F
SECTION F — MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
 F01 - 
F42

Note(s)

Guide to the use of this subsection (classes F01-F04)

The following notes are meant to assist in the use of this part of the classification scheme.

  1. In this subsection, subclasses or groups designating "engines" or "pumps" cover methods of operating the same, unless otherwise specifically provided for.
  2. In this subsection, the following terms or expressions are used with the meanings indicated:
    • "engine" means a device for continuously converting fluid energy into mechanical power. Thus, this term includes, for example, steam piston engines or steam turbines, per se, or internal-combustion piston engines, but it excludes single-stroke devices. "Engine" also includes the fluid-motive portion of a meter unless such portion is particularly adapted for use in a meter;
    • "pump" means a device for continuously raising, forcing, compressing, or exhausting fluid by mechanical or other means. Thus, this term includes fans or blowers;
    • "machine" means a device which could equally be an engine and a pump, and not a device which is restricted to an engine or one which is restricted to a pump;
    • "positive displacement" means the way the energy of a working fluid is transformed into mechanical energy, in which variations of volume created by the working fluid in a working chamber produce equivalent displacements of the mechanical member transmitting the energy, the dynamic effect of the fluid being of minor importance, and vice versa;
    • "non-positive displacement" means the way the energy of a working fluid is transformed into mechanical energy, by transformation of the energy of the working fluid into kinetic energy, and vice versa;
    • "oscillating-piston machine" means a positive-displacement machine in which a fluid-engaging work-transmitting member oscillates. This definition applies also to engines and pumps;
    • "rotary-piston machine" means a positive-displacement machine in which a fluid-engaging work-transmitting member rotates about a fixed axis or about an axis moving along a circular or similar orbit. This definition applies also to engines and pumps;
    • "rotary piston" means the work-transmitting member of a rotary-piston machine and may be of any suitable form, e.g., like a toothed gear;
    • "cooperating members" means the "oscillating piston" or "rotary piston" and another member, e.g., the working-chamber wall, which assists in the driving or pumping action;
    • "movement of the co-operating members" is to be interpreted as relative, so that one of the "co-operating members" may be stationary, even though reference may be made to its rotational axis, or both may move;
    • "teeth or tooth equivalents" include lobes, projections or abutments;
    • "internal-axis type" means that the rotational axes of the inner and outer co-operating members remain at all times within the outer member, e.g., in a similar manner to that of a pinion meshing with the internal teeth of a ring gear;
    • "free piston" means a piston of which the length of stroke is not defined by any member driven thereby;
    • "cylinders" means positive-displacement working chambers in general. Thus, this term is not restricted to cylinders of circular cross-section;
    • "main shaft" means the shaft which converts reciprocating piston motion into rotary motion or vice versa;
    • "plant" means an engine together with such additional apparatus as is necessary to run the engine. For example, a steam engine plant includes a steam engine and means for generating the steam;
    • "working fluid" means the driven fluid in a pump and the driving fluid in an engine. The working fluid may be in a gaseous state, i.e., compressible, or liquid. In the former case coexistence of two states is possible;
    • "steam" includes condensable vapours in general, and "special vapour" is used when steam is excluded;
    • "reaction type" as applied to non-positive-displacement machines or engines means machines or engines in which pressure/velocity transformation takes place wholly or partly in the rotor. Mmachines or engines with no, or only slight, pressure/velocity transformation in the rotor are called "impulse type".
  3. In this subsection:
  4. For use of this subsection with a good understanding, it is essential to remember, so far as subclasses F01B, F01C, F01D, F03B, and F04B, F04C, F04D, which form its skeleton, are concerned:
    • the principle which resides in their elaboration,
    • the classifying characteristics which they call for, and
    • their complementarity.
      1. Principle

        This concerns essentially the subclasses listed above. Other subclasses, notably those of class F02, which cover better-defined matter, are not considered here.

        Each subclass covers fundamentally a genus of apparatus (engine or pump) and by extension covers equally "machines" of the same kind. Two different subjects, one having a more general character than the other, are thus covered by the same subclass.

        Subclasses F01B, F03B, F04B, beyond the two subjects which they cover, have further a character of generality in relation to other subclasses concerning the different species of apparatus in the genus concerned.

        This generality applies as well for the two subjects dealt with, without these always being in relation to the same subclasses.

        Thus, subclass F03B, in its part dealing with "machines", should be considered as being the general class relating to subclasses F04B, F04C, and in its part dealing with "engines" as being general in relation to subclass F03C.

      2. Characteristics

        The principal classifying characteristic of the subclass is that of genera of apparatus, of which there are three possible:

        Machines; engines; pumps.

        As stated above, "machines" are always associated with one of the other two genera. These main genera are subdivided according to the general principles of operation of the apparatus:

        Positive displacement; non-positive displacement.

        The positive displacement apparatus are further subdivided according to the ways of putting into effect the principle of operation, that is, to the kind of apparatus:

        Simple reciprocating piston; rotary or oscillating piston; other kind.

        Another classifying characteristic is that of the working fluid, in respect of which three kinds of apparatus are possible, namely:

        Liquid and elastic fluid; elastic fluid; liquid.

      3. Complementarity

        This resides in association of pairs of the subclasses listed above, according to the characteristics under consideration in respect of kind of apparatus or working fluid.

        The subclasses concerned with the various principles, characteristics and complementarity are shown in the following table:

It is seen from this table that:

  
WEAPONS; BLASTING
 F41
WEAPONS
 F41

Note(s)

  1. This class covers also means for practice and training which may have aspects of simulation, e.g. in apparatus for so-called "military games", although simulators are generally covered by class G09[4]
  2. In this class, the following terms or expressions are used with the meanings indicated:
    • "smallarm" means a firearm which is generally held with one or both hands for firing, but this term also includes a light machine-gun which may be supported on a tripod or the like during firing; [5]
    • "gun" means any weapon having a barrel and a trigger or firing mechanism for projecting a missile; it may be a piece of ordnance or a smallarm. It may use combustible or explosive propellant charges, air pressure, electromagnetism or other propulsive forces; [5]
    • "revolver-type gun" means a gun having a revolving drum magazine, the chambers of which are used successively as firing chamber; [5]
    • "revolver" means a revolver-type pistol; [5]
    • "semi-automatic firearm" means a firearm from which one shot is fired after actuation of the trigger and which then returns to a condition for firing a subsequent shot upon renewed actuation of the trigger;
    • "automatic firearm" means a firearm which will continue firing so long as the initial firing pressure is maintained on the trigger;
    • "sighting" means bringing into visual coincidence a direction defined by a so-called "sighting" device with the direction of a target;
    • "aiming" means bringing a weapon to a direction differing from the sighting direction by corrections in order that the projectile may hit the target;
    • "laying" means setting a weapon in the correct position for hitting a target.
  3. Attention is drawn to the definitions of "projectile", "missile" and "rocket" given in Note (2) following the title of class F42[4]
 F41B
WEAPONS FOR PROJECTING MISSILES WITHOUT USE OF EXPLOSIVE OR COMBUSTIBLE PROPELLANT CHARGE; WEAPONS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR (projectiles for fishing, e.g. fish-spears, A01K 81/00; sports implements for throwing A63B 65/00, e.g. boomerangs A63B 65/08; stationary apparatus for projecting sports balls, e.g. tennis balls, A63B 69/40; throwing or slinging toys A63H 33/18, knives, axes B26B; projectiles or missiles other than those incorporating springs as projecting means F42B 6/00)
 F41B
Subclass index
BLOW GUNS 1/00
SLING WEAPONS 3/00
FRICTION-WHEEL OPERATED LAUNCHERS 4/00
BOWS, CROSSBOWS 5/00
ELECTROMAGNETIC LAUNCHERS 6/00
SPRING GUNS 7/00
LIQUID PRESSURE GUNS, e.g. WATER PISTOLS 9/00
AIR GUNS, STEAM GUNS 11/00
THRUSTING WEAPONS, CUTTING WEAPONS CARRIED AS SIDE-ARMS 13/00
OTHER WEAPONS 15/00
 F41B 1/00
Blow guns, i.e. tubes for impelling projectiles, e.g. peas or darts, by the force of the breath (pop guns A63H)
 F41B 3/00
Sling weapons (throwing-apparatus for clay-pigeon or clay-disc targets F41J 9/18)
 F41B 3/02
·  Catapults, e.g. slingshots  [3]
 F41B 3/03
·  ·  Catapults having a pivotable launcher arm  [5]
 F41B 3/04
·  Centrifugal sling apparatus  [3]
 F41B 4/00
Friction-wheel operated launchers  [5]
 F41B 5/00
Bows; Crossbows
 F41B 5/06
·  Quivers  [3]
 F41B 5/10
·  Compound bows  [5]
 F41B 5/12
·  Crossbows  [5]
 F41B 5/14
·  Details of bows; Accessories for arc shooting (sighting devices for bows F41G 1/467)  [5]
 F41B 5/16
·  ·  Archer's finger tabs (sporting arm or hand protectors, e.g. gloves, in general A41D 13/08)  [5]
 F41B 5/18
·  ·  Bow-string drawing or releasing devices (F41B 5/16 takes precedence)  [5]
 F41B 5/20
·  ·  Bow stabilisers or vibration dampers  [5]
 F41B 5/22
·  ·  Arrow rests or guides  [5]
 F41B 6/00
Electromagnetic launchers  [5]
 F41B 7/00
Spring guns (catapults F41B 3/02)
 F41B 7/02
·  the spring forming part of the missile or projectile
 F41B 7/04
·  adapted to discharge harpoons
 F41B 7/08
·  Toy guns
 F41B 9/00
Liquid ejecting guns, e.g. water pistols
 F41B 11/00
Air guns, e.g. air pistols; Steam guns
 F41B 11/02
·  Adaptations for feeding or loading missiles from magazines
 F41B 11/04
·  for ejecting a powder, e.g. pepper
 F41B 11/06
·  with pressure supplied by gas cartridge (F41B 11/08 takes precedence; valves therefor F41B 11/32)
 F41B 11/08
·  adapted to discharge harpoons
 F41B 11/12
·  having an air piston effecting a compressor stroke during the firing of each shot  [5]
 F41B 11/14
·  ·  spring-operated  [5]
 F41B 11/16
·  ·  ·  having an additional slidable mass moving in the opposite direction of the piston, e.g. for recoil reduction  [5]
 F41B 11/18
·  ·  ·  Arrangements for putting the spring under tension  [5]
 F41B 11/20
·  ·  ·  ·  by a rocking lever  [5]
 F41B 11/22
·  ·  ·  ·  ·  in breakdown air guns  [5]
 F41B 11/24
·  having a deformable bellows or bulb pressed during the firing  [5]
 F41B 11/26
·  having precompressed air before the firing (F41B 11/06, F41B 11/08, F41B 11/32 take precedence)  [5]
 F41B 11/28
·  ·  Pumping or compressor arrangements therefor  [5]
 F41B 11/30
·  ·  ·  operated by a rocking-lever system, e.g. in breakdown air guns  [5]
 F41B 11/32
·  Arrangement of valves in, or valves specially adapted for, air guns  [5]
 F41B 11/34
·  Sealing arrangements; Pistons  [5]
 F41B 13/00
Thrusting-weapons (bayonets F41C 27/18); Cutting-weapons carried as side-arms (training appliances for fencing A63B 69/02; sheaths for hand cutting tools B26B 29/00)
 F41B 13/02
·  Sabres; Cutlasses; Swords; Epees
 F41B 13/04
·  ·  Sheaths or scabbards therefor
 F41B 13/06
·  ·  ·  for concealment, e.g. swordsticks
 F41B 13/08
·  Daggers; Stilettoes
 F41B 13/10
·  Lances; Pikes (spears for sporting purposes A63B 65/02)
 F41B 15/00
Weapons not otherwise provided for
 F41B 15/02
·  Batons; Truncheons; Sticks; Shillelaghs
 F41B 15/04
·  ·  with electric stunning-means
 F41B 15/06
·  ·  with inserted knives or spikes
 F41B 15/08
·  Knuckledusters
 F41B 15/10
·  Bolas