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
the subclass number
preceding each subclass definition or on the
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( please note that patents for some subclasses may not be available )
For classification search strategies, please refer to the
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 503
RECORD RECEIVER HAVING PLURAL INTERACTIVE LEAVES OR A
COLORLESS COLOR FORMER, METHOD OF USE, OR DEVELOPER
THEREFOR
Class Definition:
Material which is used to form a visible record by a reactive
or interactive, usually chemical or physico-chemical,
phenomenon or a method of using such a material to form a
record. The formation phenomenon is one of the following: (a)
The chemical decomposition of a colorless substance to form a
substance having color; (b) the chemical combination of two
or more colorless chemical moieties to produce a substance
having color; (c) The further chemical change of (a) or (b)
above, to form a color different from an original color; and
(d) The chemical or physico-chemical complementarity between
the bottom surface of one sheet of a record receiver and the
top surface of an adjacent sheet with which the first sheet
id associated.
Generally, the phenomenon in cases (a) through (d) is thought
about by the application to the record receiver of heat
and/or pressure in the areas to be "marked".
REFERENCES TO OTHER CLASSES
SEE OR SEARCH CLASS:
346, Recorders, 134 for record receivers of other type and
the definitions to that subclass for the identity of other
classes or subclasses where other record receivers may be
placed.
427, Coating Processes, appropriate subclasses for a method
of making a record receiver as herein, by coating substrate,
and especially 213.3 for a process of making a solid
microcapsule by coating.
428, Stock Material or Miscellaneous Articles, 402.2 and
402.24 for composite microcapsules; and subclasses 411.1+ for
composite material in general, many of which may be used in
or as record receivers; see especially subclasses 488.1+ for
so-called "carbon paper", and some other paper coated with
transferable material.
430, Radiation Imagery Chemistry: Process, Composition, or
Product Thereof, appropriate subclass for radiation-sensitive
(photos:graphic) materials in general, including those
intended to be used for making a record by imagewise exposure
to a radiant heat source, e.g., a laser. Where a receiver is
claimed which can function due to conductive imagewise
heating or radiant imagewise heating, the patent is
classified in Class 430 and cross-referenced here (Class
503).
462, Books, Strips, and Leaves for Manifolding, see
especially 17, 55+ and 66+ for plural leaf paper sets
including transfers and receiving sheets.
SUBCLASSES
Subclass:
200
HAVING A COLORLESS COLOR FORMER, DEVELOPER THEREFORE OR
METHOD OF USE:
Material which is used to form a visible record by causing a
substance to react chemically to form a color where there was
no color, or to form a different color from the original, or
a method of using such material.
(1) Note. Usually the color change occurs when a colorless
chemical entity, called a "color former" is brought to a
different state of electronic equilibrium by contacting the
entity with a "developer generally are kept separate on the
unused recording material, for example, by confining each
reactant to a different, mating surface of a plurality of
sheets, by confining one or more of the reactants to
"microcapsules", etc. The reactants are brought into contact
by the application of pressure, heat, etc., to localized
areas of the recording material.
SEE OR SEARCH CLASS:
8, Bleaching and Dyeing; Fluid Treatment and Chemical
Modification of Textiles and Fibers, 636 for a dye
composition in general.
264, Plastic and Nonmetallic Article Shaping or Treating:
Processes, 4.1 for a liquid encapsulation process to make a
microcapsule.
428, Stock Material or Miscellaneous Articles, 402.2 and
402.24 for microcapsules with liquid and solid cores
respectively. However, if the core material is disclosed to
be an expanding (blowing) agent see Class 521, subclass 50,
(4) Note for a limitation to those subclasses.
Subclass:
201
Method of use, kit or combined with marking instrument or
organ:
This subclass is indented under subclass 200. Subject
matter, directed to a method of using a recording material of
the present type; such recording material in combination with
other articles which may at one time or another be used with
material; or such material in combination with an instrument
or part of the human body which can transmit the energy, for
example, heat, pressure, etc., needed to cause recording to
take place.
SEE OR SEARCH CLASS:
206, Special Receptacle or Package, 223 for an assemblage or
kit in general.
400, Typewriting Machines, 237 for a typewriter ribbon,
whether claimed in combination with a typewriter or not.
Subclass:
202
Color developed by mere decomposition of color-former:
This subclass is indented under subclass 200. Subject matter
in which the color-former is such that breaking up the
color-former molecule) (e.g., by ionization, etc.) is
sufficient to form a color without the need for the
color-former molecule or fragment of it to react with another
molecule.
Subclass:
203
Duplicating master:
This subclass is indented under subclass 200. Subject matter
wherein the product is such that it can be used to produce
further copies of the record by a "printing", that is, a
nonphotos:graphic, technique.
SEE OR SEARCH CLASS:
101, Printing, subclass 112 and 127+ for stencil plates;
subclasses 453+ and 463.1+ for lithos:graphic printing plates
and elements, and 368+ for printing members.
430, Radiation Imagery Chemistry: Process, Composition, or
Product Thereof, appropriate subclasses for light sensitive
materials suitable for imagewise reproduction of visible
materials and especially subclass 5 for a radiation mask
and/or a method of making it.
Subclass:
204
Plural colors or plural diverse systems:
This subclass is indented under subclass 200. Subject matter
in which the final recording is in two or more colors, other
than the color of the background, or two or more distinct
shades of a single "color" or in which the recording takes
place by using two or more different color-producing systems;
e.g., a pressure responsive system plus a heat-responsive
system; a carbonless system plus a "carbon paper" type
system, etc.
(1) Note. This subclass does not provide for a mere mixture
of color formers and/or developers.
Subclass:
205
Having a color desensitizer:
This subclass is indented under subclass 200. Subject matter
wherein a named substance which chemically deactivates one or
both of the reactants is employed to reduce, extinguish or
prevent the formation of a colored substance.
SEE OR SEARCH THIS CLASS, SUBCLASS:
214 for a recording material wherein color formation is
prevented by the use of a named physical barrier, e.g.,
microcapsules to isolate the reactants.
Subclass:
206
Component noncoextensive with substrate:
This subclass is indented under subclass 200. Subject matter
wherein one layer of the recording material does not entirely
cover an adjacent layer of the material.
(1) Note. This subclass provides for those materials which
have color-forming or development reagents on only a portion
of a sheet of wherein certain portions are masked.
Subclass:
207
Having nonreactant particles or defined size:
This subclass is indented under subclass 200. Subject matter
in which the recording material contains particles, other
than merely color-former particles or developer particles,
which particles are designated as having a particular
relative or absolute size.
(1) Note. The size-designated particles often are larger
than any reactive particles in the recording material, so
that they may serve to protect reactive particles from
unwanted contact, e.g., "stilt" particles, etc.
Subclass:
208
Having constituent defined in terms of melting temperature:
This subclass is indented under subclass 200. Subject matter
wherein a composition which makes up part of the recording
material has, as one of its constituents, a compound or
mixture or macromolecule which is characterized by its
melting temperature.
(1) Note. The recording material included herein generally
are those designed for color development in response to
localized heating, for example, by an electric stylus.
Subclass:
209
Having nonchromogenic liquid spread-control or
transfer-improving agent or component, color modifier,
stabilizer or preservative:
This subclass is indented under subclass 200. Subject matter
which contains a substance, other than that which reacts to
form a color, which can affect (a) the spreading of a liquid
constituent of the recording material, (b) the transfer of a
constituent from one part, or (c) the darkness, lightness, or
other visual property of the final colored mark, or prevent
changes in the mark in the finished record.
Subclass:
210
Heavy metal reactant:
This subclass is indented under subclass 200. Subject matter
in which the color is developed by a chemical change in a
compound containing a metal having a specific gravity greater
than 4.0.
(1) Note. Excluded here, by the definition of "heavy metal",
are the alkali metals, the alkaline earth metals, magnesium
and aluminum.
Subclass:
211
Metal of atomic number 22 - 30:
This subclass is indented under subclass 210. Subject matter
wherein the metal is titanium, vanadium, chromium, manganese,
iron, cobalt, nickel, copper or zinc.
Subclass:
212
Zinc:
This subclass is indented under subclass 211. Subject matter
in which the heavy metal is zinc.
Subclass:
213
Identified solvent or dispersant for color-former other than
mere mineral oil:
This subclass is indented under subclass 200. Subject matter
in which the color-former is dissolved or dispersed in a
named mineral oil having an additive or in a liquid other
than mineral oil named in the claims.
Subclass:
214
Identified reactant isolating material or capsule wall
material or binder resin:
This subclass is indented under subclass 200. Subject matter
in which the finely-divided color-former masses and/or the
developer particles are protected from contact with other
materials by use of a material named in the claims; are
enclosed or encapsulated by a material named in the claims or
are held to each other or to 9 other substances by a material
named in the claims.
Subclass:
215
Synthetic resin capsule walls:
This subclass is indented under subclass 214. Subject matter
in which the composition of a synthetic resin which serves to
encapsulate a reactant is named.
Subclass:
216
Identified organic electron acceptor (developer) other than
phenolic resin:
This subclass is indented under subclass 200. Subject matter
in which a claim names an organic material (other than a
synthetic resin made from a mixture which includes phenol)
which organic material has acid characteristics sufficient to
bring out the color of a color-former contacted therewith.
Subclass:
217
And identified color-former:
This subclass is indented under subclass 216. Subject matter
in which a claim names a substance which, under the influence
of contact with the developer, changes from colorless or
otherwise ineffective for to a colored form or other state
suitable for recording information.
Subclass:
218
Identified color-former:
This subclass is indented under subclass 200. Subject matter
wherein a substance is named in the claims which changes from
a colored form or other state suitable for recording
information.
Subclass:
219
And identified inorganic electron acceptor (developer) other
than mere clay:
This subclass is indented under subclass 218. Subject matter
in which a claim names an inorganic material other than clay,
which has acid characteristics sufficient to bring out the
color-former contacted therewith.
(1) Note. This subclass provides for clay which has been
subjected to a specified treatment to alter or enhance its
activity or characteristics.
Subclass:
220
Furanone moiety-containing:
This subclass is indented under subclass 218. Subject matter
wherein the color-former contains the phthalide or furanone
moiety, viz.: [figure]
Subclass:
221
Fluoran or derivative:
This subclass is indented under subclass 200. Subject matter
wherein the color-former is 0-phenolphthalien anhydride
(dihydroxydiphenyl phthalide anhydride) or compound derived
from it by substitution for a hydrogen. [figure]
Subclass:
222
Molecule having plural fluorans or more than three rings
fused together:
This subclass is indented under subclass 221. Subject matter
in which the color former compound has in its molecule two or
more fluoran moieties, or has a polycyclo ring system in
which a ring shares two of its carbon atoms with one other
ring, and two more of its carbons with second other ring.
Subclass:
223
Azole moiety-containing:
This subclass is indented under subclass 218. Subject matter
which contain the moiety [figure]
Subclass:
224
Polyphenylmethane moiety-containing:
This subclass is indented under subclass 218. Subject matter
in which the color-former molecule has a single acyclic
carbon atom between at least two benzene rings.
Subclass:
225
Identified electron acceptor (developer):
This subclass is indented under subclass 200. Subject matter
in which a claim names a material which has acid
characteristics sufficient to bring out the color of a
color-former contacted therewith.
Subclass:
226
Spatial relationship specified between color-former and
developer:
This subclass is indented under subclass 200. Subject matter
wherein the relative distance between color-former and
developer is specified; e.g., both in the same layer, on
opposite sides of the same carrier sheet, etc.
SEE OR SEARCH THIS CLASS, SUBCLASS:
214 for a recording material of this type having a named
material keeping the color-former and the developer apart.
Subclass:
227
HAVING PLURAL INTERACTIVE LEAVES:
Material which is used to form a visible record comprising
plural leaves so associated that the bottom surface of a top
leaf, so as to produce a mark, usually upon the application
of pressure in a direction normal to the plane of the
leaves.
(1) Note. The interaction may comprise any chemical or
physical phenomenon and is usually dependent upon the
complementarity of the composition or physical
characteristics of the facing surfaces; in the usual case a
frangible transfer surface on one sheet mates with the
adhesive surface of a receiver sheet.
SEE OR SEARCH THIS CLASS, SUBCLASS:
200 for similar subject matter where one of the said
surfaces provides a colorless color-forming material for
development by a reactant material in said other surface.
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