U.S. PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
Information Products Division |
U.S. Patent Classification System - Classification Definitions
as of June 30, 2000
Patents classified in a subclass may be accessed by either clicking on
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( please note that patents for some subclasses may not be available )
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Classification Index
Explanation of Data web page.
(definitions have been obtained from the
Patents ASSIST CD-ROM which
is produced by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Electronic Products Branch)
Class 047
PLANT HUSBANDRY
Class Definition:
This is the parent class for apparatus and processes employed
in treating the earth and its products and includes all
inventions relating thereto that have not been especially
provided for in other classes.
REFERENCES TO OTHER CLASSES
SEE OR SEARCH CLASS:
30, Cutlery, appropriate subclasses for mere cutting
implements adapted for use in plant husbandry, but of more
general utility.
83, Cutting appropriate subclasses for the cutting and
slicing of material in general including vegetables and other
foods.
99, Foods and Beverages: Apparatus, appropriate subclasses
for apparatus relating to the preservation and preparation of
foods and beverages, including earth products, and for
separating one distinguishable portion of a food item from
another.
111, Planting, appropriate subclasses for processes and
implements for inserting in the ground seed, fertilizer,
poison, plants, or other material or objects handled in a
similar manner.
118, Coating Apparatus, 13 for apparatus for coating edible
material.
134, Cleaning and Liquid Contact With Solids, appropriate
subclasses and the notes thereto for apparatus for applying
liquid to solid earth products.
160, Flexible or Portable Closure, Partition, or Panel, for
(1) panel units in which a flexible fabric or other flexible
sheet material forms the panel portion, (2) in the form of
panel units formed of plural strips, slats, or panels
interconnected for relative motion (excluding those connected
only by a common operator or mounted on a common support),
(3) panel units the form of portable partitions and (4) parts
(1)-(3) combined with each other or with rigid closures or
panels.
172, Earth Working, appropriate subclasses, for subject
matter relating only to working the earth. Combinations of
earth working means with other means, such as for treating
the earth by heating or for plant handling are in Class 47.
241, Solid Material Comminution or Disintegration,
appropriate subclasses for the comminution of material in
general including vegetables and other foods.
366, Agitating, for apparatus for mixing materials with earth
products.
426, Food or Edible Material: Processes, Compositions, and
Products, appropriate subclasses for products and processes
of perservation and preparation of edible material, including
earth products.
427, Coating Processes, appropriate subclasses, especially
subclass 4 for processes of coating plant members, including
seeds, with compositions which do not affect their growth
characteristics.
428, Stock Material or Miscellaneous Articles, 17 for either
simulated or treated nonliving, natural articles having the
general appearance and structure of plants.
435, Chemistry: Molecular Biology and Microbiology, subclass
93 and 185 for materials and processes that contain
germinated seeds; subclasses 291.1+ for apparatus for malting
or mashing; and appropriate subclasses for materials that
contain molds, yeasts, bacteria plant cells or other living
organisms, or for processes of making such materials or using
such materials in fermentations, or propagating such living
organisms, or for compositions or apparatus for use in such
processes, or processes of making such compositions.
504, Plant Protecting and Regulating Compositions, 116 for
compositions for treating terrestrial or aquatic plants or
their habitat with chemicals which affect the growth
characteristics of the plants and processes of mere use of
said compositions.
520, Synthetic Resins or Natural Rubbers, appropriate
subclasses, particularly Class 523, subclass 123 for a
composition containing a synthetic resin or natural rubber
having utility as a plant receptacle composition; subclasses
124+ for a composition containing a synthetic resin or
natural rubber which is claimed or solely disclosed as having
enhanced degradability by exposure to an environmental
stimuli or to processes of preparation thereof; and
subclasses 132+ for a composition containing a synthetic
resin or natural rubber having utility in situ as a soil
conditioner or stabilizer or to preparation thereof.
800, Multicellular Living Organisms and Unmodified Parts
Thereof and Related Processes, for methods of plant breeding,
methods of mutating plants, methods of producing plants using
somatic cell fusion, methods of introducing nucleic acid into
or rearrangement of genetic material within a plant and for
the plants and plant parts per se.
SUBCLASSES
Subclass:
1.01
MISCELLANEOUS:
Patents not otherwise classifiable.
(1) Note. Seeds treated for planting, as by coating, are
found in this subclass.
SEE OR SEARCH THIS CLASS, SUBCLASS:
58.1 for miscellaneous processes.
SEE OR SEARCH CLASS:
71, Chemistry: Fertilizers, 5 for compositions of seeds and
fertilizer.
504, Plant Protecting and Regulating Compositions, subclasses
116.1-367 for compositions of seeds and growth regulating
substances.
Subclass:
1.1
Apparatus and processes for the culture of mushrooms and
other edible fungi, except yeast, comprising unobvious uses
of mushroom fertilizers, mushroom beds and their structure,
houses and caves adapted particularly for mushroom culture,
and receptacles for growing and transporting mushroom spawn
before planting in beds.
SEE OR SEARCH CLASS:
71, Chemistry: Fertilizers, subclass 5 for fertilizers of
general use.
435, Chemistry: Molecular Biology and Microbiology,
particularly subclasses 254.1-256.8 for unicellular fungi
(including molds, rusts, yeasts, etc.) and processes and
compositions involved in their propagation (i.e.,
maintenance, growth, production, purification, preserving,
etc.); and subclasses 283.1+ for apparatus used to perform
said processes and make said compositions.
Subclass:
1.3
Methods and apparatus for culture of plants by means of
electricity, other than electric heating; for example,
production of fertilizers in the soil, killing of insects and
weeds, stimulation of plant growth and treatment of seeds
before planting.
SEE OR SEARCH CLASS:
204, Chemistry: Electrical and Wave Energy, for electrical
and wave energy chemistry in general.
205, Electrolysis: Processes, Compositions Used Therein, and
Methods of Preparing the Compositions, for electrolysis in
general.
Subclass:
1.4
Apparatus for or method of fostering the growth or
cultivation of nonunicellular algae.
SEE OR SEARCH CLASS:
435, Chemistry: Molecular Biology and Microbiology,
particularly subclasses 257.1-257.6 for unicellular algae
(prokaryotic and eukaryotic), and processes and compositions
involved in their propagation (i.e., maintenance, growth,
production, purification, preserving, etc.); and subclasses
283.1+ for apparatus used to perform said processes and make
said compositions.
Subclass:
1.41
Apparatus for or method of assisting the natural generation,
propagation or reproduction of plant life by either a
discriminate or indiscriminate transfer of pollen to
fertilize a plant flower.
(1) Note. To be classified here, there must be more than
the locating of one plant near another or enhancing the
pollen productivity of a flower.
(2) Note. Subject matter classified here mainly involves
increasing the natural scattering of pollen or individual
application of pollen to plant flowers.
Subclass:
1.42
Apparatus for or method of conditioning soil in which a plant
is to be grown comprising separating soil from the ground and
subjecting the separated soil to a heat treatment to improve
the soil for plant growing purposes.
SEE OR SEARCH CLASS:
111, Plant, subclass 118 and the subclasses indented
thereunder, especially subclasses 120+ for devices that
disturb the soil in situ and apply flame or the heat
therefrom to the disturbed soil and see the search notes
thereunder.
Subclass:
1.43
Apparatus for or method of destroying crop plants in situ for
the purpose of reducing the number of such plants to enable
the remaining plants to achieve a better growth.
SEE OR SEARCH CLASS:
56, Harvesters, appropriate subclasses for apparatus and
methods for harvesting plants.
172, Earth Working, appropriate subclasses for apparatus and
methods for destroying crop plants in situ by working the
earth in which they grow, especially subclass 534 for a
wheel or roller with peripherally spaced plant saving means.
Subclass:
1.44
Apparatus for or method of either destroying undesired
vegetation in the vicinity of growing crop plants or
inhibiting its growth by at least partially burning the
undesired vegetation by directly applying thereto the blaze
of a combustion action.
SEE OR SEARCH CLASS:
43, Fishing, Trapping, and Vermin Destroying, subclass 144
for similar devices that destroy insects by burning and see
the search notes thereunder.
111, Planting, subclass 118 and the subclasses indented
thereunder, especially subclasses 120+ for devices that
disturb the soil in situ and apply flame on the products of a
combustion action to the disturbed soil and see the search
notes thereunder.
Subclass:
1.5
This subclass is indented under the class definition.
Apparatus which includes a means specially adapted to brush,
wipe or otherwise engage an erect, growing plant and to
transfer a liquid material to a surface of said plant.
(1) Note. The material may be fertilizer, insecticide,
herbicide or other plant coating, coloring, insulating or the
like.
SEE OR SEARCH THIS CLASS, SUBCLASS:
1.01 for devices which are adapted to roll or slide along
the surface of a lawn, turf or sod and to transfer thereto a
fertilizer, herbicide, insecticide or the like.
SEE OR SEARCH CLASS:
15, Brushing, Scrubbing, and General Cleaning, appropriate
subclasses for brushing and wiping implements of general
utility capable of applying any desired material to a surface
of a plant or any other object.
43, Fishing, Trapping, and Vermin Destroying, subclass 142
and 143 for devices which brush or wipe a growing plant to
dislodge insect parasites.
118, Coating Apparatus, 207 for machines of general utility
and adapted to contact an object to transfer a coating
thereto.
427, Coating Processes, and note especially subclass 4 for
processes of coating wherein the base is a plant member or
animal specimen.
Subclass:
1.7
This subclass is indented under the class definition.
Apparatus which includes a means to distribute a material
into contact with an erect, growing plant and having either
(1) a means to move parts of the plant, e.g., to expose them
to the material or to protect the plants from injury by the
device, (2) a means to disturb the soil around a plant to
weed, mulch or till said soil, or (3) a means to detect the
presence and/or position of the plant and to either move the
distributor relative to the plant or to control the material
supply or some other characteristic of the distributor.
(1) Note. Where a patent claims the combination of material
distributor with soil disturbing (e.g., scratching, plowing
or cultivating), a disclosure that the material is applied to
a plant has been considered sufficient basis for
classification in this subclass while a disclosure of
disturbing the same area of ground that the material is
applied to, before, after or during the material application,
has been considered a basis for classification in Class 111.
(2) Note. The plant manipulating means may consist of a
blast of air in addition to that necessary to constitute the
distribution.
SEE OR SEARCH THIS CLASS, SUBCLASS:
1.01 for combinations of material distributing and earth
disturbing means in which, as disclosed, the earth is
disturbed at an area other than that on which the material is
discharged.
SEE OR SEARCH CLASS:
111, Planting, appropriate subclasses for discharging of a
material on the earth as an incident to, or in combination
with the planting of a seed or other object or material in
the soil, and for similar combinations of material
distributors and soil disturbing means where the soil is
disclosed as disturbed in the same area in order to
facilitate penetration of the material into the soil.
118, Coating Apparatus, subclass 668 for control of a
coating sprayer in response to some sensed condition of the
object to be sprayed.
239, Fluid Sprinkling, Spraying, and Diffusing, appropriate
subclasses, for means to distribute material onto the ground
and/or growing plants where no particular relation between
the plants and the distributing means is involved.
Subclass:
2
Methods and devices for preventing the freezing of trees and
plants and their fruit.
SEE OR SEARCH THIS CLASS, SUBCLASS:
3 9, 17, and 19-32, for devices capable of preventing frost.
SEE OR SEARCH CLASS:
126, Stoves and Furnaces, subclass 59.5, for smudge pots.
244, Aeronautics, subclass 136 for means for discharging and
diffusing material from aircraft.
252, Compositions, subclass 70 for frost preventing
compositions, subclass 305 for smokes, fogs, or gaseous
primary dispersants, a period.
516, Colloid Systems and Wetting Agents; Subcombinations
Thereof; Processes of Making, Stabilizing, Breaking, or
Inhibiting, 1 for colloid systems of gas or vapor continuous
phase (smokes, fogs, aerosols, clouds, mists) or agents for
such systems or making or stabilizing such systems or agents,
when generically claimed or when there is no hierarchically
superior provision in the USPC for the specifically claimed
art.
Subclass:
3
Apparatus and processes for whitening growing celery.
SEE OR SEARCH CLASS:
504, Plant Protecting and Regulating Compositions, subclasses
116.1-367 for compositions which employ a specific chemical
to affect the color of fruit, etc., or for plant growth
regulating compositions.
Subclass:
4
Apparatus and processes for fashioning a growing hedge.
SEE OR SEARCH CLASS:
256, Fences, subclass 20 for hedge fences.
Subclass:
5
Includes apparatus and processes for ripening cotton.
Subclass:
5.5
Apparatus for or method of producing roots on a plant portion
other than a root portion while the plant portion is still
attached to the parent plant by covering said portion with a
medium in which roots can grow so that the plant portion will
be able to maintain independent growth after it is severed
from the parent plant.
(1) Note. A mere wrapping is not intended to be included
here; however, a wrapping having properties so as to enhance
or promote root growth is included.
Subclass:
6
Apparatus and processes for uniting parts of a tree or plant
to another.
SEE OR SEARCH CLASS:
30, Cutlery, appropriate subclasses for mere implements
adapted for use in plant husbandry but of more general
utility.
Subclass:
7
The bud of a tree or plant is set into a part of a tree.
Subclass:
8
Apparatus and processes for repairing trees.
SEE OR SEARCH CLASS:
30, Cutlery, appropriate subclasses for mere cutting
implements adapted for use in plant husbandry but of more
general utility.
Subclass:
9
Apparatus and processes for covering or mulching plants.
SEE OR SEARCH CLASS:
111, Planting, subclass 102 for a process or apparatus for
placing plants in soil through a mulch layer; and subclass
144 for mulch accessories claimed in combination with a
planting machine.
Subclass:
10
Apparatus or processes for gathering the sap, gum or resin
from pine or rubber trees.
SEE OR SEARCH THIS CLASS, SUBCLASS:
50 through 54.
Subclass:
11
Buckets, cups, spouts, and gutters for collecting the sap of
the trees.
SEE OR SEARCH THIS CLASS, SUBCLASS:
50 through 54.
Subclass:
12
Tools used in obtaining the sap or gum.
SEE OR SEARCH CLASS:
30, Cutlery, especially subclass 121 for mere cutting
implements for cutting or scraping the bark of or grooving a
tree.
Subclass:
14
Apparatus and processes for ascertaining the life in the
seed.
Subclass:
15
The seeds are inclosed in a moistened strip rolled up.
Subclass:
16
The chamber or incubator for the seeds is provided with a
heater.
Subclass:
17
Houses provided with transparent walls or with some other
apparatus to accelerate the growth of vegetable life.
SEE OR SEARCH THIS CLASS, SUBCLASS:
19 for frames and their closures.
SEE OR SEARCH CLASS:
52, Static Structures (e.g., Buildings), appropriate
subclasses for a building structure or component which may be
translucent or transparent but which does not define a
feature specialized to plant husbandry.
Subclass:
18
The structure of the plant supports in the greenhouse.
SEE OR SEARCH CLASS:
239, Fluid Sprinkling, Spraying, and Diffusing, subclass 209
for fluid distributing apparatus having a supply conduit
fixed to the ceiling of a building which may be a
greenhouse.
Subclass:
19
Frames and their closures for accelerating the growth of
plants.
SEE OR SEARCH THIS CLASS, SUBCLASS:
17
Subclass:
20
Apparatus for covering, inclosing, or shading trees.
SEE OR SEARCH THIS CLASS, SUBCLASS:
26 for plant covers, shades and screens.
SEE OR SEARCH CLASS:
43, Fishing, Trapping, and Vermin Destroying, subclass 126
for tree fumigators.
52, Static Structures (e.g., Buildings), subclass 3 for an
article supported cover.
135, Tent, Canopy, Umbrella, or Cane, 87 for tents and
canopies of general utility.
Subclass:
21
Inclosure for each individual tree.
SEE OR SEARCH THIS CLASS, SUBCLASS:
28.1 through 31.
SEE OR SEARCH CLASS:
43, Fishing, Trapping, and Vermin Destroying, subclass 126.
Subclass:
22
There is a heater combined with the cover.
(1) Note. See Classes 43, Fishing, Trapping, and Vermin
Destroying, subclass 126, and 126, Stoves and Furnaces,
subclass 59.5, for smudge pots used in the orchard.
Subclass:
23
Inclosures around the tree trunk for preventing injury by
bugs or other insects, cattle, sheep, etc.
Subclass:
24
The guard is in the form of a band spaced from the ground.
SEE OR SEARCH CLASS:
43, Fishing, Trapping, and Vermin Destroying, subclass 108.
Subclass:
25
The guard surrounds the tree and rests on and covers the
ground above the roots or extends below the surface.
SEE OR SEARCH THIS CLASS, SUBCLASS:
32
Subclass:
26
Devices for inclosing, shading, screening or covering
plants.
SEE OR SEARCH THIS CLASS, SUBCLASS:
19 through 22.
SEE OR SEARCH CLASS:
135, Tent, Canopy, Umbrella, or Cane, 87 for tents and
canopies of general utility.
Subclass:
27
The device is provided with an irrigator.
SEE OR SEARCH THIS CLASS, SUBCLASS:
79
Subclass:
28.1
Cover:
This subclass is indented under subclass 26. Subject matter
for means for enclosing a plant.
SEE OR SEARCH THIS CLASS, SUBCLASS:
20 through 25, for covers for trees.
Subclass:
29
The top has a transparent closure for admitting light.
SEE OR SEARCH THIS CLASS, SUBCLASS:
19
Subclass:
30
The inclosure has an open top.
Subclass:
31
The inclosure has a reticulated screen or is formed as a
screen.
Subclass:
32
Covers for the soil around the plant which may also serve as
a support for the berries on the plant.
SEE OR SEARCH THIS CLASS, SUBCLASS:
25
Subclass:
32.1
Inflatable:
This subclass is indented under subclass 28.1. Subject
matter wherein a portion of the means for enclosing a plant,
i.e., the cover, is defined by a fluid sealed compartment
capable of containing a fluid in a gaseous state and further
wherein the compartment is capable of maintaining the fluid
at a pressure greater than ambient pressure.
Subclass:
33
Beds and borders or other ornamental configurations in a
flower or garden bed.
SEE OR SEARCH CLASS:
52, Static Structures (e.g., Buildings), subclass 102 for an
earth supported coping or edging of more general
application.
Subclass:
39
Apparatus or supports for holding plant or flower pots or
receptacles having sprinkler, water pipes or special
plant-treating means.
(1) Note. Search this class, subclass 41.01.
(2) Note. See Class 248, Supports, for supports generally.
(3) Note. See Class 211, Supports: Racks, for plant stands
not restricted by inclusion of special watering or
plant-treating means.
(4) Note. For flower pot stands not limited by structure to
such use, see Class 248, Supports, subclasses 128+ and 146+.
Subclass:
40
Means for supporting flowerpots in or near a window of a
house and modified therefor.
SEE OR SEARCH THIS CLASS, SUBCLASS:
68
SEE OR SEARCH CLASS:
211, Supports: Racks.
Subclass:
40.5
This subclass is indented under the class definition.
Devices in the form of a base or stand for supporting the
trunk of a cut tree in a generally upright position and with
its severed end in contact with liquid contained by a
reservoir which is in, on, or under the base. The reservoir
usually is in the form of a receptacle (e.g., container, cup,
pan, etc.) and may or may not be an integral component of the
base.
(1) Note. This subclass comprises patents for Christmas
tree holders with a liquid supply, which patents previously
were classified in the staff support area of Class 248,
Supports. The presence of a liquid supply for the purpose of
keeping a cut tree fresh and moist, in addition to a means to
support the tree, is considered to make this subject matter
more appropriate for this class than for Class 248.
(2) Note. The claiming of a supporting base with a liquid
resevoir is not sufficient for placement herein in the
absence of an indication that the liquid is for a purpose
beneficial to the tree (e.g., for keeping it fresh or green
or moist, etc.). If, on the other hand, the liquid serves
only as ballast, for example, classification is in Class 248.
In the rare instance when the disclosure is silent as to the
purpose of the liquid, then it is presumed to be for the
benefit of the tree.
(3) Note. The claiming of (1) means to support a liquid
reservoir in an operative relationship to the severed end of
the tree, or (2) a spatial relationship of the severed end
(as supported) to the underlying surface on which the base
rests for the purpose of accommodating a liquid reservoir,
are acceptable alternatives to the claiming of the liquid
reservoir.
(4) Note. In order to collect as much as possible of the
related art, cross- referencing is extended to include the
disclosure of a liquid reservoir, provided, of course, that
the 'beneficial purpose' qualification is met.
SEE OR SEARCH CLASS:
248, Supports, 519 for a base or stand type of supporting
device having means for receiving a staff, wherein the staff
may be a tree trunk. Classification in that area is upon
features such as how the staff is gripped, etc.; accordingly,
cross-reference copies of the patents of this subclass (40.5)
are placed there on that basis.
Subclass:
41.01
Flower holder:
Device for holding or supporting a cut flower or plant.
(1) Note. The line between this class and Class 206,
Special Receptacle or Package is: The combination of a
receptacle and a plant or a receptacle modified for a purpose
running to the preservation of the life of the plant is
classified in this subclass. Where the receptacle is
utilized merely for a shipping purpose and is of the Class
206 type, it is classified therein. The same line is
followed with Classes 220, Receptacles and 229, Envelopes,
Wrappers, and Paperboard Boxes.
SEE OR SEARCH CLASS:
24, Buckles, Buttons, Clasps, etc., 5 for flower holders
where the flowers are to be attached to clothing.
27, Undertaking, subclass 30, for structures which may have
flowers secured thereon and designed to be used in covering
the open grave.
206, Special Receptacle or Package, see (1) Note. See
subclass 423 for a plant, flower or tree receptacle.
428, Stock Material or Miscellaneous Articles, 17 for either
stimulated or treated nonliving, natural articles having the
general structure and appearance of plants, and especially
subclass 23 for such a product with a holder, and subclass 27
for a frame or structure upon which flowers or foliage,
either natural or artificial, may be secured to produce a
design. See also "SEARCH CLASS" notes in subclass 17 of that
class (428).
Subclass:
41.1
This subclass is indented under subclass 41.01. Apparatus in
which a receptacle is at least partially embedded in the
ground or in a fixed structure such as a stone grave marker.
Subclass:
41.11
This subclass is indented under subclass 41.01. Apparatus
comprising a means engaging the stem or any portion of a cut
flower to maintain the same in a desired position in a
container, the said means being supported at the container
top.
Subclass:
41.12
This subclass is indented under subclass 41.01. Apparatus
comprising a device made of a yieldable material into which
the stem end of the flower is forcibly thrust so as to create
an opening in the material and be held thereby, the device
being adapted for use with a container, support, etc.
(1) Note. A device with a pre-existing, discrete opening
which the stem merely enlarges is not included, though
devices with numerous minute porelike openings are included.
(2) Note. The stem may be provided with a strengthening
wire or a pick which is forcibly thrust into the yieldable
material.
Subclass:
41.13
This subclass is indented under subclass 41.01. Apparatus
comprising a device especially adapted to hold or at least to
limit movement of the end portion of a stem of a cut flower
in all lateral directions.
Subclass:
41.14
Having ground anchor support:
This subclass is indented under subclass 41.01. Subject
matter wherein a device is provided with means to mount and
secure the device into the earth.
Subclass:
41.15
Single stem type:
This subclass is indented under subclass 41.01. Subject
matter wherein a device is structured to hold or support only
one flower or plant.
Subclass:
42
Devices for supporting trees or their limbs.
SEE OR SEARCH THIS CLASS, SUBCLASS:
40.5 for a support for a cut tree in the form of a stand or
base with a liquid reservoir for supplying moisture to the
severed end of the tree.
44 for devices for supporting plants, flowers, vines or
small shrubs, hops and grapes.
SEE OR SEARCH CLASS:
248, Supports, subclass 538 for a bracket type of supporting
device having means for receiving an inclined staff, which
staff may be in the form of a natural or an artificial branch
of a tree which is to be attached to a tree trunk or to a
trunk-like member for the purpose of filling out or creating
a "tree".
Subclass:
43
The prop, brace or support rests on or is driven into the
ground.
SEE OR SEARCH THIS CLASS, SUBCLASS:
44 through 47.
SEE OR SEARCH CLASS:
248, Supports, 351 for props in general.
Subclass:
44
Devices for supporting plants, flowers, vines or small
shrubs, hops and grapes.
Subclass:
45
The support is in the form of a cage or a plurality of
supports, poles, stakes, or racks are joined together.
(1) Note. Hop and grape vine supports are found here as
well as in subclasses 46 and 47 of this class.
Subclass:
46
The support has a linear extension.
(1) Note. Grapevine trellises are included when they have
linear arrangement.
Subclass:
47
Supports for a single plant or plants in clusters; generally
with a vertical rod or stake.
(1) Note. Mostly for small plants, but includes bean, hop,
and grape poles.
Subclass:
48.5
Apparatus and devices of container or cartridge form usually
inserted of buried permanently in the ground near growing
plants and adapted to contain water or other material
utilized by the plants to encourage the growth thereof.
(1) Note. The water or other material usually may be
discharged into the soil by means of some special feature of
the device, such as perforations in the container.
SEE OR SEARCH THIS CLASS, SUBCLASS:
1.01 for installed irrigating systems having means to supply
fertilizer to the irrigating water.
58 for processes of irrigating or enriching the soil.
SEE OR SEARCH CLASS:
111, Planting, 118 for implements and machines having earth
working means and means for directing liquid, gas or vapor
into contact with or beneath the surface of the soil.
405, Hydraulic and Earth Engineering, 36 for installed
irrigation devices or systems functioning to conduct the flow
of water below ground or in open channels.
Subclass:
50
Receptacles for receiving sap, generally, from a maple tree,
and the necessary appurtenances thereto.
SEE OR SEARCH THIS CLASS, SUBCLASS:
11
Subclass:
51
The combination of the bucket, its cover, and spout for
connecting it to a hole bored in a tree.
SEE OR SEARCH THIS CLASS, SUBCLASS:
11
Subclass:
52
The conduit that conveys the sap from tree to bucket.
Subclass:
53
Provided with means for supporting the bucket.
Subclass:
54
Covers for the sap bucket.
Subclass:
55
Stems generally made of wire for attaching to the short stem
or calyx of a flower.
Subclass:
56
Strips or ribbons to which seeds are secured in spaced
relation.
SEE OR SEARCH CLASS:
53, Package Making, subclass 450 for methods and subclasses
545+ for apparatus for forming seed tapes or ribbons.
111, Planting, subclass 109 for seed tape combined with
planting apparatus therefor.
Subclass:
57.5
Devices for injecting materials into living plants, e.g.,
trees, and injection processes which are peculiar to the
treatment of living plants.
(1) Note. Many of the patents in this subclass are for the
injection of coloring or preserving material into trees to
produce colored or preserved timber.
(2) Note. See this class, subclass 48.5, for devices
designed to be buried in the soil for applying water,
fertilizer, or the like.
(3) Note. See Class 8, Bleaching and Dyeing; Fluid
Treatment and Chemical Modification of Textiles and Fibers,
subclass 402, for processes of injecting wood with coloring
material and Class 427, Coating Processes, appropriate
subclasses, especially subclass 291, for coating or
impregnating wood other than standing timber.
(5) Note. See Class 111, subclasses 118+ for devices for
impregnating the soil with liquid or gas, the devices having
earthworking means.
Subclass:
57.6
Coated or impregnated seed not more specifically provided for
elsewhere.
SEE OR SEARCH CLASS:
71, Chemistry: Fertilizers, 5 for seeds and fertilizers.
424, Drug, Bio-Affecting and Body Treating Compositions, for
seeds employed as bait material with a biocide or repellent
or processes of treating a seed with a biocide.
428, Stock Material or Miscellaneous Articles, appropriate
subclasses, especially 15 for other "treated" natural
products and subclasses 403+ for coated particulate matter.
435, Chemistry: Molecular Biology and Microbiology, subclass
185 for materials containing germinating seeds, and subclass
93 for processes that include germinating seeds.
504, Plant Protecting and Regulating Compositions, subclass
100 for seed coated with agricultural chemicals other than
fertilizers and subclasses 116.1-367 for compositions which
enhance the germinating of a seed.
800, Multicellular Living Organisms and Unmodified Parts
Thereof and Related Processes, 295 for plants and separated
or severed parts thereof that have not undergone any
modification or treatment subsequent to their separation;
e.g., untreated seeds, etc.
Subclass:
58.1
MISCELLANEOUS PROCESSES:
This subclass is indented under the class definition.
Subject matter including processes employed in treating the
earth and its products not provided for elsewhere.
(1) Note. Excluded from this subclass are plant breeding
processes including a step of sexual hybridization, methods
of mutating a plant, methods of producing a plant using
somatic cell fusion, and methods of introducing nucleic acid
into a plant.
(2) Note. This subclass provides the generic place for
processes for preparing seeds for planting, methods of
planting, methods of cultivating, etc. Corresponding
apparatus is classified in other classes on the basis of the
function or structure of the apparatus involved. See the
search class notes in the main class definition of this class
for notes to these classes.
SEE OR SEARCH THIS CLASS, SUBCLASS:
1.1 1.3, 2-10, 14, and 59-65 for processes relating to the
subject matter thereof.
SEE OR SEARCH CLASS:
34, Drying and Gas or Vapor Contact With Solids, see (2) Note
above.
99, Foods and Beverages: Apparatus, appropriate subclasses
for miscellaneous food preparation apparatus.
118, Coating Apparatus, see (2) Note above, and see section
VIII of the class definition of Class 118 for location of
patents relative to coating edible material.
134, Cleaning and Liquid Contact With Solids, see (2) Note
above.
172, Earth Working, subclass 1 for processes involving only
earth working.
366, Agitating, see (2) Note.
424, Drug, Bio-Affecting and Body Treating Compositions, for
a fungicidal, insecticidal, bactericidal, or disinfecting
composition which may be applied to a plant, seed or the soil
and for a process which is no more than the mere use of said
composition.
426, Food or Edible Material: Processes, Compositions, and
Products, appropriate subclasses for processes of preparing
plant material for consumption.
435, Chemistry: Molecular Biology and Microbiology, 440 for
processes of altering the genetic material of plant cells by
use of mutation, cell fusion and nucleic acid manipulation
and subclasses 410+ for plant cells or cell lines, per se and
compositions thereof; processes of propagating, maintaining
or preserving a plant cell or cell line; processes of
regenerating plant cells into tissues, plant parts or plants
per se where no genotypic change occurs; medium therefore.
504, Plant Protecting and Regulating Compositions, subclasses
116.1-367 for compositions for treating terrestrial or
aquatic plants or their habitat with a specific chemical
which affects the growth characteristics of the plants and
for the processes of mere use of said compositions.
800, Multicellular Living Organisms and Unmodified Parts
Thereof and Related Processes, appropriate subclasses for
plant breeding processes including a step of sexual
hybridization, methods of mutating a plant, methods of
producing a plant using somatic cell fusion, and methods of
introducing nucleic acid into a plant or rearrangement of
genetic material within the plant.
Subclass:
59
This subclass is indented under the class definition.
Apparatus and processes for fostering growth beyond
germination of plants in a nutrient environment and without
soil.
SEE OR SEARCH THIS CLASS, SUBCLASS:
14 for structures adapted only for germinating seeds in
water and without nutrient solution, usually provided with
means for identifying the ear or batch whence the seeds came
for the test.
79 for structures adapted to hold either soil or inert
powder, and to supply either plain water or nutrient solution
thereto.
SEE OR SEARCH CLASS:
435, Chemistry: Molecular Biology and Microbiology, subclass
93 for patents relating to the sprouting of seeds for making
malt.
Subclass:
60
This subclass is indented under subclass 59. Device
comprising an enclosed space or cavity in a container where
plants or crops are grown from seeds, bulbs, sprouts or
shoots.
Subclass:
61
This subclass is indented under subclass 60. Apparatus
wherein the initial stage of growth is begun and a sprout is
the final result.
Subclass:
62
This subclass is indented under subclass 59. Apparatus
wherein nutrient is automatically supplied to seeds,
seedlings or plants at intervals or continuously to
revitalize or refresh.
Subclass:
63
This subclass is indented under subclass 59. Apparatus
comprising a receptacle adapted to hold each seed or plant
apart from other seeds or plants.
SEE OR SEARCH THIS CLASS, SUBCLASS:
85 for a plant receptacle adapted to separate individual
plants nurtured in soil.
SEE OR SEARCH CLASS:
248, Supports, subclass 27.8 for plant holders.
Subclass:
64
This subclass is indented under subclass 63. Apparatus which
is a permeable prop upon which only the roots may rest or by
which the entire plant may be held in an upright position.
SEE OR SEARCH THIS CLASS, SUBCLASS:
80 for a porous flower pot containing a plant nurtured in
soil.
Subclass:
65
DYNAMIC PLANT RECEPTACLE TRANSPORT:
This subclass is indented under the class definition. Device
comprising containers kinetically manipulated so that seeds
or plants are exposed to heat or sunlight or other weather
conditions for their nurturing and growth.
Subclass:
65.5
RECEPTACLE FOR GROWING MEDIUM:
This subclass is indented under the class definition.
Apparatus or processes that comprise a pot, box, or other
container adapted to hold earth, soil, or a manufactured
growing composition in which a plant is to be grown.
SEE OR SEARCH THIS CLASS, SUBCLASS:
41.01 for cut flowers in a receptacle that may be in or out
of soil.
56 for sheets of growth medium which are not contained in a
receptacle.
59 for growing plants in water culture receptacles.
SEE OR SEARCH CLASS:
52, Static Structures (e.g., Buildings), appropriate
subclasses, for roof structure, per se.
523, Synthetic Resins or Natural Rubbers, particularly
subclass 123 for a composition having utility as a plant
receptacle or to processes of preparing a growing medium.
Subclass:
65.6
Drain covers:
This subclass is indented under subclass 65.5. Apparatus
including a specific cover for the drain opening to permit
drainage under appropriate conditions and to prevent the
drain from becoming plugged by the growing medium.
SEE OR SEARCH CLASS:
4, Baths, Closets, Sinks, and Spittoons, 650 for drain
covers not specific to plant husbandry.
210, Liquid Purification or Separation, appropriate
subclasses, for filters that will allow water to pass, but
retain solids.
Subclass:
65.7
Specific container material:
This subclass is indented under subclass 65.5. Apparatus
wherein the patentable feature resides in the walls of the
receptacle being made of a specific material.
SEE OR SEARCH THIS CLASS, SUBCLASS:
74 for a biodegradable material.
Subclass:
65.8
Flaccid material (e.g., bag):
This subclass is indented under subclass 65.7. Apparatus
wherein the container material is a flaccid material such as
a fabric bag.
SEE OR SEARCH THIS CLASS, SUBCLASS:
66.4 for stiff foldable materials like paper or cardboard.
78 for root ball bags which control root growth.
SEE OR SEARCH CLASS:
405, Hydraulic and Earth Engineering, subclass 262 for a
retaining wall formed from bags.
Subclass:
65.9
Sheet of plants (e.g., roof-top garden):
This subclass is indented under subclass 65.5. Walled
container in which the container is designed to support a
sheet of plants as in a bench or roof top garden.
SEE OR SEARCH THIS CLASS, SUBCLASS:
1.01 for sheets of plants growing in a field or a field
which has been modified to be hospitable to a sheet of plants
as for example, a football field.
18 for benches which support multiple containers.
82 and 83, for tiered containers forming a roof or covering
a slope.
56 for sheets of plant material without a container.
Subclass:
66.1
Sectional construction:
This subclass is indented under subclass 65.5. Apparatus in
which a container is formed from a plurality of discrete
sections which may be readily assembled or disassembled.
Subclass:
66.2
Push out bottom closure:
This subclass is indented under subclass 66.1. Apparatus
including a reusable peripheral wall and a bottom which is
fictionally or removably attached in order to eject the plant
from the peripheral wall.
SEE OR SEARCH CLASS:
206, Special Receptacle or Package, appropriate subclasses
for containers having movable walls.
Subclass:
66.3
Foldable or hingedly connected sections:
This subclass is indented under subclass 66.1. Apparatus in
which the container is formed from foldable material or the
sections are pivotally connected to each other.
Subclass:
66.4
Integral hinge:
This subclass is indented under subclass 66.3. Apparatus
wherein the hinge means is integral with the walls of the
receptacle, i.e. scored paper or cardboard.
SEE OR SEARCH THIS CLASS, SUBCLASS:
66.5 for integral hinges forming an array of cells.
65.8 for flaccid material like cloth or plastic foil forming
an array of cells
SEE OR SEARCH CLASS:
220, Receptacles, 4.22, 4.29, and 531 for a receptacle having
hinged sections or walls.
229, Envelops, Wrappers, and Paperboard Boxes, 400 for
integral hinges in stiff panels.
383, Flexible Bags, subclass 33, for flaccid hinges.
Subclass:
66.5
Array of cells:
This subclass is indented under subclass 66.1. Apparatus in
which container sections form an array of connected cells.
SEE OR SEARCH THIS CLASS, SUBCLASS:
56 for an array of plants or an array of porous modules (not
containers).
82 and 83, for tiered containers forming a roof or covering
a slope, a multilevel array.
85 for an array of containers formed by a divider in a
peripheral frame.
86 for a plurality of containers which are adapted to be
assembled into a planar array of cells.
87 for a monolithic body forming an array of cells.
SEE OR SEARCH CLASS:
405, Hydraulic and Earth Engineering, subclass 262 for a
multilevel array of containers used as a retaining wall and
subclass 284 for a multilevel array of containers having
earth anchors.
Subclass:
66.6
Combined:
This subclass is indented under subclass 65.5. Apparatus in
which the plant receptacle is combined with one or more
diverse device such as a lamp, bookcase, indicia means, air
purifier, etc.
Subclass:
66.7
Method of using a plant receptacle:
This subclass is indented under subclass 65.5. Subject
matter that deals with a process related to a plant
receptacle or the use thereof.
Subclass:
67
This subclass is indented under subclass 65.5. Device
adapted to hold a suspended flower pot.
SEE OR SEARCH CLASS:
248, Supports, subclass 317 for a device for supporting an
article by hanging it from an overhead member.
Subclass:
68
This subclass is indented under subclass 65.5. An
appurtenance constructed for outdoor use and adapted to be
juxtaposed to and contiguous with the sill of an opening in a
wall wherein said appurtenance is further adapted to contain
soil with growing plants therein or to contain already potted
growing plants.
SEE OR SEARCH THIS CLASS, SUBCLASS:
40 for window-type plant stands.
Subclass:
69
This subclass is indented under subclass 65.5. Device
wherein said container completely encloses the plant and
there is a cyclic use of the moisture in the enclosure.
Subclass:
70
This subclass is indented under subclass 65.5. Device which
is a lattice structure used to vertically support a gangling
plant or flower.
SEE OR SEARCH CLASS:
248, Supports, subclass 27.8 for plant holders.
Subclass:
71
This subclass is indented under subclass 65.5. A shallow
vessel used to support the plant receptacle of ... wherein
(1) air and water may be introduced to the plant roots, and
(2) excess water may be accumulated therein.
Subclass:
72
This subclass is indented under subclass 65.5. A facade that
is a fancy flower pot dressing designed to surround the outer
crock wall but not cover the top of the pot so that the
receptacle conveys a better appearance than a plain earthen
crock.
Subclass:
73
This subclass is indented under subclass 65.5. Apparatus in
which a container facilitates transference by (1) being
readily removable from the soil so as to avoid injury to the
roots therein, or (2) being a specially constructed device to
remove a living plant from the earth.
SEE OR SEARCH CLASS:
37, Excavating, subclass 302 for device for removing stumps,
or the like, together with root surrounding soil from the
earth.
111, Planting, subclass 101 for an apparatus which removes a
plant from the soil for transplanting purposes or sets a
plant into soil and which may use a transplanting container.
175, Boring or Penetrating the Earth, appropriate subclasses
for a process or apparatus for boring a hole in the earth.
254, Implements or Apparatus for Applying Pushing or Pulling
Force, subclass 132 for means for pulling roots from the
earth.
Subclass:
74
This subclass is indented under subclass 73. Container
wherein the receptacle is decomposable in the ground.
Subclass:
75
This subclass is indented under subclass 73. A series or set
of containers fitting one container within the other thus
having inner and outer receptacles.
Subclass:
76
Big ball tree:
This subclass is indented under subclass 73. Container
specially adapted to hold a large living plant or tree with
its root structure and surrounding soil intact.
(1) Note. For unearthing plants or buried objects without
transplanting, see Class 171.
Subclass:
77
Seedling:
This subclass is indented under subclass 73. Container or
container assembly specially adapted to hold a very small or
young tree plant.
Subclass:
78
This subclass is indented under subclass 73. Interwoven or
interworked device usually of a fabric, wire, or plastic type
material to protect the plant or tree during uprooting,
moving and replanting of the tree or plant.
Subclass:
79
This subclass is indented under subclass 65.5. Device for
supplying water or water vapor to the soil and roots to
refresh or revitalize the plant.
SEE OR SEARCH THIS CLASS, SUBCLASS:
59 for promulgating growth of plants in a nutrient solution
without soil.
Subclass:
80
This subclass is indented under subclass 79. Device wherein
a container, per se, or rocks or sponge type material in the
receptacle is adapted to retain water.
Subclass:
81
This subclass is indented under subclass 79. Device
comprising a filamentous material adapted to water the plants
soil and roots by capillary action.
Subclass:
82
This subclass is indented under subclass 79. Device in which
plants may be placed or caused to grow at various levels.
(1) Note. Subject matter for this subclass usually
comprises a receptacle with openings spaced at varying
levels, from which plants protrude or a stand with
receptacles spaced at different levels.
SEE OR SEARCH CLASS:
248, Supports, 128 and 146+ for flower pot stands not
limited by structure to such use.
Subclass:
83
This subclass is indented under subclass 65.5. Device in
which plants may be placed or caused to grow at diverse
levels.
(1) Note. See the note under the definition to subclass 82
in this class (47).
Subclass:
84
This subclass is indented under subclass 65.5. Apparatus in
which the receptacle is specially designed for convenience in
the transpiration of living plants or plant bulbs.
(1) Note. See the note under the definition to subclass
41.01 in this class (47), for the line between this class and
Class 206, Special Receptacle or Package.
(2) Note. For packaging methods and apparatus, see Class
53, Package Making.
Subclass:
85
This subclass is indented under subclass 65.5. Device used
to partition the receptacle, e.g., separable divider rack of
an ice tray.
(1) Note. Subject matter under this subclass is
distinguished from modular and monolithic in that modular
provides for individual separate receptacles for insertion
into an array; monolithic devices are comprised of static
compartments or cells that are not separable from the array,
while dividers are generally planed surfaces places within a
receptacle to form smaller compartments.
Subclass:
86
This subclass is indented under subclass 65.5. Device in
which a multitude of individual units such as plants,
seedlings or pots are formed into an array.
(1) Note. See the note under the definition to subclass 85
in this class (47).
Subclass:
87
This subclass is indented under subclass 65.5. Device formed
as a single unit with compartments therein for seedlings,
plants or bulbs.
(1) Note. See the note under the definition to subclass 85
in this class (47).
CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS
The documents in the following collections contain only
cross-references which have been placed without regard to
their original classification or to their claimed subject
matter and are therefore not exhaustive of the art or subject
matter but are only examples thereof. Consequently, a
complete search for art or subject matter provided for here
would require a review of the higher portions of the
classification schedule.
Subclass:
901
PLANT CONTAINER WITH FLATS, FILLING, PLANTING, OR CONVEYING:
Cross-reference art collection of documents relating to
planting a seedling flat, filling a container with root
media, or conveying a flat, media, or a container.
Subclass:
902
Including a recycled component (e.g., tires):
Subject matter which includes one or more components or
materials which are being reused or recycled.
(1) Note. Biodegradable materials, as found in this class
(47), subclass 74, should not be collected here. Tires used
as a retaining wall or old bottles used as a water reservoir
are examples of subject matter which should be placed in this
subclass.
Subclass:
903
Operator means for cold-frame or window:
Subject matter which includes an operator in combination with
a greenhouse, cold-frame, or growth chamber to automatically
vent excess heat by opening some portion of the structure.
Subclass:
904
OPENWORK CONTAINER FOR A GROWING MEDIUM (E.G., WIRE BASKET):
A plant receptacle comprising a rigid gridwork container such
as might be formed by intersecting or interwoven elongated
strips or strands of metal, e.g., a cage or wire basket.
FOREIGN ART COLLECTIONS
The definitions of the Foreign Patent/NPL Art Collections
below correspond to the definitions of the abolished
subclasses from which these collections were formed. See the
Foreign Patent/NPL Art Collection schedule for specific
correspondences.
Subclass: FOR 100
MISCELLANEOUS PROCESSES Foreign art collections including
miscellaneous processes.
Information Products Division -- Contacts
Questions regarding this report should be directed to:
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Information Products Division
PK3- Suite 441
Washington, DC 20231
tel: (703) 306-2600
FAX: (703) 306-2737
email: oeip@uspto.gov
Last Modified: 6 October 2000