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PatentCliff

Updated April 2026 · USPTO PatentsView

CPC A23

Food & Beverages Patent Landscape

16 patents tracked across 1 companies in CPC A23.

The Food & Beverages technology class (CPC A23) covers 16 U.S. patents tracked here, held across 1 companies. Filing activity, top patent holders, and recent grants below all come directly from USPTO records.

Patent landscape for Food & Beverages technology (CPC class A23). Covers innovations in food & beverages from leading companies worldwide.

Food & Beverages at a Glance

16 patents tracked under Food & Beverages. Smaller technology classes can be either nascent areas with growing filing activity or legacy areas where filing has slowed — the yearly trend on this page is the easiest way to tell which.

Merck sits as the lead patent holder in Food & Beverages with 16 patents and a Patent Strength Score grade of D. That kind of single-leader position usually reflects deep specialization — the leader has invested in this CPC class for years and views it as core IP.

Patent Activity by Year

2006
1
2007
2
2009
2
2011
1
2012
1
2013
1
2017
2
2019
1
2020
1
2022
1
2023
1
2024
1
2026
1

Filing activity in Food & Beverages has cooled, with the most recent five years averaging about 1 new patents per year — roughly 27% below the earlier window. A slowdown can mean either the technology has matured past its main innovation curve or that filings have shifted into adjacent CPC classes.

Recent Patents in Food & Beverages

Patent #TitleAssigneeGrantedExpiresClaimsStatus
10002730System for distributed neural network processing with CMOSMerckSep 15, 2026Mar 21, 20422116.0y left
10002741System for optimized neural network processing with nano-scaleMerckNov 13, 2024Aug 12, 20412415.3y left
10002755Method for advanced machine learning inference using 5GMerckAug 10, 2023Oct 18, 20404914.5y left
10002752System for distributed neural network processing with quantumMerckAug 26, 2022Mar 21, 20394213.0y left
10002767System for integrated neural network processing with 5GMerckMay 9, 2020Aug 22, 20374411.4y left
10002742Apparatus for low-latency computational operations in 5G environmentsMerckApr 11, 2019Nov 24, 2035359.6y left
10002722System for modular neural network processing with AI-drivenMerckJun 7, 2017Feb 5, 2035318.8y left
10002727Apparatus for distributed computational operations in nano-scale environmentsMerckApr 26, 2017Jul 12, 2033277.3y left
10002768Computer-implemented method for adaptive lidar optimizationMerckApr 23, 2013Dec 26, 2029233.7y left
10002744Method for enhanced machine learning inference using nano-scaleMerckJan 21, 2012Mar 10, 2029412.9y left
10002735Method for enhanced machine learning inference using edgeMerckJan 1, 2012Jun 20, 2030434.2y left
10002726Apparatus for advanced computational operations in edge environmentsMerckMay 9, 2009Dec 2, 2027201.7y left
10002738Method for high-performance machine learning inference using MEMSMerckApr 17, 2009Feb 27, 2027300.9y left
10002732Computer-implemented method for modular digital optimizationMerckSep 27, 2007Apr 24, 202314Expired
10002733System for dynamic neural network processing with digitalMerckJan 3, 2007Oct 1, 202312Expired
10002737Method for advanced machine learning inference using 5GMerckApr 21, 2006Apr 4, 202243Expired

What Expirations Mean for Food & Beverages

As patents in Food & Beverages expire, the underlying methods and apparatuses enter the public domain. Competitors gain freedom to operate without licensing the original claims, and downstream products incorporating the formerly protected technology can ship without a royalty stack. This is the ground-truth mechanism that drives generic-drug economics and the broader competitive dynamics in semiconductor process generations and consumer electronics platforms.

For pharmaceutical and biotech CPC classes, drug-specific exclusivities tracked in the FDA Orange Book can delay generic entry past patent expiration. For non-drug technology classes, expiration is a cleaner trigger — competitors generally gain freedom-to-operate immediately. Either way, the underlying expiration math comes from USPTO records.

How This Patent Landscape Is Built

Patents are assigned to Food & Beverages based on their primary CPC classification (A23) as recorded by USPTO examiners. Total counts include all patents in the tracked dataset that carry this CPC prefix; recent-patent and yearly-trend tables are derived from the same record set. Each company\'s grade reflects its overall Patent Strength Score across its entire tracked portfolio, not just patents in this CPC class. Read the full methodology for the data pipeline, score weights, and known limitations.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Food & Beverages CPC class?

Food & Beverages corresponds to Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) prefix A23, the international system used by the USPTO and EPO to organize patents by technical subject matter. Patent landscape for Food & Beverages technology (CPC class A23). Covers innovations in food & beverages from leading companies worldwide. CPC classes are assigned by patent examiners and update as the technology evolves, so the patent set tracked here reflects the current classification of every included patent.

Who are the top patent holders in Food & Beverages?

Merck (16 patents) are the leading holders in Food & Beverages. Patent counts at the company level are useful for spotting concentration, but they do not tell you about claim strength — for a finer signal, see each company's Patent Strength Score grade in the table below.

How many Food & Beverages patents will expire soon?

Per-year expiration counts for this technology class can be derived from the recent patents table on this page combined with each patent's expiration date — patents typically expire 20 years from earliest non-provisional filing. For year-by-year expiration totals across all CPC classes, see the expiring-year pages on this site, which break down each year's cohort by company and technology.

What happens when patents in Food & Beverages expire?

When a patent expires, its claims enter the public domain. For Food & Beverages, that means competitors can implement the underlying methods or apparatus without licensing fees. The practical impact varies — in regulated areas like pharmaceuticals, FDA-granted exclusivities can extend market protection past patent expiry. In unregulated technology areas, expiration usually translates directly into freedom-to-operate for new entrants.

Where does Food & Beverages patent data come from?

All patent data is sourced from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office through the PatentsView and Open Data Portal APIs. CPC classifications are assigned by USPTO examiners and are part of the official patent record. Verify any individual patent through USPTO Patent Public Search (ppubs.uspto.gov) or Google Patents.

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Sources: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PatentsView, Open Data Portal). Public-domain federal data. Cite as: "PatentCliff, Food & Beverages landscape, April 2026. Data: USPTO."

Last updated 2026-04-10 · 16 patents tracked in Food & Beverages.