IPC 7 English version
Section B
SECTION B – PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING

SEPARATING; MIXING

Notes

 The following notes are meant to assist in the use of this part of the classification scheme; they must not be read as modifying in any way the elaborations.

(1)In this sub-section, the separation of different materials, e.g. of different matter, size, or state, is predominantly found in the following subclasses:

 B01D

 B03B, B03C, B03D

 B04B, B04C

 B07B, B07C.

(2)The classifying characteristics of these subclasses are:

 (i)the physical state of the matter to be separated;

 (ii)the principle of the process used;

 (iii)particular kinds of apparatus.

 The first of these characteristics involves six different aspects, assembled in three groups:

 (a)liquid/liquid or liquid/gas and gas/gas;

 (b)solid/liquid or solid/gas;

 (c)solid/solid.

(3)These subclasses are to be used according to the following general rules:

 –B01D is the most general class as far as separation other than solids from solids is concerned.

 –Apparatus for separating solids from solids are covered by B03B when the process concerned is regarded as the equivalent of "washing" in the sense of the mining art, even if such apparatus is a pneumatic one, especially pneumatic tables or jigs. Screens per se are not covered by this subclass but are classified in B07B, even if they are being used in a wet process. All other apparatus for the separation of solids from solids according to dry methods are classified in B07B.

 –If the separation takes place as a result of the detection or measurement of some feature of the material or articles to be sorted it is classified in B07C.

 It should also be noted that the separation of isotopes of the same chemical element is covered by B01D 59/00, whatever process or apparatus is employed.

(4)The following scheme illustrates the classification according to these rules. 

        TABLE A
 

        LIQUID/LIQUID
 

        LIQUID/GAS
 

        GAS/GAS
 

                                            Subclasses dealing with
 

     Operations                                 Method    Apparatus
 

     General                                     B01D       B01D
 

       by centrifugal force, using centrifuges or
 

       free-vortex apparatus                     B01D       B04B,
 

                                                             B04C
 

       using magnetic or electrostatic effect    B03C       B03C 
 

        TABLE B
 

        SOLID/LIQUID
 

        SOLID/GAS
 

                                            Subclasses dealing with
 

     Operations                                 Method    Apparatus
 

     General                                     B01D       B01D 
 

       by centrifugal force                      B01D       B01D 
 

       using centrifuges or free-vortex
 

         apparatus                               B01D       B04B,
 

                                                             B04C
 

       using magnetic or electrostatic effect    B03C       B03C
 

        TABLE C
 

        SOLID/SOLID
 

     Dry methods
 

                                             Subclasses dealing with
 

     Operations                                 Method    Apparatus
 

     General
 

     material in bulk                            B07B       B07B 
 

     Individual sorting                          B07C       B07C 
 

       Screening, sifting, pneumatic sorting     B07B       B07B 
 

         using pneumatic tables or jigs          B03B       B03B 
 

       by magnetic or electrostatic effect       B03C       B03C 
 

       by centrifugal force                      B07B       B07B 
 

         using centrifuges or free-vortex
 

         apparatus                               B07B       B04B,
 

                                                             B04C
 

     Wet methods
 

                                             Subclasses dealing with
 

     Operations                                 Method    Apparatus
 

     General                                     B03B       B03B 
 

       flotation, differential sedimentation     B03D       B03D 
 

       screening                                 B07B       B07B
 

     Combinations Dry methods - wet methods      B03B 

B 01PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL (furnaces, kilns, ovens, retorts, in general F27)

B 02CRUSHING, PULVERISING, OR DISINTEGRATING; PREPARATORY TREATMENT OF GRAIN FOR MILLING

B 03SEPARATION OF SOLID MATERIALS USING LIQUIDS OR USING PNEUMATIC TABLES OR JIGS; MAGNETIC OR ELECTROSTATIC SEPARATION OF SOLID MATERIALS FROM SOLID MATERIALS OR FLUIDS; SEPARATION BY HIGH-VOLTAGE ELECTRIC FIELDS (separating isotopes B01D 59/00; crushing or disintegrating B02C; centrifuges or vortex apparatus for carrying out physical processes B04) [5]

B 04CENTRIFUGAL APPARATUS OR MACHINES FOR CARRYING-OUT PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES

B 05SPRAYING OR ATOMISING IN GENERAL; APPLYING LIQUIDS OR OTHER FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL (domestic cleaning A47L; cleaning in general by methods essentially involving the use or presence of liquid B08B 3/00; sand-blasting B24C; coating of articles during shaping of substances in a plastic state B29C 39/10, B29C 39/18, B29C 41/20, B29C 41/30, B29C 43/18, B29C 43/28, B29C 45/14, B29C 47/02; for further classification of forming layered products, see B32B; printing, copying B41; conveying articles or workpieces through baths of liquid B65G, e.g. B65G 49/02; handling webs or filaments in general B65H; surface treatment of glass by coating C03C 17/00, C03C 25/10; coating or impregnation of mortars, concrete, stone or ceramics C04B 41/45, C04B 41/61, C04B 41/81; paints, varnishes, lacquers C09D; enamelling of metals, applying a vitreous layer to metals, chemical cleaning or de-greasing of metallic objects C23; electroplating C25D; treating of textile materials by liquids, gases or vapours D06B; laundering D06F; treating roads E01C; apparatus or processes for the preparation or treatment of photosensitive materials G03; apparatus or processes, restricted to a purpose fully provided for in a single other class, see the relevant class covering the purpose) [2]

B 06GENERATING OR TRANSMITTING MECHANICAL VIBRATIONS IN GENERAL

B 07SEPARATING SOLIDS FROM SOLIDS; SORTING (separation in general B01D; wet separating processes, sorting by processes using fluent material in the same way as liquid B03; using liquids B03B, B03D; sorting by magnetic or electrostatic separation of solid materials from solid materials or fluids, separation by high voltage electric fields B03C; centrifuges or vortex apparatus for carrying out physical processes B04; sorting peculiar to particular materials or articles and provided for in other classes, see the relevant classes)

B 08CLEANING

B 09DISPOSAL OF SOLID WASTE; RECLAMATION OF CONTAMINATED SOIL (treatment of waste water, sewage or sludge C02F; treating radioactively contaminated solids G21F 9/28) [3,6]

SHAPING

B 21MECHANICAL METAL-WORKING WITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVING MATERIAL; PUNCHING METAL (casting, powder metallurgy B22; shearing B23D; working of metal by the action of a high concentration of electric current B23H; soldering, welding, flame-cutting B23K; other working of metal B23P; punching sheet material in general B26F; processes for changing of physical properties of metals C21D, C22F; electroforming C25D 1/00)

B 22CASTING; POWDER METALLURGY

B 23MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR (punching, perforating, making articles by processing sheet metal, tubes, or profiles B21D; wire-working B21F; making pins, needles, or nails B21G; making chains B21L; grinding B24)

B 24GRINDING; POLISHING

B 25HAND TOOLS; PORTABLE POWER-DRIVEN TOOLS; HANDLES FOR HAND IMPLEMENTS; WORKSHOP EQUIPMENT; MANIPULATORS

B 26HAND CUTTING TOOLS; CUTTING; SEVERING

B 27WORKING OR PRESERVING WOOD OR SIMILAR MATERIAL; NAILING OR STAPLING MACHINES IN GENERAL

B 28WORKING CEMENT, CLAY, OR STONE

B 29WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL (processing doughs A21C; working chocolate A23G; casting of metals B22; working cement, clay B28; chemical aspects, see section C, particularly C08; working glass C03B; candle making C11C 5/02; making soap C11D 13/00; manufacture of artificial filaments, threads, fibres, bristles or ribbons D01D, D01F; manufacture of articles from cellulosic fibrous suspensions or from papier-māche D21J)

B 30PRESSES

B 31MAKING PAPER ARTICLES; WORKING PAPER (making layered products not composed wholly of paper or cardboard B32B; handling thin material, e.g. sheets, webs, B65H)

B 32LAYERED PRODUCTS

PRINTING

B 41PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS (reproduction or duplication of pictures or patterns by scanning and converting into electrical signals H04N) [4]

B 42BOOKBINDING; ALBUMS; FILES; SPECIAL PRINTED MATTER

B 43WRITING OR DRAWING IMPLEMENTS; BUREAU ACCESSORIES

B 44DECORATIVE ARTS

TRANSPORTING

B 60VEHICLES IN GENERAL

B 61RAILWAYS

B 62LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS

B 63SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT

B 64AIRCRAFT; AVIATION; COSMONAUTICS

B 65CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL

B 66HOISTING; LIFTING; HAULING

B 67OPENING OR CLOSING BOTTLES, JARS OR SIMILAR CONTAINERS; LIQUID HANDLING (nozzles in general B05B; packaging liquids B65B, e.g. B65B 3/00; pumps in general F04; siphons F04F 10/00; valves F16K; handling liquefied gases F17C)

B 68SADDLERY; UPHOLSTERY

MICRO-STRUCTURAL TECHNOLOGY; NANO-TECHNOLOGY [7]

B 81MICRO-STRUCTURAL TECHNOLOGY [7]

B 82NANO-TECHNOLOGY [7]