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; and
- Colouring or decolouring.
Modification of such foods or beverages to change their nutritional content for dietary reasons and these modified foods or beverages per se.
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), preservation (A23B), 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).
This place does not cover:
Preservation of foods, foodstuffs or non-alcoholic beverages |
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 of flour or dough for baking, e.g. by addition of materials; Baking; Bakery products | |
Dairy products, e.g. milk, butter or cheese; Milk or cheese substitutes; making or treatment 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 | |
Treating harvested fruit or vegetables in bulk | |
Machines or apparatus for extracting juice | |
Household machines for straining foodstuffs | |
Apparatus for baking, roasting, grilling or frying | |
Preserving foods or foodstuffs in association with packaging | |
Packages for foodstuffs with provision for absorbing fluids | |
Purifying water | |
Treatment of water by ion-exchange | |
Emulsifiers in general | |
Essential oils in general | |
Preservation of alcoholic beverages | |
Devices for drying foodstuffs |
Further details:
- Group A23L 27/75: includes cyclodextrin complexes;
- Group A23L 27/79: includes dissolvable flavoured films to place in the mouth;
- Group A23L 27/30: concerns sweetening agents. Sugars or other carbohydrates used for non-sweetening purposes (e.g. freezing point reducing agent or filler);
- Group A23L 29/30: double classification is occasionally possible;
- Group A23L 33/00: modification of nutritive value without additive, e.g. by selection or specific treatment (e.g. cultivation, cooking or processing);
- Group A23L 33/30: only dietetic methods, e.g. special dietetic or dietary regimens, not only for losing weight;
- Group A23L 33/40: food formulations comprising at least all macronutrients (proteins, lipids or carbohydrates). Pre- or post-operative nutritional compositions, complete foods formulations for special purposes or populations (infants, the elderly or pregnant women);
- Group A23L 33/10: Functional food (food or dietary supplement with dietetic or therapeutic indication) are classified in group A23L 33/10, which is the main group for functional foods;
- Group 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. group A23L 29/30 for sugars or group A23L 31/00 for fungi).
- Dietetic beverages classified in A23L 2/00 and should also be classified in group A23L 33/00.
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 function:
- Group A23L 33/135: is used for microorganism having an effect on health, generally probiotics;
- Group A23L 29/065: is used when the microorganism is used for other purposes, e.g. flavouring, bioconversion of substances or fermentation;
- Group 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 or foodstuffs | in addition to the commonly accepted meaning of food 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 or food colouring agents |
This place covers:
Non-alcoholic beverages:
- Processing, technological aspects other than apparatuses as such, juice extraction, clarification, filtration or other physical treatments;
- Beverage formulations; and
- Incorporation of additives, e.g. sweetening agents, clouding agents, preservatives or gases.
A23L 2/00 covers non-alcoholic beverages not covered by other specific subclasses, while
- A23C covers milk, milk preparations or yogurt,
- A23F covers coffee or tea,
- A23G 9/045 covers semi-frozen beverages,
- A23K covers animal food, and
- A23L 23/10 covers soups.
This place does not cover:
Soup concentrates | |
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, e.g. coffee whitener compositions | |
Coffee, tea or their substitutes | |
Cocoa products for making liquid products, e.g. chocolate milk | |
Semi-frozen beverages | |
Machines for extracting juices | |
Apparatus for making beverages | |
Preparations for medical purpose | |
Introducing gases into liquids in general or apparatus for impregnating liquids with gases per se | |
Apparatus for dispensing beverages | |
Purifying water | |
Treatment of water by ion-exchange | |
Essential oils in general | |
Alcoholic beverages | |
Analysing food |
All specific examples should be classified as additional information, e.g. a 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 beverages, e.g. sodas, are classified in 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 |
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).
Processes, apparatus/device for shaping food in general should be classified in subclass A23P.
Examples of places in relation to which this place is residual:
Bakery products | |
Milk preparations; Milk powder or milk powder preparations | |
Milk substitutes, coffee whitener compositions | |
Tea flavour; Tea oil; Flavouring of tea or tea extract | |
Coffee flavour; Coffee oil; Flavouring of coffee or coffee extract | |
Working-up proteins for foodstuffs |
Attention is drawn to the following places, which may be of interest for search:
Apiculture | |
Machines or equipment for baking | |
Machines or equipment for making or processing doughs | |
Mechanical processing of meat or fish products | |
Preservation of foods or foodstuffs in general | |
Animal foods | |
Kitchen equipment | |
Apparatus for baking, roasting, grilling or frying | |
Sugars and derivatives, nucleotides | |
Polysaccharides | |
Perfumes, essential oils | |
Emulsifiers in general | |
Microorganisms or enzymes; Compositions thereof; Propagating, preserving or maintaining microorganisms | |
Measuring or testing processes involving microorganisms | |
Microorganisms | |
Processing of sucrose | |
Saccharides obtained from natural sources or by hydrolysis of naturally occurring disaccharides, oligosaccharides or polysaccharides | |
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 or chocolate beverage should be classified in the corresponding subclasses in addition to the relevant subgroup for the sweetener itself.
When classifying in groups A23L 5/00 and A23V 2002/00, indexing system should also be used when appropriate in accordance with A23V 2002/00 classification rules.
In this place, the following terms or expressions are used with the meaning indicated:
food or foodstuffs | in addition to the commonly accepted meaning of 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 or food colouring agents |
functional food/dietetic food/nutraceutical | food composition, formulation or supplement having an alleged effect on health or prevention of diseases |
essential oil | 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 foods, e.g. by roasting or frying |
Attention is drawn to the following places, which may be of interest for search:
Preservation of foods or foodstuffs, in general |
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 does not cover:
Preservation of pulses; Preservation of products from legumes |
In this place, the following terms or expressions are used with the meaning indicated:
legume | plant in the family Fabaceae or Leguminosae |
soy bean or soya bean | 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:
Milk substitutes that may or may not contain lactose, and do not contain other milk components as source of fats, carbohydrates or proteins |
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 |