In this section, the following term is used with the meaning indicated:
"variable" (as a noun) means a feature or property (e.g., a dimension, a physical condition such as temperature, a quality such as density or colour) which, in respect of a particular entity (e.g., an object, a quantity of a substance, a beam of light) and at a particular instant, is capable of being measured; the variable may change, so that its numerical expression may assume different values at different times, in different conditions or in individual cases, but may be constant in respect of a particular entity in certain conditions or for practical purposes (e.g., the length of a bar may be regarded as constant for many purposes).
Attention is drawn to the definitions of terms or expressions used, appearing in the notes of several of the classes in this section, in particular those of "measuring" in class Fulltext... Hierarchy... Expanded...G01 and "control" and "regulation" in class Fulltext... Hierarchy... Expanded...G05.
Classification in this section may present more difficulty than in other sections, because the distinction between different fields of use rests to a considerable extent on differences in the intention of the user rather than on any constructional differences or differences in the manner of use, and because the subjects dealt with are often in effect systems or combinations, which have features or parts in common, rather than "things", which are readily distinguishable as a whole. For example, information (e.g., a set of figures) may be displayed for the purpose of education or advertising (Fulltext... Hierarchy... Expanded...G09), for enabling the result of a measurement to be known (Fulltext... Hierarchy... Expanded...G01), for signalling the information to a distant point or for giving information which has been signalled from a distant point (Fulltext... Hierarchy... Expanded...G08). The words used to describe the purpose depend on features that may be irrelevant to the form of the apparatus concerned, for example, such features as the desired effect on the person who sees the display, or whether the display is controlled from a remote point. Again, a device which responds to some change in a condition, e.g., in the pressure of a fluid, may be used, without modification of the device itself, to give information about the pressure (Fulltext... Hierarchy... Expanded...G01L) or about some other condition linked to the pressure (another subclass of class Fulltext... Hierarchy... Expanded...G01, e.g., Fulltext... Hierarchy... Expanded...G01K for temperature), to make a record of the pressure or of its occurrence (Fulltext... Hierarchy... Expanded...G07C), to give an alarm (Fulltext... Hierarchy... Expanded...G08B), or to control another apparatus (Fulltext... Hierarchy... Expanded...G05).
The classification scheme is intended to enable things of a similar nature (as indicated above) to be classified together. It is therefore particularly necessary for the real nature of any technical subject to be decided before it can be properly classified.
This class covers, in addition to "true" measuring instruments, other indicating or recording devices of analogous construction, and also signalling or control devices insofar as they are concerned with measurement (as defined in Note 2 below) and are not specially adapted to the particular purpose of signalling or control.
In this class, the following term is used with the meaning indicated:
"measuring" is used to cover considerably more than its primary or basic meaning. In this primary sense, it means finding a numerical expression of the value of a variable in relation to a unit or datum or to another variable of the same nature, e.g. expressing a length in terms of another length as in measuring a length with a scale; the value may be obtained directly (as just suggested) or by measuring some other variable of which the value can be related to the value of the required variable, as in measuring a change in temperature by measuring a resultant change in the length of a column of mercury. However, since the same device or instrument may, instead of giving an immediate indication, be used to produce a record or to initiate a signal to produce an indication or control effect, or may be used in combination with other devices or instruments to give a conjoint result from measurement of two or more variables of the same or different kinds, it is necessary to interpret "measuring" as including also any operation that would make it possible to obtain such a numerical expression by the additional use of some way of converting a value into figures. Thus the expression in figures may be actually made by a digital presentation or by reading a scale, or an indication of it may be given without the use of figures, e.g. by some perceptible feature (variable) of the entity (e.g. object, substance, beam of light) of which the variable being measured is a property or condition or by an analogue of such a feature (e.g. the corresponding position of a member without any scale, a corresponding voltage generated in some way). In many cases there is no such value indication but only an indication of difference or equality in relation to a standard or datum (of which the value may or may not be known in figures); the standard or datum may be the value of another variable of the same nature but of a different entity (e.g. a standard measure) or of the same entity at a different time.
In its simplest form, measurement may give merely an indication of presence or absence of a certain condition or quality, e.g. movement (in any direction or in a particular direction), or whether a variable exceeds a predetermined value.
Attention is drawn to the Notes following the title of section G, especially as regards the definition of the term "variable".
In many measuring arrangements, a first variable to be measured is transformed into a second, or further, variables. The second, or further, variables may be (a) a condition related to the first variable and produced in a member, or (b) a displacement of a member. Further transformation may be needed. [6]
When classifying such an arrangement, (i) the transformation step, or each transformation step, that is of interest is classified, or (ii) if interest lies only in the system as a whole, the first variable is classified in the appropriate place. [6]
This is particularly important where two or more conversions take place, for instance where a first variable, for example pressure, is transformed into a second variable, for example an optical property of a sensing body, and that second variable is expressed by means of a third variable, for example an electric effect. In such a case, the following classification places should be considered: the place for the transformation of the first variable, that for sensing the condition caused by that variable, subclass Fulltext... Hierarchy... Expanded...G01D for expression of the measurement, and finally the place for the overall system, if any. [6]
The measurement of change in the value of a physical property is classified in the same subclass as the measurement of that physical property, e.g. measurement of expansion of length is classified in subclass Fulltext... Hierarchy... Expanded...G01B.
by measuring electrical currents passing through the fluid flow; by measuring electrical potential generated by the fluid flow, e.g. by electrochemical, contact, or friction effects (Fulltext... Hierarchy... Expanded...G01F 1/58 takes precedence) [2]
G01F 1/66
·
by measuring frequency, phase shift, or propagation time of electromagnetic or other waves, e.g. ultrasonic flowmeters [2]
G01F 1/68
·
by using thermal effects [2]
G01F 1/684
· ·
Structural arrangements; Mounting of elements, e.g. in relation to fluid flow [6]
G01F 1/688
· · ·
using a particular type of heating, cooling or sensing element [6]
G01F 1/69
· · · ·
of resistive type [6]
G01F 1/692
· · · · ·
Thin-film arrangements [6]
G01F 1/696
· ·
Circuits therefor, e.g. constant-current flow meters [6]
G01F 1/698
· · ·
Feedback or rebalancing circuits, e.g. self heated constant temperature flowmeters [6]
G01F 1/699
· · · ·
by control of a separate heating or cooling element [6]
operating by measuring pressure, force, momentum, or frequency of a fluid flow to which a rotational movement has been imparted [2]
G01F 1/82
· · · ·
using a driven wheel as impeller and one or more other wheels or moving elements which are angularly restrained by a resilient member, e.g. spring member, as the measuring device [2]
G01F 1/84
· · · ·
Gyroscopic mass flowmeters [2]
G01F 1/86
· ·
Indirect mass flowmeters, e.g. measuring volume flow and density, temperature, or pressure [2]
G01F 1/88
· · ·
with differential-pressure measurement to determine the volume flow [2]
G01F 1/90
· · ·
with positive-displacement meter or turbine meter to determine the volume flow [2]
P:40
G01F 3/00
Measuring the volume flow of fluids or fluent solid material wherein the fluid passes through the meter in successive and more or less isolated quantities, the meter being driven by the flow (measuring a proportion of the volume flow Fulltext... Hierarchy... Expanded...G01F 5/00)
G01F 3/02
·
with measuring chambers which expand or contract during measurement
G01F 3/04
· ·
having rigid movable walls
G01F 3/06
· · ·
comprising members rotating in a fluid-tight or substantially fluid-tight manner in a housing
G01F 3/08
· · · ·
Rotary-piston or ring-piston meters
G01F 3/10
· · · ·
Geared or lobed impeller meters
G01F 3/12
· · · ·
Meters with nutating members, e.g. discs
G01F 3/14
· · ·
comprising reciprocating pistons, e.g. reciprocating in a rotating body
on carriers rotated by the weight of the liquid in the measuring chambers
G01F 3/30
·
Wet gas-meters
G01F 3/32
· ·
comprising partitioned drums rotating or nutating in a liquid
G01F 3/34
· ·
comprising bells reciprocating in a liquid
G01F 3/36
·
with stationary measuring chambers having constant volume during measurement (with measuring chambers which expand or contract during measurement Fulltext... Hierarchy... Expanded...G01F 3/02)
G01F 3/38
· ·
having only one measuring chamber
P:30
G01F 5/00
Measuring a proportion of the volume flow
P:20
G01F 7/00
Volume-flow measuring devices with two or more measuring ranges; Compound meters
P:10
G01F 9/00
Measuring volume flow relative to another variable, e.g. of liquid fuel for an engine
G01F 9/02
·
wherein the other variable is the speed of a vehicle
G01F 11/00 - G01F 13/00
Metering by volume
P:60
G01F 11/00
Apparatus requiring external operation adapted at each repeated and identical operation to measure and separate a predetermined volume of fluid or fluent solid material from a supply or container, without regard to weight, and to deliver it
G01F 11/02
·
with measuring chambers which expand or contract during measurement
G01F 11/04
· ·
of the free-piston type
G01F 11/06
· · ·
with provision for varying the stroke of the piston
of the valve type, i.e. the separating being effected by fluid-tight or powder-tight movements (involving the tilting or inverting of the supply vessel Fulltext... Hierarchy... Expanded...G01F 11/26)
G01F 11/14
· · ·
wherein the measuring chamber reciprocates
G01F 11/16
· · · ·
for liquid or semiliquid
G01F 11/18
· · · ·
for fluent solid material
G01F 11/20
· · ·
wherein the measuring chamber rotates or oscillates
G01F 11/22
· · · ·
for liquid or semiliquid
G01F 11/24
· · · ·
for fluent solid material
G01F 11/26
· ·
wherein the measuring chamber is filled and emptied by tilting or inverting the supply vessel, e.g. bottle-emptying apparatus
G01F 11/28
·
with stationary measuring chambers having constant volume during measurement (with measuring chambers which expand or contract during measurement Fulltext... Hierarchy... Expanded...G01F 11/02)
G01F 11/30
· ·
with supply and discharge valves of the lift or plug-lift type
G01F 11/32
· · ·
for liquid or semiliquid
G01F 11/34
· · ·
for fluent solid material
G01F 11/36
· ·
with supply or discharge valves of the rectilinearly-moved slide type
G01F 11/38
· · ·
for liquid or semiliquid
G01F 11/40
· · ·
for fluent or solid material
G01F 11/42
· ·
with supply or discharge valves of the rotary or oscillatory type
G01F 11/44
· · ·
for liquid or semiliquid
G01F 11/46
· · ·
for fluent solid material
P:70
G01F 13/00
Apparatus for measuring by volume and delivering fluids or fluent solid materials, not provided for in the preceding groups
Methods or apparatus for determining the capacity of containers or cavities, or the volume of solid bodies (measuring linear dimensions to determine volume Fulltext... Hierarchy... Expanded...G01B)
P:100
G01F 19/00
Calibrated capacity measures for fluids or fluent solid material, e.g. measuring cups
P:110
G01F 22/00
Methods or apparatus for measuring volume of fluids or fluent solid material, not otherwise provided for [5]
by gauge glasses or other apparatus involving a window or transparent tube for directly observing the level to be measured or the level of a liquid column in free communication with the main body of the liquid
Indicating, recording, or alarm devices being actuated by mechanical or fluid means, e.g. using gas, mercury, or a diaphragm as transmitting element, or by a column of liquid
G01F 23/18
· ·
Indicating, recording, or alarm devices actuated electrically