CPC Definition - Subclass A23L
This place covers:
This subclass is residual to food, foodstuff and non-alcoholic beverages covered by subclasses A21D or A23B - A23J.
Examples of foods, foodstuffs or non-alcoholic beverages covered by this subclass
- Foods or foodstuffs containing gelling or thickening agents;
- Marmalades, jams, jellies or similar products;
- Honey, royal jelly or other apiculture products;
- Cereal-derived products including pasta;
- Malt products, puddings or cream substitutes;
- Spices, flavouring agents or condiments, whether natural or synthetic; artificial sweeteners; table salts;
- Meat, poultry, egg, fish or seafood products;
- Food consisting mainly of nut meat or seeds, e.g. peanut butter;
- Soups or sauces; and
- Non-alcoholic beverages, e.g. fruit or vegetable juices; dry compositions or concentrates thereof; preparation thereof.
Preparation or treatment of the above foods, foodstuffs or non-alcoholic beverages provided for in this subclass, including:
- Cooking e.g. by roasting or frying;
- Removing unwanted matter;
- Physical treatment e.g. with wave energy, electric or magnetic fields;
- Preparation of fruit or vegetables, e.g. to make snacks, chips, sauerkraut or pickles;
- Colouring or decolouring; and
- Modifying the nutritive qualities, e.g. by adding vitamins, minerals or dietary fibres.
Modification of such foods or beverages to change their nutritional content for dietary reasons, and these modified foods or beverages per se.
Preservation of foods or foodstuffs in general, e.g. by pasteurising, sterilising, heating, freezing, drying, pressurising, irradiation or treatment with chemicals, specially adapted for foods or foodstuffs.
In relation to foods, foodstuffs or non-alcoholic beverages per se, and in relation to their preparation and treatment including physical treatment, this subclass is residual to subclasses A21D, A23B, A23C, A23D, A23F, A23G or A23J. These subclasses relate to flour or dough (A21D), dairy products (A23C), edible oils or fats (A23D), coffee, tea or their substitutes (A23F), cocoa, chocolate, confectionery or ice-cream (A23G) and protein compositions (A23J).
In relation to preservation of foods or foodstuffs in general, this subclass is the primary home for this subject-matter. However, preservation subject matter specifically adapted for certain foods is classified in the corresponding subclasses, respectively. For example:
- preservation of flour, dough or bakery products is subject-matter for subclass A21D, e.g. preserving flour or dough before baking (A21D 4/00) or preserving finished bakery products (A21D 15/00)
- preservation of meat, fish, eggs, fruit, vegetables and edible seeds e.g. cereals is subject matter for subclass A23B
A23L covers preservation of non-alcoholic beverages whereas preservation specially adapted for alcoholic beverages is covered by C12H 1/00.
In relation to preservation, deciding between this subclass and the other subclasses listed above is generally a matter of function or application (see paragraphs 85-87 of the Guide). Where the particular preservation technology is the main point of interest, classification is made in this subclass, and where the application to particular foodstuffs is the main interest, classification is made in the subclasses listed above. Some double-classification is evident.
This place does not cover:
Treating harvested fruit or vegetables in bulk | |
Machines or apparatus for extracting juice | |
Shaping or working of foodstuffs not fully covered by this subclass | |
Preserving foods or foodstuffs in association with packaging | |
Packages for foodstuffs with provision for absorbing fluids | |
Preparation of malt for brewing | |
Preparation of non-alcoholic beverages by removal of alcohol |
Examples of places where the subject matter of this place is covered when specially adapted, used for a particular purpose, or incorporated in a larger system:
Examples of places in relation to which this place is residual:
Treatment, e.g. preservation, of flour or dough for baking, e.g. by addition of materials; Baking; Bakery products; Preservation thereof | |
Preserving, e.g. by canning, meat, fish, eggs, fruit, vegetables or edible seeds; Chemical ripening of fruit or vegetables; The preserved, ripened or canned products | |
Dairy products, e.g. milk, butter or cheese; Milk or cheese substitutes; making thereof | |
Edible oils or fats, e.g. margarines, shortenings or cooking oils | |
Coffee; Tea; Their substitutes; Manufacture, preparation or infusion thereof | |
Cocoa; Cocoa products, e.g. chocolate; Substitutes for cocoa or cocoa products; Confectionery; Chewing gum; Ice-cream; Preparation thereof | |
Protein compositions for foodstuffs; Working-up proteins for foodstuffs; Phosphatide compositions for foodstuffs |
Attention is drawn to the following places, which may be of interest for search:
Soy bean sprouts per se or cultivation thereof | |
Apiculture | |
Machines or equipment for making or processing doughs | |
Animal foods | |
Apparatus for baking, roasting, grilling or frying | |
Purifying water, e.g. by ion-exchange | |
Emulsifiers in general | |
Essential oils in general | |
Devices for drying foodstuffs |
In this place, the following terms or expressions are used with the meaning indicated:
Food | In addition to the commonly accepted foods or foodstuffs, the term in this subclass also extends to cover less traditional items such as thickening agents (e.g. starch), flavouring agents, artificial sweeteners, food colouring agents, etc. |
This place covers:
Non-alcoholic beverages
- Processing, technological aspects other than apparatuses as such, juice extraction, clarification, filtration, other physical treatments.
- Beverages formulations
- Incorporation of additives e.g. sweetening agents, clouding agents, preservatives, gases.
A23L 2/00 covers non-alcoholic beverages not covered by other specific subclasses :
A23C (milk, milk preparations, yogurt), A23F (coffee, tea), A23G 9/045 (semi-frozen beverages), A23K (animal food), A23L 23/10 (soups).
This place does not cover:
Soup concentrates | |
Introducing gases into liquids in general, apparatus for impregnating liquids with gases per se, | |
Preparation of non-alcoholic beverages by removal of alcohol |
Attention is drawn to the following places, which may be of interest for search:
Milk products | |
Milk preparations | |
Milk substitutes, coffee whitener compositions | |
Coffee, tea or their substitutes | |
Chocolate, cocoa drink | |
Semi-frozen beverages | |
Machines for extracting juices | |
Apparatus for making beverages | |
Preparations for medical purpose | |
Apparatus for dispensing beverages | |
Purifying water, e.g. by ion-exchange | |
Essential oils in general | |
Alcoholic beverages | |
Analysing food |
All specific examples should be classified as additional information e.g. formulation example of a new sweetener in a beverage composition should be classified in the corresponding subclass in addition to the classification for the sweetener itself.
Drink compositions (formulations) are classified in A23L 2/38 or A23L 2/52. A23L 2/38 covers beverages that do not contain fruit or vegetable juices (which are classified in A23L 2/02);
A23L 2/52 covers beverages that may contain fruit or vegetable juices in addition to other ingredients.
If a beverage contains both fruit or vegetable juices and other ingredients, it will be classified in both A23L 2/02 and A23L 2/52.
Gas containing (e.g. soda) : A23L 2/54
When classifying in A23L 2/00, A23V 2002/00 indexing system should also be used when appropriate, in accordance with A23V 2002/00 classification rules.
This place does not cover:
Drinks from legumes |
Examples of places in relation to which this place is residual:
Milk substitutes, containing or not lactose, but no other milk components as source of fats, carbohydrates or proteins |
This place covers:
Preservation of foods or foodstuffs in general, e.g. by pasteurising, sterilising, heating, freezing, drying, pressurising, irradiation or treatment with chemicals, specially adapted for foods or foodstuffs.
In relation to preservation of foods or foodstuffs in general, this main group is the primary home for this subject-matter. However, preservation subject matter specifically adapted for certain foods can also be found in subclasses A21D, A23B, A23C, A23D, A23F, A23G or A23J. These subclasses relate to flour or dough (A21D), dairy products (A23C), edible oils or fats (A23D), coffee, tea or their substitutes (A23F), cocoa, chocolate, confectionery or ice-cream (A23G) and protein compositions (A23J). For example, preservation of flour or dough or bakery products is subject-matter for subclass A21D, and preservation of meat, fish, eggs, fruit, vegetables and edible seeds e.g. cereals is subject matter for subclass A23B. Preservation of milk or milk preparations is subject matter for subclass A23C.
In relation to preservation, deciding between this main group and the other subclasses listed above is generally a matter of function or application. Where the particular preservation technology is the main point of interest classification is made in this main group, and where the application to particular foodstuffs is the main interest classification is made in the subclasses listed above. Some double-classification is evident, see also special rules of classification below.
This place does not cover:
Preserving foods or foodstuffs in association with packaging method |
Examples of places in relation to which this place is residual:
Attention is drawn to the following places, which may be of interest for search:
General methods for cooking foods | |
Cleaning vegetables, fruits and other foodstuffs | |
Machines and equipments for baking | |
Kitchen equipment | |
Sterilising and disinfecting of non-food material | |
Applications to the container or packaging material of food preservatives, fungicides, pesticides or animal repellants | |
Packages for foodstuffs with provision for absorbing fluids | |
Antioxidant compositions | |
Preserving fats, oils by using additives | |
Preservation of alcoholic beverages | |
Refrigeration machines, cooling freezing | |
Devices for drying foodstuffs | |
Heat exchange in general | |
Heating by electric, magnetic, or electromagnetic fields |
A23L 3/00: general preservations methods for food. Specific methods for vegetables, meat, fish, eggs, cereals: A23B. Double classification (A23B, A23L 3/00) is sometimes necessary.
Non-limiting examples of situations where double classification is necessary:
- General method for preserving food but with specific examples for fish, meat;
- Specific method for preserving vegetables but a more specific subgroup exists in A23L 3/00 for the preservation method e.g. high pressure treatment.
Sterilisation and packaging: sterilisation of the food product before packaging (aseptic filling): B65B 55/00, sterilisation after packaging: A23L 3/00.
A61L 2/00 for general (non-food) preservation methods
Beverage preservation is generally classified both in A23L 2/42 (et seq.) and A23L 3/00, when the preservation method is not strictly limited to non-alcoholic beverages. Same rule apply in A23C (milk preservation).
When classifying in A23L 3/00, A23V 2002/00 indexing system should also be used when appropriate, in accordance with A23V 2002/00 classification rules.
This place covers:
Any foods, foodstuffs that are not covered by the following subclasses:
- A21D(Treatment, e.g. preservation, of flour or dough for baking, e.g. by addition of materials; Baking; Bakery products; Preservation thereof)
- A23B (Preserving, e.g. by canning, meat, fish, eggs, fruit, vegetables, edible seeds; Chemical ripening of fruit or vegetables; The preserved, ripened, or canned products)
- A23C (Dairy products, e.g. milk, butter, cheese; Milk or cheese substitutes; Making thereof)
- A23D (Edible oils or fats, e.g. margarines, shortenings, cooking oils)
- A23F (Coffee; Tea; Their substitutes; Manufacture, preparation, or infusion thereof)
- A23G (Cocoa; Cocoa products, e.g. chocolate; Substitutes for cocoa or cocoa products; Confectionery; Chewing gum; Ice-cream; Preparation thereof)
- A23J (Protein compositions for foodstuffs; Working-up proteins for foodstuffs; Phosphatide compositions for foodstuffs).
Examples of foods, foodstuffs or non-alcoholic beverages covered by this subclass are: Foods or foodstuffs containing gelling or thickening agents;
- Marmalades, jams, jellies or similar products;
- Honey, royal jelly or other apiculture products;
- Cereal-derived products including pasta;
- Malt products, puddings or cream substitutes;
- Spices, flavouring agents or condiments, whether natural or synthetic; artificial sweeteners; table salts; colouring agents;
- Meat, poultry, egg, fish or seafood products;
- Food consisting mainly of nut meat or seeds, e.g. peanut butter; Soups or sauces; and
- Preparation or treatment of the above foods, foodstuffs or non-alcoholic beverages provided for in this subclass, including:
- Processing, technological aspects other than apparatuses as such, cooking, shaping, physical treatments of food not covered by other specific subclasses.
- Cooking e.g. by roasting or frying;
- Removing unwanted matter;
- Physical treatment e.g. with wave energy, electric or magnetic fields;
- Preparation of fruit or vegetables, e.g. to make snacks, chips, sauerkraut or pickles;
- Colouring or decolouring; and
- Modifying the nutritive qualities, e.g. by adding vitamins, minerals or dietary fibres.
- Modification of such foods or beverages to change their nutritional content for dietary reasons, and these modified foods or beverages per se.
- Dietetic methods, functional foods, food or nutritional supplements
In relation to foods, foodstuffs or non-alcoholic beverages per se, and in relation to their preparation and treatment including physical treatment, this main group is residual to subclasses A21D, A23B, A23C, A23D, A23F, A23G or A23J. These subclasses relate to flour or dough (A21D), dairy products (A23C), edible oils or fats (A23D), coffee, tea or their substitutes (A23F), cocoa, chocolate, confectionery or ice-cream (A23G) and protein compositions (A23J).
Examples of places in relation to which this place is residual:
Attention is drawn to the following places, which may be of interest for search:
Preservation of foods or foodstuffs in general | |
Apiculture | |
Machines and equipments for baking | |
Machines and equipments for making doughs | |
(Mechanical) processing meat or fish products | |
Animal foods | |
Kitchen equipment | |
Apparatus for baking, roasting, grilling or frying | |
Sugars and derivatives, nucleotides | |
Polysaccharides | |
Perfumes, essential oils | |
Emulsifiers in general | |
Microorganisms and processes using them | |
Processing sugar | |
Analysing food |
All specific examples should be classified as additional information e.g. formulation examples of a new sweetener in a chewing gum formulation, bakery product, yogurt, ice cream, chocolate, beverage should be classified in the corresponding subclasses in addition to the relevant subgroup for the sweetener itself.
Dietetic beverages should also be classified in A23L 33/00 or lower subgroups (in addition to A23L 2/00)
When classifying in A23L 5/00, A23V 2002/00 indexing system should also be used
when appropriate in accordance with A23V 2002/00 classification rules.
Processes, apparatus/device for shaping food in general should be classified in A23P.
- A23L 27/75: includes cyclodextrin complexes
- A23L 27/79: includes dissolvable flavoured films to placed in the mouth
- A23L 27/30: concerns sweetening agents. Sugars or other carbohydrates used for non-sweetening purposes (e.g. freezing point reducing agent, filler) are classified in
- A23L 29/30, double classification is occasionally possible.
- A23L 33/00: modification of nutritive value without additive e.g. by selection, specific treatment (e.g. cultivation, cooking, processing)
- A23L 33/30: only dietetic methods e.g. special dietetic or dietary regimens, not only for losing weight
- A23L 33/40: food formulations comprising at least all macronutrients (proteins, lipids, carbohydrates). Pre- or post-operative nutritional compositions, complete foods formulations for special purposes or population (infant, elderly, pregnancy, etc.)
- A23L 33/10: Functional food (food or dietary supplement with dietetic or therapeutic indication) are classified in A23L 33/10 which is the main group for functional foods.
- A23L 33/10 Also includes mixtures of additives and other additives not covered by subgroups A23L 33/105 - A23L 33/26. Those additives may also be classified in appropriate subgroups of A23L 5/00 (e.g. A23L 29/30 for sugars, A23L 31/00 for fungi).
Multiple classification for combination of ingredients is preferred when the ingredients are essential for the invention.
In addition, Indexing Codes A23V 2002/00 should be used for indicating a combination of additives and possibly together with their the function.
- A23L 33/135: is used for microorganism having an effect on health, generally probiotics.
- A23L 29/065 is used when the microorganism is used for other purposes, e.g. flavouring, bioconversion of substances, fermentation.
- A23L 13/42: comminuted meat is optional; additives in whole meat pieces are also classified here
In this place, the following terms or expressions are used with the meaning indicated:
Food | In addition to the commonly accepted foods or foodstuffs, the term in this subclass also extends to cover less traditional items such as thickening agents (e.g. starch), flavouring agents, artificial sweeteners, food colouring agents, etc. |
Functional food /dietetic food / nutraceutical | food composition, formulation or supplement having an alleged effect on health or prevention of diseases. |
Essential oil | A concentrated, hydrophobic liquid containing volatile aromatic compounds from plants |
Nutritive value | The nutritive value represents the energetic or calorific content of nutrition |
Examples of places where the subject matter of this place is covered when specially adapted, used for a particular purpose, or incorporated in a larger system:
Removing undesirable, e.g. bitter substances from pulses or legumes |
This place does not cover:
Cooking |
Examples of places in relation to which this place is residual:
Preserving, e.g. by canning, meat, fish, eggs, fruit, vegetables, edible seeds |
Attention is drawn to the following places, which may be of interest for search:
Preservation of foods or foodstuffs, in general, e.g. pasteurising or sterilising, specially adapted for foods or foodstuffs |
This place does not cover:
Preparation of malt for brewing |
In this place, the following terms or expressions are used with the meaning indicated:
Meal | The edible whole or coarsely ground grains of a cereal grass |
Farinaceous | Made from, rich in, or consisting of starch, having a mealy or powdery texture |
Snack | Food products with low water content and a long shelf life |
Semi-finished or partly finished products | Food products that need an extra step, e.g. frying in oil, before being ready-to-eat |
This place covers:
Ready-to-eat cereals that are coated, filled, multilayered or hollow, e.g. a cheese snack comprising a cereal-based core and a cheese coating.
This place covers:
Cereals grains or pieces bonded, shaped or compacted to form snacks, e.g. cereal bars with or without fruits, baked snack comprising fibrous cereals, apple.
This place covers:
Formed cereal dough fried oil to make snacks, e.g. corn-based snack made by frying a corkscrew-shaped food piece, crisp-fried tortilla chips.
Examples of places in relation to which this place is residual:
Donuts, churros and soft tortillas, not considered as snacks as they contain higher water content compared to snack |
This place covers:
Flakes, granules in individual form, loose blends of individual pieces not agglomerated, e.g. cereal-based flakes easily dispersed in a cold liquid.
This place covers:
Individual flakes made from wholegrain or grains pieces, e.g. cereal grains.
This place covers:
Puffed cereals, e.g. "natural" release of pressure from the cereals under heat.
This place covers:
Puffed cereals preparation comprising a step comprising meal or dough making before the final step for obtaining the aerated cereals.
This place covers:
Puffed cereals prepared with a step involving meal or dough making followed by a step of extrusion.
This place covers:
Puffed cereals prepared from whole grain or grain pieces with no step of meal or dough making.
This place covers:
Puffed cereals prepared from whole grain or grain pieces by pressure release, i.e. external pressure, e.g. mechanical, being applied and released, e.g. puffed-food starch material snack prepared from starch material grain such as corn and expansion of the food starch in a puffing chamber.
This place covers:
Puffed cereals prepared from whole grain or grain pieces by heating without the use of external pressurizing device, e.g. process for the preparation of expanded millets comprising the step of treating dried polished grains at high temperature in order to obtain the puffed millets.
This place covers:
Puffed cereals prepared from whole grain or grain pieces by heating without pressure release in an apparatus working intermittently, e.g. domestic apparatus for making pop-corn.
Industrial processes, i.e. continuous processes for making popcorn are not classified in this group.
This place covers:
Pulses, i.e. fruits of leguminous plants, for production of fodder or food; Products from legumes; Preparation or treatment thereof e.g. treatment with phosphates.
In this place, the following terms or expressions are used with the meaning indicated:
Legume,Legumes | Plant in the family Fabaceae or Leguminosae |
Soy bean or soya bean, Soy bean, soya bean, Soy beans, soya beans | The bean of Glycine max |
Examples of places in relation to which this place is residual:
Cheese substitutes, containing neither milk components, nor caseinate, nor lactose, as sources of fats, proteins or carbohydrates |
This place does not cover:
Removing undesirable substances | |
Soy sauce |
Examples of places in relation to which this place is residual:
Cheese substitutes, containing neither milk components, nor caseinate, nor lactose, as sources of fats, proteins or carbohydrates |
Attention is drawn to the following places, which may be of interest for search:
Soy bean sprouts per se or cultivation thereof |
This place does not cover:
Marmalades, jams, jellies or the like | |
Treating harvested fruit or vegetables in bulk |
Attention is drawn to the following places, which may be of interest for search:
Preparation or treatment of pulses |
In this place, the following terms or expressions are used with the meaning indicated:
Essential oil | A concentrated, hydrophobic liquid containing volatile aromatic compounds from plants |
In this place, the following terms or expressions are used with the meaning indicated:
Nutritive value | The nutritive value represents the energetic or calorific content of nutrition |
Attention is drawn to the following places, which may be of interest for search:
Addition of gelling or thickening agents |