US PATENT CLASS 112
Class Notes
Current as of: June, 1999
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DEFINITION
Classification: 112/
This is the generic locus for patents for (1) sewing machines, (2) methods of sewing, and (3) stock material products of a sewing operation. This class is also residual for patents for sewn articles which are not specifically provided for in any other class.
SCOPE OF THE CLASS
Sewing is the operation of uniting or ornamenting material by means of a strand which is inserted (stitched) in the material at spaced locations by a needle having an eye, or equivalent structure, and enchained or otherwise locked in position.
With the addition of product subclasses, no change has been made in the relationship of this class with other classes in regard to patents for machines and processes. See Lines With Other Classes and Within This Class, below, for the reference to product subclasses.
LINES WITH OTHER CLASSES
PRODUCT SUBCLASSES
With the addition of product subclasses 400-441, inclusive, no change has been made in the relationship of this class with other classes in regard to patents for machines and processes.
Regarding patents for products, it is intended that only such patents in which layers have been secured together, or a strand has been affixed to a base, solely by a stitching operation shall be placed in this class. However, patents for such products which include structure which is the result of an operation which may be considered ancillary to the stitching operation (e.g., manipulating, folding, cutting) or which include merely a description of the sewn material (e.g., woven, knitted, braided, carded, twisted) will not be excluded from this class. A patent for a stock material product resulting from a combined operation (e.g., sewn and coated or bonded) will be placed in an appropriate subclass in Class 428, Stock Material or Miscellaneous Articles, and see the main definition of that class, (428), section V1 A 1.
It is recognized that patents for sewn stock material may be found in other classes. No attempt has been made at this time to collect such patents in this class. It is expected that when such other classes are reclassified, sewn stock material patents will be transferred to this class (112).
Search notes to related classes will be found under the definition of subclass 400 for products, subclass 2 for apparatus, and subclass 262.1 for methods.
REFERENCES TO OTHER CLASSES
SEE OR SEARCH CLASS
606, Surgery,
144+, for mechanical sewing devices for sewing parts of the animal body.
GLOSSARY:
BLIND STITCH
A stitch in which the sewing thread penetrates only one nonthickness surface of a layer or component. See Figure 1. [figure]
COMPONENT
A distinct unitary element of a composite web or sheet which is longitudinally coextensive therewith and which, if separated from said multi-part web or sheet, would be recognized as a web or sheet by itself.
A component may consist of plural layers as in the folded component shown in Figure 2. [figure]
COMPOSITE SHEET
A sheet comprising a plurality of components.
COMPOSITE WEB
A web comprising a plurality of components.
CONCEALED STITCH
A stitch in which the sewing thread completely penetrates one or more layers of material and is hidden from view on at least one side of the assembly by a fold of material overlying the stitch. See Figure 3. [figure]
FIBER
A relatively short, slender, flexible element of macroscopic size and finite length and having a width and thickness of the same order magnitude. A fiber is generally of staple length to facilitate being spun, twisted, or otherwise secured together into a composite strand but may be of shorter length requiring bonding, felting, or matting to form a strand or layer. It may be of animal (e.g., wool, rabbit hair); vegetable (e.g., cotton, jute, hemp); or mineral (e.g., asbestos, glass, metal) origin; and may be either natural, modified, or synthetic.
LAYER
A single thickness of material or materials in the form of a panel, web, or sheet, or a plurality of any of these in side-by-side coplanar relation, or particulate material arranged in continuity to constitute a distinct stratum. A layer may include a plurality of components as in Figure 4. [figure]
NONTHICKNESS SURFACE
The surface of a web, sheet, layer, or component on which both its length and width may be measured. See Figure 5. [figure]
OVEREDGE STITCH
A stitch wherein the sewing thread extends thickness-wise across a marginal extremity of one or more layers of material without penetrating side extremity. See Figure 6. [figure]
PANEL
A portion of material of finite perimeter having length and width greater than thickness and (a) having a modification or embellishment of or on the entire periphery thereof or at least two nonadjacent corners, (b) being completely enclosed in an envelope which substantially conforms thereto, or (c) having a boundary shape which is other than rectangle.
SHEET
A rectangular portion of material of finite length and width which are each greater than its thickness. A piece of material having a peripheral shape other than rectangular will be considered a panel.
STRAND
A relatively slender and flexible element having a width and thickness of the same order of magnitude and a length which is either (a) indeterminate or (b) coextensive with the length or width of a sheet or layer. A strand may be a monofilament or it may include either a plurality of filaments or fibers disposed in parallelism (e.g., tow) or constituent fibers and/or filaments knitted, plaited, braided, twisted, interlaced, interlocked, or otherwise secured together to form a unit such as roving, thread yarn, cord, rope or cable. STRAND PORTION
A strand of finite length; or an unsevered but determinate part of a strand.
STRIP
A web or sheet of relatively narrow ribbon-like material. A strip which is interwoven or intertangled with other strips or strands in the same manner as a strand will be termed a "strand-like strip".
WEB
A portion of material having length and width each greater than its thickness and with at least its longitudinal dimension undetermined.
A web may comprise (a) a single thickness of material, (b) a plurality of portions of a single piece of material folded onto each other longitudinally or transversely, or (c) a plurality of individual web components joined together in longitudinally coextensive face or edge contact to form a composite web.