 7 → 24 company-wide · 7 in B63C
  2. #2 AIR Cruisers Company, LLC 2.33x 6 → 14 company-wide · 17 in B63C
  3. #3 Tabata Co., Ltd. 2.00x 0 → 2 company-wide · 6 in B63C
  4. #4 FMC Technologies, Inc. 1.98x 44 → 87 company-wide · 6 in B63C
  5. #5 Cressi-sub S.P.A. 1.29x 7 → 9 company-wide · 15 in B63C

B63C grants by year, peak 2020 (150)

US utility-patent grants per year in B63C, 2015–2025 - recent five years are up 16% versus 2015–2019.

6080100120140160 20152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 72

Who leads B63C?

The 12 most active assignees in Launching, Hauling-out, OR Dry-docking OF VESSELS; Life-saving IN WATER; Equipment FOR Dwelling OR Working Under WATER; Means FOR Salvaging OR Searching FOR Underwater Objects - wider bars mean more grants

patents

What this shows Goodrich is the most active filer in B63C, holding 63 of the 1,244 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

Footprint here vs. claim strategy

Each dot is a leading B63C 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 B63C assignees by class footprint. Bubble size = patents in B63C. Source: USPTO PatentsView (claim depth is company-wide across all classes). Scatter plot of 14 data points (bubble-sized by third dimension). 51015202530 020406080 Patents in B63C Avg claims / patent (company-wide) GoodrichAir CruisersCressi-sub S P APelagic Pressure…Johnson OutdoorsIncube LabsOceaneering Internatio…VersabarSurvitec GroupMagseis FfSubsea 7Fairfield Industries…Mallinckrodt…Draeger Safety Uk
Top 14 B63C assignees by class footprint. Bubble size = patents in B63C. Source: USPTO PatentsView (claim depth is company-wide across all classes).

Classes near B63C's 1,244-grant footprint

Nationwide nearest neighbors for B63C (#427 of 670 by volume ; lead share 5.1%) - not the B63 parent-class siblings above.

Questions about B63C

Which company holds the most patents in B63C?
Goodrich Corporation leads B63C with 63 patents (5.1% of the subclass). By PatentsView assignee type, us corporations account for 60% of class grants.
Which B63C assignees grew fastest recently?
Among assignees with ≥5 grants in B63C, Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals Ireland Limited shows the highest company-wide grant multiple (3.43x: 7 grants in 2019–2021 → 24 in 2022–2024) while holding 7 patents in this subclass. Growth is company-wide, not class-only.
How does B63C compare inside parent class B63?
Inside B63 (Ships OR Other Waterborne VESSELS; Related Equipment), B63C ranks #3 of 5 subclasses by grant volume and holds 9.4% of the parent class total. The largest sibling is B63B (6,790 grants).

What to do with this data

B63C 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.

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.