US PATENT SUBCLASS 210 / 922
.~ Oil spill cleanup (e.g., bacterial, etc.)

Current as of: June, 1999
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210 /   HD   LIQUID PURIFICATION OR SEPARATION

918  DF  MISCELLANEOUS SPECIFIC TECHNIQUES {5}
922.~ Oil spill cleanup (e.g., bacterial, etc.) {3}
923  DF  .~.~> Using mechanical means (e.g., skimmers, pump, etc.)
924  DF  .~.~> Using physical agent (e.g., sponge, mop, etc.)
925  DF  .~.~> Using chemical agent

DEFINITION

Classification: 210/922

Oil spill cleanup (e.g., bacterial, etc.):

Collection of disclosures under collection 918 directed to recovery or removal of petroleum from a body of water or adjacent shore usually as the result of a mishap during transport or handling of crude.

(1) Note. These references are concerned with offshore drilling accidents, discharge of oil from tankers, ship collisions, etc., and are not concerned with oily emulsions

in industrial sewage such as removal of cutting oil.

(2) Note. The indented subclasses will provide for the majority of the art on oil spill cleanup, but the use of plants, animals, or micro-organisms is classifiable in this subclass.

SEE OR SEARCH CLASS

516, Colloid Systems and Wetting Agents; Subcombinations Thereof; Processes of Making, Stabilizing, Breaking, or Inhibiting,

113+, for compositions for or subcombination compositions for or breaking of or inhibiting of colloid systems (e.g., foam breaking, emulsion breaking, dispersion inhibiting, suspension settling, gel breaking, smoke suppressing, coagulating, flocculating), when generically claimed or when there is no hierarchically superior provision in the USPC for the specifically claimed art. Class 516 is the locus for the breaking of colloid systems generically claimed and provides for (a) the separation or purification of liquids, generally claimed, when performed by a Class 516 process, such as by breaking an emulsion, dispersion, or foam, and for such processes further including ancillary steps, such as, decanting, or passing through a separatory funnel, etc., or (b) processes in which recovery is intended of both water and another product. Class 210 provides for (a) processes which include a step of colloid system resolution of liquids, generally claimed, when combined with a step of separation of a diverse component, unless that step is also a Class 516 step (i.e., multiple Class 516 steps are proper for placement in Class 516), or (b) a step of colloid system breaking, per se, for the purpose of obtaining water, wherein the water may be intended for use or intended to be made suitable for disposal, thus, decontaminating of sewage waste water to be dumped into the ocean using an emulsion breaking step is proper for Class 210.