(under the class definition) Miscellaneous process or apparatus for manufacturing a piezoelectric device or piezoelectric crystal which is not classifiable in a specific class relating to the manufacture of such an article.
(1) Note. A piezoelectric device under this definition is a device which contains a material which exhibits an electrostatic polarization when subjected to mechanical stress or which exhibits a mechanical stress, tending to produce a deflection, when subjected to electric stress, including provision in combination with means to utilize the piezoelectric property of said material. The material may be crystalline or may not be so. The vast majority of piezoelectric substances are crystalline, but a few substances which are not obviously crystalline, such as some barium titanate ceramics and some wax-resin electrets (the electrostatic analogue of the permanent magnet), exhibit piezoelectric properties. Since, in theory, piezoelectricity is attributed to certain types of anisotropy in the material, those piezoelectric materials which are not obviously crystalline may be regarded as having a quasi-crystalline structure and the expression piezoelectric crystal is adopted, for convenience of expression, as being generic to both types of material in the shaped (as distinguished from the bulk) state where the shape (e.g., plate, AT cut) is disclosed as being significant to the piezoelectric property of the material. In summary: Piezoelectric material = material in bulk. Piezoelectric crystal = material shaped for piezo-electricity. Piezoelectric device = piezoelectric material or crystal + utilization means (e.g., electrodes holder).
(2) Note. This subclass is not limited to the manufacture of a piezoelectric device by a metal working operation, but includes the manufacture of such a device by any type of operation where no other class provides for the entire subject matter claimed.
(3) Note. This subclass includes patents relating to the manufacture of the type of piezoelectric devices classified in Class 310, Electrical Generator or Motor Structure, subclasses 8+. Other classes which provide for piezoelectric devices may also include methods and apparatus for manufacturing the piezoelectric devices in those other classes. For a list of such other classes consult the search notes below.
(4) Note. Where a patent includes a claim to the piezoelectric device in addition to a claim to the process of or apparatus for manufacturing the piezoelectric device, the patent is classified in the article class and cross-referenced here.
(5) Note. A process or apparatus for manufacturing a piezoelectric device when claimed in combination with a method or apparatus for using said piezoelectric device, is not classified in this subclass, but is classified in the class which pertains to the use.
SEE OR SEARCH THIS CLASS, SUBCLASS: 25.41+, and the classes referred to in the search notes of
that subclass for a method or apparatus for manufacturing an electric condenser which method or apparatus may be useful in the manufacture of a piezoelectric device.
592.1+, for a process, not elsewhere classified of manufacturing or assembling an electrical conductor or circuit.
729+, for miscellaneous apparatus not elsewhere classified for assembling electrical apparatus.
SEE OR SEARCH CLASS
53, Package Making, for a method or apparatus for sealing a housing or envelope which is disclosed as containing piezoelectric crystals and for that subject matter where the claims recite merely that the housing contains a crystal (as distinguished, for example, from a crystal which is mounted within the housing). Note particularly
470+, and 239 where the housing is filled with both an article and fluent material and subclasses 403+ and 79+ where the housing is filled with a gas or evacuated and closed.
73, Measuring and Testing,
570, for a piezoelectric transducer which couples an alternating current electric circuit and a device having mechanical vibrations for testing purposes or for the testing system which utilizes such a transducer.
106, Compositions: Coating or Plastic, for a composition useful to coat a piezoelectric crystal or device, as for waterproofing.
117, Single-Crystal, Oriented-Crystal, and Epitaxy Growth Processes; Non-Coating Apparatus Therefor, for processes and non-coating apparatus for growing therein-defined single-crystal of all types of materials, including piezoelectric materials.
118, Coating Apparatus, for miscellaneous coating apparatus. Note particularly 668+, where the coating is under the control of a characteristic of the workpiece (as when the coating apparatus is controlled by the varying resonant frequency of a piezoelectric crystal being coated), subclasses 715+ for vacuum evaporation coating apparatus, and subclasses 300+ for projection or spray type coating apparatus.
125, Stone Working, for a method or apparatus for shaping (e.g., sawing, drilling, surfacing) a piezoelectric crystal which utilizes a cutting tool (as distinguished from an abrasive or abradant tool). Such method and apparatus in Class 125 may include determining the crystallos:graphic orientation of the crystal.
134, Cleaning and Liquid Contact With Solids, for a method or means for cleaning a piezoelectric crystal which may include merely treatment in a chemical bath or may include a mechanical operation.
156, Adhesive Bonding and Miscellaneous Chemical Manufacture,
345, provides for differential or pattern etching of piezoelectric materials. Class 156 is also the generic home for a process or apparatus for adhesively bonding materials and thus various crystal making steps relating to bonding, per se, may be there classified.
174, Electricity: Conductors and Insulators,
50+, and the classes referred to in the search notes of that class for a housing or an envelope having means for conducting electricity between the inside and outside of the housing. Included is such housing or envelope as is used for piezoelectric crystals.
200, Electricity: Circuit Makers and Breakers,
181,.
204, Chemistry: Electrical and Wave Energy, for an electrical method or apparatus for coating a piezoelectric crystal. Search
192.1+, for a method of coating by cathode sputtering, subclasses 193+ for electrolytic apparatus, and subclasses 298.01+ for cathode sputtering apparatus. Search subclasses 155+, and 164+ for a method of treating a compound by electricity or wave energy, such as neutron bombardment or X-ray radiation, to produce therein chemical changes which may be manifested by associated physical changes. Such method may be under the automatic control of some property of the material being treated or may be under manual control. 205, Electrolysis: Processes, Compositions Used Therein, and Methods of Preparing the Compositions,
118+, for electrolytic methods of applying a coating where an electrolytic and a nonelectrolytic step are combined as where copper is electrolytically plated over a chemically deposited silver layer.
216, Etching a Substrate: Processes,
13, for forming of an electrical conductor, e.g., circuit, etc.
220, Receptacles, for the structure of housings, casings, and envelopes, per se. Note particularly
2.1+, where the housing, casing, or envelope is of the electric discharge tube or similar (such as piezoelectric crystal) type and subclasses 3.2+ where the housing, casing, or envelope is of the outlet or junction box type.
228, Metal Fusion Bonding,
101+, for the method of soldering a metal to metal joint, such as the joint between a metallic coating on a quartz crystal and an electrode wire, and subclass 903 for an art collection of patents directed to a method of bonding metallic and nonmetallic part by a metallurgical bond, e.g., a method of joining an electrode wire to a quartz crystal.
250, Radiant Energy, search
306+, for methods of testing (as distinguished from treating a piezoelectric crystal by subjecting it to electronic or ionic rays) and for apparatus for testing or treating a piezoelectric crystal by subjecting it to electronic or ionic rays. Apparatus for treating piezoelectric crystals in Class 250 may be under the automatic control of some property, such as resonant frequency of the crystal being treated, or may be under manual control. Crystal goniometers in Class 250 may mark the crystallos:graphic axis on the crystal being tested or may position the crystal in a certain orientation with respect to the testing ray or may otherwise indicate the crystallos:graphic axis; however, crystal goniometers which, in addition, mount the crystal in a holder or cut it or perform some operation other than, and in addition, to the testing are not classified in Class 250.
252, Compositions, 62.9, for piezoelectric compositions.
260, Chemistry of Carbon Compounds, for a process of crystallizing organic compounds, the process being classified with its product. Note particularly
707, for a process of crystallizing organic compounds limited to no specific type of compound. The product of such a process and also the seed crystals used in the process are classified as chemical compounds. Seed crystals combined with supports are classified as crystallizing apparatus in Class 23, subclass 273. Organic piezoelectric chemicals, per se, when shaped to claimed configurations where the configuration is disclosed as being significant to the piezoelectric property of the crystal (e.g., plate, AT cut) are not classified in Class 260 (see the reference to Class 171, subclass 327, above). Organic chemicals are classified in Class 260, even though claimed as being piezoelectric, where the chemical is not claimed as being shaped with respect to the piezoelectric property and where it is uncombined with piezoelectric structure.
264, Plastic and Nonmetallic Article Shaping or Treating:
Processes,
405+, for that class operation by direct application of electrical or wave energy to work.
310, Electrical Generator or Motor Structure,
311+, for piezoelectric crystal devices other than those combined with an art device.
315, Electric Lamp and Discharge Devices: Systems,
55, for the structural combination of a piezoelectric crystal and a space discharge device or electric lamp.
318, Electricity: Motive Power Systems,
116, for electric motor control systems where the electric motor is of the piezoelectric type. 324, Electricity: Measuring and Testing, for a process of or means for subjecting a piezoelectric crystal to an electric test as for predicting its frequency drift, for determining the polarity of charge produced by mechanical stress, or for determining its activity. Search
76.39+, for frequency determination. Note that indented subclass 76.49 relates to piezoelectric crystals among other devices.
331, Oscillators,
73, 139, 156, and 158 for electrical oscillator systems utilizing piezoelectric crystals.
332, Modulators,
117+, for frequency modulators which utilize a piezoelectric crystal.
333, Wave Transmission Lines and Networks,
150, for electric delay networks utilizing piezoelectric crystals and subclass 187 for electric wave filters utilizing piezoelectric crystals.
356, Optics: Measuring and Testing,
31, for methods and apparatus for determining the crystallos:graphic axis of a crystal by optical means. Crystal goniometers in Class 356 may mark the crystallos:graphic axis on the crystal being tested or may position the crystal in a certain orientation with respect to the light rays. Methods of determining the crystallos:graphic axis which include chemically etching the crystal to develop etching pits which can be observed optically are included in subclass 31. Crystal goniometers which, in addition, mount
the crystal in a holder or cut it or perform some operation other than or in addition to the testing are not classified in Class 356.
359, Optics: Systems (Including Communication) and Elements, 230, for light control by a piezoelectric opaque element.
361, Electricity: Electrical Systems and Devices,
225+, for the step of merely charging or polarizing piezoelectric material.
366, Agitating,
127, for method of and apparatus for agitating actuated by a piezoelectric device.
367, Communications, Electrical: Acoustic Wave System and Devices,
87+, for echo signaling or object sensing systems which may use a piezoelectric transducer, subclasses 118+ and, particularly, subclasses 157+ for underwater piezoelectric signaling or object sensing transducers, and subclass 180 for other piezoelectric signaling or object sensing transducers.
369, Dynamic Information Storage or Retrieval,
144, for the structure of piezoelectric phonograph pickups.
378, X-Ray or Gamma Ray Systems or Devices,
78, for piezoelectric crystallography.
379, Telephonic Communications, for the structure of a piezoelectric microphone. 381, Electrical Audio Signal Processing Systems and Devices,
173,.
422, Chemical Apparatus and Process Disinfecting, Deodorizing, Preserving, or Sterilizing,
245+, for chemical apparatus for producing crystals.
423, Chemistry of Inorganic Compounds, for inorganic compounds, per se, even though claimed as having piezoelectric properties.
427, Coating Processes,
100, for a coating process, per se, wherein a product having piezoelectric properties is formed.
451, Abrading, for a method or apparatus for abrading the
surface of a piezoelectric crystal to adjust its resonant frequency. Such an abrading method or apparatus may be under time control or under the control of the varying resonant frequency of the crystal being abraded. Note particularly
32+, for a process of abrading by tumbling, subclass 37 for a combined process including tumbling and sand blasting, subclasses 41+ for a process of abrading a crystal, subclass 78 for a sandblast machine, and subclasses 326+ for a tumbling machine used for abrading.
501, Compositions: Ceramic, for ceramic compositions used as dielectrics.
562, Organic Compounds, 580, for a process of crystallizing Rochelle salt.
585, Chemistry of Hydrocarbon Compounds, especially
479, and 812+ for obtaining hydrocarbons in crystalline form. See the search note in this subclass to Class 260.
