IPC Definitions - January 01, 2012
B65D - Definition
This subclass covers:
Rigid or semi-rigid containers in general (e.g. containers formed by folding or erecting one or more blanks of stiff paper) that are used for temporarily holding goods or materials during their storage or transport, which goods or materials are intended to be eventually removed from the container for their intended purpose.
Structural details of, and fittings for, rigid or semi-rigid containers (e.g. linings, partitions, inspection windows, handles, nesting/stacking features), not covered elsewhere.
Flexible containers in general (e.g. sacks, bags, squeezable toothpaste tubes) that are used for temporarily holding goods or materials during their storage or transport, which goods or materials are intended to be eventually removed from the container for their intended purpose.
Structural details of, and fittings for, flexible containers, not covered elsewhere.
Devices or structure for closing access openings for flexible, rigid or semi-rigid containers to prevent spillage of the goods or materials stored therein (e.g. caps, crown seals, foil or paper covers, lids or discs).
Structural details of access openings for flexible, rigid or semi-rigid containers that are specially adapted to cooperate with, or are characterized by the form of, the closure devices or structure used with them (e.g. screw thread around opening).
Means for securing the above closure devices, filling and discharging devices, arrangements for preventing refilling (e.g. by tampering or adding unwanted or noxious substances), means for discouraging unauthorized opening (e.g. child-proof closures), and other details.
Kinds or types of packaging elements, e.g. external or internal frames, straps for bundling, wrappers etc.
Kinds or types of packages, e.g. bundles, bales, articles attached to cards, sheets or webs or (partially) enclosed in strips, sheets, blanks, tubes or webs of flexible sheet material, and packages formed by enclosing articles or materials in preformed containers.
Containers, packaging elements or packages of special types or forms, or specially adapted for organisms, articles or materials presenting particular transport, storage or dispensing problems; such as for frangible material, storing in vacuum or superatmospheric pressure, preventing deterioration or decay of contents.
Containers specially adapted for particular articles or materials, e.g. tyres, cigarettes, spaghetti, eggs, optical apparatus, bricks, tape cassettes, sweets, jumbo rolls, machines or engines, ice-cream, poisons or corrosive chemicals.
Large containers, e.g. of ISO type (see Glossary), especially for bulk storage or for carrying freight.
Containers, packaging elements or packages with auxiliary means or provision for displaying articles or materials.
Methods of packaging which are wholly characterised by the form of the package produced or the form of the container or packaging element used.
Constructional features of foldable or erectable containers or wrapper blanks, including containers or wrappers formed by folding or erecting such blanks.
Relationship between large subject matter areas
This subclass is intended to be as comprehensive as possible. However, subject matter not classified in B65D is explained below under ‘Special rules of classification within this subclass’.
There is some affinity between this subclass and subclass B65B which covers machines, apparatus or devices for, or methods of, packaging articles or materials. This subclass (B65D) covers methods of packaging that are wholly characterised by the form of the package produced or by the form of the container or packaging element used, as distinct from the operations performed or the apparatus employed, which are covered by subclass B65B.
There is also affinity between this subclass and subclasses B67BB67C and B67D. B67B covers methods or apparatus for applying closure members to bottles, jars or similar containers or for opening closed containers; it also covers securing bottle closures with wire or protecting or decorating such closures, whereas this subclass (B65D) covers the closures themselves.
B67C covers methods or apparatus for filling or emptying of bottles or other containers, while this subclass (B65D) covers constructions of containers or closures that allow filling or emptying. B67D covers methods or apparatus for dispensing, delivering or transferring liquids from containers, while this subclass (B65D) covers constructions of containers or closures that allow such dispensing, delivering or transferring.
Reference should be made to subclasses dealing with the working of the material concerned (e.g. class B29) or to subclass B31B in respect of forming foldable or erectable blanks.
Whilst function-orientated aspects of containers and packages are covered by B65D, it will be readily appreciated that various application-orientated aspects of containers and packages may be classified elsewhere in the scheme. Paragraphs 85-87 of the guide will help to clarify whether an invention lies the function of disclosed technical matter, or the way in which it is applied.
For a non-exhaustive list of possible places where applications of containers and packages may be classified outside of B65D, the reader is directed to the section "References relevant to classification in this subclass" below.
References relevant to classification in this subclass
This subclass does not cover:
Containers specially adapted for use in dairies | A01J |
Receptacles for live fish, containers for angling | A01K |
Match boxes, receptacles for cigars, cigarettes or cigarette papers | A24F |
Portable containers for personal belongings, e.g. purses, luggage, hand-carried bags | A45C |
Containers or accessories specially adapted for handling toiletry or cosmetic substances | A45D |
Travelling or camp equipment, sacks or packs carried on the body | A45F |
Containers for household or table equipment | A47G |
Kitchen containers | A47J |
Liquid handling | B67 |
Storing gases or liquids | F17 |
Attention is drawn to the following places, which may be of interest for search:
Liquid sprayers; nozzles or spouts | B05B |
Making closures by working sheet metal | B21D 51/44 |
Affixing labels | B65C 3/06 |
Special rules of classification
This subclass onlyexcludescontainers or packages of a nature clearly confined to a single other subclass, which are classified in that subclass.
In this subclass, groups B65D 5/00B65D 27/00, B65D 30/00 or B65D 65/00 include constructional features of foldable or erectable container or wrapper blanks as well as the containers or wrappers formed by folding or erecting such blanks.
Containers, packaging elements or packages classified in group B65D 85/00 are also classified according to their constructional or functional features, if such features are of interest.
Tamper-indicating means for containers of closures are classified in the group appropriate to the type of container or closure, e.g. B65D 5/43B65D 5/54, B65D 17/00B65D 27/30, B65D 27/34B65D 33/34, B65D 41/32B65D 47/36, B65D 49/12B65D 51/20, B65D 55/06.
In this subclass, the following terms or expressions are used with the meaning indicated:
Accessories | In relation to the word "accessories" in the B65D subclass title, this word means fixtures or fittings which are associated with the container to fulfil a particular purpose relative to the functioning of the container. |
Blank | Any sheet of paper or other planar material that is pre-shaped, cut/punched out to have holes or slots, perforated/slit to form fold lines, or otherwise modified so that it can subsequently be folded or erected according to a pre-selected pattern to form a container such as a box or carton. Blanks are frequently interim products of a manufacturing process that will require further assembly operations (e.g. corner gluing of carton) to become actual containers. However, the term also covers blanks that require only manual manipulation to fashion or disassemble a container and this is normally done for purposes of economical storage of the container (e.g. folding packing boxes for house moves). |
Container | A structure having both a bottom portion for supporting removable contents stored or shipped therein, and a peripheral wall structure for at least partially surrounding or encompassing the contents while stored or transported, including structures where the same physical wall can fulfil both these functions. |
Flexible containers | These include: containers deformed by, or taking up the shape of, their contents; and containers adapted to be permanently deformed to expel their contents. |
Large containers | Containers of approximately the size used in container traffic, variously referred to as freight, shipping, bulk storage, forwarding, "ISO" (International Standardization Organization) or intermodal containers. |
Packages | These include: combinations of containers or packaging elements with articles or materials to be stored or transported; and articles joined together for convenience of storage or transport. |
Packaging elements | These include: elements, other than containers, for covering, protecting, stiffening or holding together articles or materials to be stored or transported; and packaging materials of special type or form not provided for in other subclasses. |
Paper | In relation to this subclass, this term includes materials, e.g. cardboard, plastic sheet materials, laminated materials or metal foils, worked in a manner analogous to paper. |
Rigid or semi-rigid containers | These include: containers not deformed by, or not taking up the shape of, their contents; containers adapted to be temporarily deformed to expel their contents; pallets; and trays. |