CPC Definition - Subclass C22B
This place covers:
Metallurgical or chemical processes for producing or recovering metals from metal compounds, ores, waste or scrap metal and for refining metal. Included in this subclass are processes drawn to:
the production of metal by smelting, roasting or furnace method;
the extraction of metal compounds from ore and concentrates by wet processes;
electrochemical treatment of ores and metallurgical products for obtaining metals or alloys; apparatus thereof;
preliminary treatment of ores, concentrates and scrap;
general process for refining or remelting metals;
apparatus for electroslag or arc remelting of metals;
obtaining specific metals;
consolidating metalliferous charges or treating agents that are subsequently used in other processes of this subclass, by agglomerating, compacting, indurating or sintering.
This subclass covers the treatment, e.g. decarburization, of metallferrous material for purposes of refining. C21C, C21D and C22F provide decarburization of metal for modifying the physical structure of ferrous and nonferrous metals or alloys, respectively.
C22B also possesses groups for obtaining metals including obtaining metals by chemical processes, and obtaining metal compounds by metallurgical processes. Thus, for example, group C22B 11/00 covers the production of silver by reduction of ammoniacal silver oxide in solution, and group C22B 25/00 covers the production of titanium oxide by metallurgical process. Furthermore, although compounds of arsenic and antimony are classified in C01G, production of the elements themselves is covered by C22B, as well as the production of their compounds by metallurgical processes.
This place does not cover:
Flotation of ores | |
Working metallic powder; manufacture of articles from metallic powder; making metallic powder | |
Silicon | |
Manufacture of iron and steel | |
Processing of pig-iron, manufacture of wrought iron or steel, treatment in molten state of ferrous alloys | |
Electrolytic production or refining of metals |
Attention is drawn to the following places, which may be of interest for search:
Processes of non-metallurgical separating of materials. | |
Autoclaves | |
Separating solids from solids | |
Destroying solid waste or transforming solid waste into something useful or harmless | |
Casting of metals | |
Obtaining metal compounds by non-metallurgical processes | |
Treatment of slag | |
Alloys, making alloys | |
Coating material with metallic material | |
Furnaces |
In this subclass, groups for obtaining metals include obtaining metals by non-metallurgical process, and obtaining metal compounds by metallurgical process.
Classification of additional information
When classifying in groups C22B 1/00 - C22B 9/00, the nature of any metal which is considered to represent the information of interest for search may also be classified in the main groups only of C22B 11/00 - C22B 61/00. Such classification is not compulsory, however, very desirable. This can, for example, be the case when it is considered of interest to enable searching for extraction of specific metal or their compounds.
The Indexing Codes are present but are not compulsory.
Subgroups and head groups
As a general rule the last place priority rule applies.
If a document concerns embodiments which are covered by several subgroups (e.g. C22B 3/065 - C22B 3/10) dependent on a higher hierarchy group (head group, e.g. C22B 3/06), the following rules apply:
the specific technical information relevant for some of the subgroups is classified (EC) in all said subgroups;
if relevant, the combination of the elements covered by the subgroups is classified (EC) in the head group;
analogously, if generic technical information common to all of the subgroups is disclosed and only schematic embodiments of the specific subgroup embodiments are represented, the document is classified (EC) in the head group
For example:
If a document discloses an acidic leaching process of an ore or concentrate in general, then classify in the head group C22B 3/06;
In this place, the following terms or expressions are used with the meaning indicated:
Carburizing | Treatment of a metal with an externally supplied source of carbon resulting in the chemical reaction or diffusion of the carbon into the metal. |
Decarburization | Treatment of a metal to remove carbon therefrom. |
Hydrometallurgy | A generic term for processes involving solution in water or other liquid in which metalliferous material or metal is treated to prepare metal, to purify or to refine metal or to prepare intermediate materials more suitable for use in preparing metal (e.g. extracting, leaching, beneficiating, etc.) |
Leaching | Extraction by dissolving soluble constituents from insoluble materials. Either the extracted solution or the insoluble material may contain the desired metalliferous material from which metal is obtained. |
Pyrometallurgy | A generic term for processes carried out at relatively high temperatures, usually in furnaces, in which metalliferous material or metal is treated to prepare metal, to purify or to refine free metal, or to prepare intermediate materials more suitable for use in preparing metals (e.g. smelting, roasting, etc) |
Reducing | Changing from a higher to a lower oxidation state such as, for example, from ferric to ferrous state or to the elemental state |
Refining | Purification of metal by removal of impurities therefrom. |
Roasting | The treatment of an ore or concentrate with heat and causing partial or full oxidation of the reactive species present in the ore or concentrate to facilitate metal extraction. |
Slag | A vitreous mass that separates from fused metals during smelting or refining of metalliferous material. |
Smelting | Treatment of metalliferous material, typically a metal sulfide ore or concentrate, with sufficient heat to cause melting of the sulfide mineral(s) in the ore or concentrate such that a molten metal sulfide phase is formed. |
In patent documents, the following abbreviations are often used:
Working-up | pre-treatment of ores or concentrates such as by consolidation |
Beneficiating | processes of enrichment of ores and concentrates such as by leaching |
Indurating | heat treatment of ores or concentrates such as by forming hardened pellets of metalliferous material. |
Cementation | connection in hydrometallurgical processes refers to the precipitation of metalliferous material |
This place covers:
Removing sulfur, phosphorus or arsenic other than by roasting (C22B 1/11).
Agglomerating; Briquetting; Binding; Granulating (C22B 1/14 - C22B 1/248 ).
Cooling of roasted, sintered and agglomerated ore (C22B 1/26).
Attention is drawn to the following places, which may be of interest for search:
Flotation | |
Sintering apparatus |
In subgroups C22B 3/262 - C22B 3/41 compounds are classified in the last appropriate place.
This place covers:
Waste metallurgical products such as slags or ores treated electrochemically, electrothermally, e.g. microwaves; electrochemical treatment of platinum group metals or noble metals
The following subgroups are used when the light or heavy metals or non-ferrous alloys are directly produced via electrochemical treatment.
Light metals (C22B 4/02).
Heavy metals (C22B 4/04).
Non-ferrous alloys (C22B 4/06)
Apparatus (C22B 4/08).
This place does not cover:
Electrolytic production or refining of metals |
Attention is drawn to the following places, which may be of interest for search:
Discharge tubes with the provision for introducing objects or materials to be exposed to the discharge, e.g. gas filled discharge tubes (plasma apparatus) |
When a ore is processed by electrochemical treatment and the metal is obtained e.g. by smelting or leaching, not directly by electrochemical treatment, it's classified in C22B 4/00 and an additional symbol is given for corresponding metal(s).
This place covers:
Attention is drawn to the following places, which may be of interest for search:
Manufacture of iron and steel |
This place covers:
Dry methods (C22B 7/001 - C22B 7/004).
Separation by a physical processing (C22B 7/005)
General method for recovering metals from spent catalysts (C22B 7/009)
Working-up flue dust (C22B 7/02)
Working-up slag (C22B 7/04)
This place covers:
Diverse methods for refining metals in liquid state (C22B 9/003 - C22B 9/106).
Refining metals in solid state (C22B 9/14).
Remelting materials for purpose of refinining (C22B 9/16 - C22B 9/228).
Attention is drawn to the following places, which may be of interest for search:
Treatment of fused masses in the ladle or the supply runners before casting |
This place covers:
Obtaining noble metals by dry methods (C22B 11/02 - C22B 11/028 ).
Obtaining noble metals by wet methods (C22B 11/04 - C22B 11/048).
Chloridising and cyaniding (C22B 11/06 and C22B 11/08).
Amalgamating and the apparatus thereof (C22B 11/10 and C22B 11/12).
This place covers:
Obtaining lead by dry methods (C22B 13/02 and C22B 13/025).
Obtaining lead by wet methods (C22B 13/04 - C22B 13/045).
Refining (C22B 13/06 - C22B 13/10).
This place covers:
Preliminary treatment of copper raw materials (C22B 15/0002 - C22B 15/0023).
Obtaining copper by means of pyrometallurgy (C22B 15/0026 - C22B 15/006).
Obtaining copper by means of hydrometallurgy (C22B 15/0063 - C22B 15/0093).
Process or regulation methods (C22B 15/0095 and C22B 15/0097).
This place covers:
The extraction metallurgy of cadmium including refining (C22B 17/02 - C22B 17/06).
This place covers:
Preliminary treatment of zinc ores as well as preliminary refining of zinc oxide (C22B 19/02).
Obtaining zinc by distilling (C22B 19/04 - C22B 19/18).
Obtaining zinc other than by distilling (C22B 19/20 - C22B 19/26).
Obtaining zinc from residues (C22B 19/28 and C22B 19/30).
Refining zinc (C22B 19/32).
Obtaining zinc oxide (C22B 19/34 - C22B 19/38).
This place does not cover:
Zinc oxide obtained by non-metallurgical process |
This place covers:
Preliminary treatment of aluminium raw materials (C22B 21/0007).
Obtaining aluminium by wet processes (C22B 21/0015 - C22B 21/003).
Obtaining aluminium by other processes (C22B 21/0038 - C22B 21/0076, C22B 21/02 and C22B 21/04).
Melting, remelting and refining (C22B 21/0084 and C22B21/00J2, C22B 21/06 - C22B 21/068).
This place covers:
Preliminary treatment of ores (C22B 15/0002 ).
By dry processes (C22B 23/02 - C22B 23/028).
By wet processes (C22B 23/04 - C22B 11/048 ).
Refining (C22B 23/06 and C22B 23/065).
This place covers:
Obtaining tin by dry process, wet process and from scrap (C22B 25/02 - C22B 25/06).
Refining (C22B 25/08).
This place does not cover:
Electrolytic production of tin |
This place covers:
Extractive metallurgy of the above metals (C22B26/02 - C22B 26/22).
This place covers:
Extractive metallurgy of the above metals (C22B 30/02 - C22B 30/06).
This place covers:
Obtaining titanium, zirconium or hafnium (C22B 34/10 - C22B 34/14).
Obtaining niobium, tantalum or vanadium (C22B 34/20 - C22B 34/24).
Obtaining chromium, molybdenum or tungsten (C22B 34/30 - C22B 34/365).
This place does not cover:
Treatment or purification of solutions by adsorption on solids | |
Treatment or purification of solutions by liquid-liquid extraction | |
Treatment or purification of solutions by ion exchange extraction | |
Preparation of molybdenum involving liquid-liquid extraction, adsorption or ion-exchange |
Attention is drawn to the following places, which may be of interest for search:
Working up raw materials other than ores, e.g. scrap, to produce non-ferrous metals and compounds thereof |
This place covers:
From spent catalysts (C22B 47/0009).
Treating ocean floor nodules (C22B 47/0018 - C22B 47/009).
This place covers:
Obtaining thorium, uranium and other actinides (C22B 60/02 - C22B 60/0295).
Obtaining plutonium (C22B 60/04).
This place does not cover:
Nuclear fuel reprocessing | |
Conversion of chemical elements; radioactive sources |
Attention is drawn to the following places, which may be of interest for search:
Isotopic separation effect | |
Uranium compounds | |
Decontamination process |
This place covers:
Production of metals not elsewhere provided for in the subclass C22B.
This place does not cover:
Metallurgy of iron |
C22B 61/00 may be used in combination with general groups of C22B, i.e. if the production of a metal not covered by other C22B subgroups is done by hydrometallurgy, then classification is done in C22B 61/00 and C22B 3/00 subgroups. If the metal is obtained form scrap, then classification in C22B 61/00 and C22B 7/00 subgroups.