US PATENT CLASS 331
Class Notes
Current as of: June, 1999
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DEFINITION
Classification: 331/
This is the generic class for electrical oscillators.
LINES WITH OTHER CLASSES
ELECTRICAL OSCILLATORS OR WAVE GENERATORS OR PRODUCERS CLASSIFIED ELSEWHERE
See Classes in References to Other Classes, below.
OSCILLATOR COMBINED WITH OTHER APPARATUS OR SYSTEMS
See References to Other Classes, below.
REFERENCES TO OTHER CLASSES
SEE OR SEARCH CLASS
84, Music, 671, 722 for electric oscillator tone generation systems combined with, or restricted to use with, means to convert the generated tone waves into musical sounds. (Oscillator Combined With Other Apparatus Or Systems.)
123, Internal-Combustion Engines,
148, for significant internal combustion engine structure combined with high tension ignition system, which system may utilize an electric oscillator. (Oscillator Combined With Other Apparatus Or Systems.)
178, Telegraphy, appropriate subclasses, for telegraph apparatus and systems that may employ electrical oscillators; see particularly
43, for space induction systems, subclasses 66.1+ for alternating, sine or similar wave current telegraph systems. (Oscillator Combined With Other Apparatus Or Systems.)
200, Electricity: Circuit Makers and Breakers,
19.01+, for the structure of circuit makers and breakers designed to be periodically closed and opened; subclass 136.3
for time-controlled or continuously driven thermal switch.. (Electrical Oscillators or Wave Generators or Producers.)
204, Chemistry: Electrical and Wave Energy, appropriate subclasses for processes and apparatus for producing chemical changes through the agency of electrical wave energy; see particularly
155+, 157.15+ and 164+ for the processes, and subclasses 193+ for the corresponding apparatus which may utilize electrical wave energy generators or oscillators. (Oscillator Combined With Other Apparatus Or Systems.)
219, Electric Heating, appropriate subclasses, for electrical heating systems or apparatus that may employ electrical oscillators as elements thereof;
600+, for inductive heating, subclasses 678+ for microwave heating, and subclasses 764+ for capacitive dielectric heating, (Oscillator Combined With Other Apparatus Or Systems.) 246, Railway Switches and Signals, appropriate subclasses, for railway switching and signaling systems; see particularly
7+, for train dispatching telegraphy and telephony systems, and subclass 30 for Hertzian wave controlled automatic block signal systems, which systems may employ electrical oscillators. (Oscillator Combined With Other Apparatus Or Systems.)
290, Prime-Mover Dynamo Plants, appropriate subclasses, for prime mover driven dynamo systems, wherein the prime mover is other than an electric motor and wherein the dynamo may be an alternating current generator. (Electrical Oscillators or Wave Generators or Producers Classified Elsewhere, above.)
307, Electrical Transmission of Interconnection Systems,
106+, for class appropriate waveform or wave shape determinative or pulse producing systems (usually of the delay line type) to produce periodic pulses of predetermined wave shape in the output of the network; subclass 132 provides for free-running electromagnetic circuit maker and breaker-type pulse producers. (Electrical Oscillators or Wave Generators or Producers.)
310, Electrical Generator or Motor Structure, appropriate subclasses, for the structure of alternating current generators for converting mechanical energy into electrical energy;
300+, provides for nondynamoelectric generators (or motors) while subclasses 10+ provides for dynamoelectric machines, subclasses 40+ provides for rotary machines, indented subclass 159 provides for alternating current generators and
indented subclasses 169+, in particular, provides for high frequency inductor generators of the variable reluctance type (e.g., Alexanderson alternator). (Electrical Oscillators or Wave Generators or Producers)
315, Electric Lamp and Discharge Devices: Systems, appropriate subclasses, for oscillator systems similar to those classified in this class (331), but wherein no means for deriving a useful output from the system is claimed. See particularly
3+, for cathode-ray tube circuits including a cathode-ray tube combined with circuit element structure, indented subclasses 3.5+ provides for traveling wave tubes, and indented subclasses 4+ provides for cathode ray tubes including distributed parameter resonant devices (e.g., cavity resonators); subclasses 39+ provides for discharge devices in general with distributed parameter elements (e.g., wave guides, coaxial lines, which devices usually are resonators); subclasses 227+ provides for gaseous space discharge device systems with capacitor in the supply circuit, many of these systems being self-sustaining oscillators. (Electrical Oscillators or Wave Generators or Producers)
315, Electric Lamp and Discharge Devices: Systems, appropriate subclasses, provides for systems for supplying electrical energy to cathode-ray tubes, electric lamp, diode or gaseous space discharge devices, which systems may be self-oscillatory or wherein the source of supply for the devices may be an electrical oscillator; in particular,
364+, provides for cathode-ray tube deflecting systems which may utilize an electrical oscillator as a sweep or deflection source, subclass 97 provides for pulsating or A.C. supply for the cathode or heater of plural load device systems and subclass 105 provides for pulsating or A.C. supply for the cathode or heater of a single load device, subclasses 137+ provides for polyphase A.C. supply, subclasses 160+ provides for plural power supplies which may be pulsating or A.C., and subclasses 246+ provides for pulsating or A.C. supply systems in general. 318, Electricity: Motive Power Systems,
130, for reciprocating motor systems wherein the energizing winding circuit of the motor is supplied by an electrical oscillator, and subclass 341 for electric motor control systems wherein the motor armature or primary circuit is supplied by an adjustable frequency or impulse generator or oscillator to control or vary the motor speed. (Oscillator Combined With Other Apparatus Or Systems.)
322, Electricity: Single Generator Systems, appropriate subclasses, for apparatus for converting nonelectric energy directly into electrical energy, which may be alternating current. Except for
2, which provides for nonmagnetic type generator systems (e.g., thermoelectric, photoelectric, piezoelectric, electrostatic generators, etc.), and subclass 3, which provides for reciprocating or oscillating type generators, the remaining subclasses comprise mainly patents directed to rotating dynamoelectric machine generator systems. (Electrical Oscillators or Wave Generators or Producers Classified Elsewhere, above.)
323, Electricity: Power Supply or Regulation Systems, particularly
282, and 351 for intermittently operated final control devices.
324, Electricity: Measuring and Testing, appropriate subclasses, for electrical measuring and testing systems and apparatus which may employ electrical oscillators. For example,
307+, provides for nuclear induction testing systems utilizing adjustable frequency oscillators to determine nuclear resonance characteristics of material under test. Also, electrical oscillators may be employed in the following testing and measuring subclasses of Class 324; subclass 56 for piezoelectric crystal testing, subclasses 57+ for impedance and admittance measuring systems, subclasses 76.41+ for heterodyne type frequency measuring systems, subclass 85 for phase comparison systems utilizing frequency conversion, and subclass 118 for electricity measuring systems utilizing modulator-demodulator means. (Oscillator Combined With Other Apparatus Or Systems.)
327, Miscellaneous Active Electrical Nonlinear Devices, Circuits, and Systems,
291+, for miscellaneous clock or pulse waveform generation which is not free running. (Electrical Oscillators or Wave Generators or Producers Classified Elsewhere, above.)
329, Demodulators, 302, 306+, 323+, 346, and 358+ for diverse types of demodulator with oscillators. (Oscillator Combined With Other Apparatus Or Systems.)
330, Amplifiers,
10, for linear active element amplifiers of the modulator-demodulator type utilizing an oscillator. (Oscillator Combined With Other Apparatus Or Systems.)
332, Modulators, appropriate subclasses, for electrical oscillators provided with means for varying some characteristic of the generated wave (e.g., amplitude, frequency or phase of a sine wave or pulse repetition rate,
position, amplitude, width or slope of a repetitious pulse) in accordance with an intelligence which continually varies in an arbitrary manner. (Oscillator Combined With Other Apparatus Or Systems.)
333, Wave Transmission Lines and Networks,
19, for electric wave differentiating or integrating systems of the passive type; subclass 20 for passive type electric wave shaping networks, and subclasses 219+ for resonators, per se, of the distributed parameter type. (Electrical Oscillators or Wave Generators or Producers Classified Elsewhere, above.)
334, Tuners, appropriate subclasses for tuned networks for use in wave energy apparatus and comprising inductance and capacitance elements in circuit arrangement to form a resonant circuit and in which structure is provided for adjusting one or both of these elements for changing the mean resonant frequency of the circuit.
335, Electricity: Magnetically Operated Switches, Magnets, and Electromagnets,
87+, for the structure of electromagnetically operated switches of the periodic type. (Electrical Oscillators or Wave Generators or Producers Classified Elsewhere, above.)
337, Electricity: Electrothermally or Thermally Actuated Switches,
51, 92+ and 301+ for particular types of thermally controlled periodically operated switches. (Electrical Oscillators or Wave Generators or Producers Classified Elsewhere, above.) 340, Communications: Electrical, appropriate subclasses, for electric signaling systems that may employ electrical oscillators; for example,
203+, provides for oscillators of the pulse modulated or modulating type in a telemetering system; similarly, subclasses 207+ provides for phase or frequency modulated oscillators, subclass 209 provides for amplitude modulated oscillators in a telemetering system, and subclasses 345+ provides for code transmitters which may employ oscillators; and subclasses 825.69 and 825.72 for a control signal used for control purposes. (Oscillator Combined With Other Apparatus Or Systems.)
343, Communications: Radio Wave Antennas, appropriate subclasses, for electrical apparatus or systems directed to the generation, control and radiation or reception of wave energy propagated through free space, which apparatus or systems may employ electrical oscillators; for example,
5+, provides for reflected or returned wave systems (object detection, radar), subclasses 100+ provides for directive
systems. (Oscillator Combined With Other Apparatus Or Systems.)
348, Television,
536+, and 735 for television systems that may include electrical oscillators. (Oscillator Combined With Other Apparatus Or Systems.)
361, Electricity: Electrical Systems and Devices,
203, for relay systems using an electrical oscillator (Oscillator Combined With Other Apparatus Or Systems.)
361, Electricity: Electrical Systems and Devices,
268+, for the structure of so-called spark, induction or ignition coils having integral vibratory circuit interrupters, usually in the primary winding circuit and indented subclasses 270+ wherein a capacitor is included. (Electrical Oscillators or Wave Generators or Producers.)
361, Electricity: Electrical Systems and Devices, appropriate subclasses for systems or apparatus that may employ electrical oscillators; particularly, 203, which provides for the combination of an oscillator and electromagnet load and electrical oscillator controlled relay systems. (Oscillator Combined With Other Apparatus Or Systems.)
363, Electric Power Conversion Systems, appropriate subclasses for wave generating or producing systems analogous to those classified in Class 331. Some of the systems for converting direct current to alternating current (e.g., derectifiers, inverters) in Class 363 are indistinguishable from the oscillators in Class 331. The distinction appears to be one of degree, that is, the inverters classified in Class 363 usually are designed to convert direct current power to alternating current power at commercial power frequency (e.g., 25, 50, or 60 cycles per second). See
1+, for combined conversion systems, subclasses 9+ for phase and frequency conversion, and subclasses 15+ and 34+ for plural current conversion systems (e.g., D.C.-A.C.-D.C., and A.C.-D.C.-A.C.); subclasses 13+ for current conversion systems (rectification, derectification), subclasses 102+ for dynamoelectric machine converters, subclasses 111+ for electronic tube converters, subclasses 123+ for semiconductor-type converters, subclass 140 for impedance-type converters, subclasses 106+ for circuit interrupter-type converters, and subclasses 157+ for frequency converting systems wherein input alternating current of one frequency is converted into output alternating current without intermediate conversion to direct current. (Electrical Oscillators or Wave Generators or Producers Classified Elsewhere)
363, Electric Power Conversion Systems,
1+, for cascaded or combined diverse conversion, subclasses 13+ for current conversion systems, subclasses 148+ for phase conversion, and subclasses 157+ for frequency conversion systems. (Oscillator Combined With Other Apparatus Or Systems.)
370, Multiplex Communications, appropriate subclasses for oscillators used with multiplexing.
373, Industrial Electric Heating Furnaces, appropriate subclasses, for electric furnaces that may employ an oscillator for supplying or controlling the electric current for the furnaces, see particularly
138+, for induction furnaces that may utilize an oscillator to supply the furnace charge melting inductor. (Oscillator Combined With Other Apparatus Or Systems.)
375, Pulse or Digital Communications,
354+, for pulse communications synchronization. (Oscillator Combined With Other Apparatus Or Systems.)
455, Telecommunications, 91+, for transmitters using electrical oscillators; subclasses 130+ for receivers using electrical oscillators; subclasses 145+ for local oscillators in panoramic receivers; subclass 196 for local oscillator tuning in radio receivers; subclasses 208+ for local oscillator control in frequency modulation receivers; subclasses 255+ for local oscillator control in radio receiver automatic frequency control; and subclasses 313+ for local oscillators insuperhetrodyne receivers. (Oscillator Combined With Other Apparatus Or Systems.)
505, Superconductor Technology: Apparatus, Material, Process,
150+, for high temperature (Tc 30 K) superconducting devices; and particularly subclass 204 for oscillators or subclass 180 for masers made with high temperature superconducting material. (Electrical Oscillators or Wave Generators or Producers Classified Elsewhere, above.)
505, Superconductor Technology: Apparatus, Material, Process,
150+, for high temperature (Tc 30 K) superconducting systems that may contain oscillators; particularly subclass 204 for oscillators, or subclass 180 for masers made with high temperature superconducting material. (Oscillator Combined With Other Apparatus Or
Systems.)
607, Surgery: Light, Thermal, and Electrical Application,
72+, for oscillator systems combined with or forming a part of a therapeutic device. (Oscillator Combined With Other Apparatus Or Systems.)
GLOSSARY:
ACTIVE ELEMENT
A control device for exerting a control on a source of energy proportional to an applied control signal. A conventional triode, having cathode, control grid on anode, connected as a conventional amplifier, is an example of an active network, a control potential applied to the grid causing a flow of anode current, supplied by the anode biasing source, proportional to the magnitude of the control potential.
AMPLITUDE STABILIZATION The correction for, prevention of, or compensation for an undesired change in amplitude of the generated waves of the oscillator from a desired value.
AUTOMATIC FREQUENCY STABILIZATION
The restoration of the generated frequency of the oscillator to a desired value by sensing the deviation in frequency, in direction and amount, from the desired value and instituting a corrective action proportional to sensed deviation to adjust the frequency determining element of the oscillator in such direction and amount so as to return the oscillator frequency to the desired value.
BEAM TUBE
An active element comprising a source of charged particles, means for concentrating the particles into a directed beam, means for exerting a control on the beam (e.g., beam accelerating electrode, control grid, deflecting means, slow wave structure, buncher type resonator, reflector electrode, etc.) and means for deriving output energy from the controlled beam.
BEAT FREQUENCY
The resulting difference (or sum) frequency wave, among other waves, produced when two waves of different frequencies are combined in a nonlinear device.
DISTRIBUTED PARAMETER RESONATOR
A resonator of the distributed network type, the capacitance, inductance and resistance of which cannot be isolated into separate lumped capacitors, inductors or resistors and
wherein the time factor of propagation of wave energy in the network is appreciable.
ELECTRICAL NOISE OR RANDOM WAVE GENERATOR
A wave generator system wherein the frequency determining element consists of a material medium including electrically charged, chargeable or ionizable particles, the application of electrical energy to the medium by the driving means causing random translatory motion of the charged or ionizable particles resulting in the generation of an infinite number of waves of different frequencies which are fortuitously related, having no definite phase relationship, period, amplitude or shape. ELECTROMECHANICAL RESONATOR
A resonator comprising an electrically driven material body wherein the mass and compliance parameters of the body determine the mechanical period of vibration of the body and wherein the driving electrical circuit for the body exhibits electrical resonance characteristics which are determined by the mechanical period of vibration of the body.
FREE RUNNING OSCILLATOR
An oscillator wherein the driving system continuously supplies the losses of the frequency determining means so as to produce sustained oscillations.
FREQUENCY ADJUSTING MEANS
Means for setting or controlling the generated frequency of the oscillator by varying a frequency determining element of the oscillator.
FREQUENCY DETERMINING ELEMENT
A passive network or device of the resonant or time constant type, which network or device forms the element of the oscillator which sets or determines the frequency or periodicity of the generated oscillations.
FREQUENCY STABILIZATION
The correction for, prevention of, or compensation for an undesired drift or change in the frequency of the generated waves of the oscillator from a desired value.
GASEOUS SPACE DISCHARGE DEVICE
A space discharge device having at least two electrodes in a gaseous or vapor medium, conduction between the electrodes taking place by ionization of the medium. HARMONIC OR SINE WAVE OSCILLATOR
A free running oscillator for generating sinusoidal or nearly sinusoidal waves. They usually utilize a resonator of the lumped LC or the distributed parameter type as the frequency determining element.
HETERODYNE FREQUENCY
Beat frequency (which see).
KLYSTRON
A beam tube including at least two apertured cavity resonators, the beam of charged particles passing through the apertures of the resonators in succession, and a collector electrode being provided to intercept the beam after passing through the resonators. The first resonator causes bunching of the particles passing therethrough, the bunched particles then travel in a field-free region where further bunching occurs and then the bunched particles enter the second resonator giving up their energy to excite it into oscillations.
LC RESONATOR
A resonant circuit comprising separate inductance and capacitance elements, i.e., lumped inductor and capacitor elements.
MAGNETICALLY CONTROLLED SPACE DISCHARGE DEVICE
An active element comprising means for producing a space discharge of charged particles and having further means for subjecting the space discharge to the direct control of a magnetic field and an electric field.
MAGNETRON A magnetically controlled space discharge device comprising a linear cathode, an anode, usually cylindrical, coaxial therewith, the magnetic field being parallel to longitudinal axis of the cathode, while the electric field is transverse thereto.
MOLECULAR OR PARTICLE RESONANT OSCILLATOR
An oscillator wherein the frequency determining element consists of a material medium comprising particles, molecules or atoms, the application of electrical energy by the driving means to the medium setting the particles, molecules or atoms into a state of vibration or oscillation, the vibration or oscillation being that of the particle, molecule or atom itself and not the vibration or oscillation caused by the translational motion of the particle, molecule or atom as a whole.
MOLECULAR RESONATOR
A resonator comprising a material medium and wherein the vibration or oscillation of the molecules of the medium determines the resonant frequency of the resonator. The vibration or oscillation is of the molecule itself and not that due to the translational motion of the molecule as a whole. See, also, above, the definition of a molecular or particle resonant oscillator.
NEGATIVE RESISTANCE OR NEGATIVE TRANSCONDUCTANCE DEVICE
An active element of the two terminal type having a volt-ampere characteristic with negative slope over the range of voltages or currents wherein it is operative, that is, an increase in voltage results in a decrease in current, or vice versa.
OSCILLATOR
A system for initiating and maintaining oscillations whose frequency or period is fixed or determined by the physical parameters of the system. The fundamental elements required by an oscillator system are: (1) a frequency or period determining element, such as a resonator or timing means, (2) a driving system for the frequency or period determining element, and (3) means for deriving a useful output from the oscillator system. This class is restricted to oscillators for generating electrical oscillations or waves and specifically excludes alternating current generators of the mechanically driven dynamo-electric machine type.
RC OR RL FREQUENCY DETERMINING NETWORK
A network of the nonresonant type comprising either resistive and capacitive or resistive and inductive components. The network, by way of example, may be employed: (1) as a frequency determining phase shift network in a sine wave oscillator of the phase shift type, (2) as a frequency determining bridge network in sine wave bridge oscillators, such as the Wien bridge type of the double-T type or (3) as a time constant network in a relaxation oscillator to determine the period of the generated relaxation oscillations. REFLEX KLYSTRON
A klystron utilizing only a single apertured cavity resonator through which the beam of charged particles passes in one direction, a repeller electrode being provided to repel or redirect the beam after passage through the resonator back through the resonator in the other direction and in proper phase to reinforce the oscillations set up in the resonator.
RELAXATION OSCILLATOR
A free running oscillator for generating decidedly non sinusoidal waves. They usually utilize a time constant network of the RC or RL type as the frequency determining element.
RESONATOR OR RESONANT CIRCUIT
A frequency determining means comprised of substantially pure reactances of opposite signs (i.e., mass and compliance in a mechanical resonator or inductive and capacitive reactance in an electrical resonator) wherein the phenomenon of resonance (i.e., when the positive and negative reactances are equal) is relied upon to determine the frequency of the generated waves.
RETARDING FIELD TUBE
A tube having at least three electrodes, i.e., a source of electrons (cathode), control electrode (grid) and anode or plate electrode, the control electrode being biased positively with respect to the other electrodes. The electrode bias potentials are so chosen that the electrons attracted from the cathode by the positive grid pass through the grid and are slowed down by the repelling effect of the less positive (or negative) anode field and are returned back to or through the grid. This phenomenon is repeated again and again so that a cloud of electrons are caused to sweep back and forth through the grip, giving up energy to the grid at a frequency which is a function of the transit time of the cloud of electrons. The Barkhausen Kurz, Gill-Morrell and the reflex klystron are examples of oscillators utilizing a retarding field tube.
SEMICONDUCTOR ACTIVE ELEMENT
A solid state active element comprised of a solid material having a conductivity intermediate that of a good insulator and a good conductor.
SHOCK EXCITED RESONATOR OSCILLATOR An oscillator of the nonself-sustaining type wherein the driving system applies an electrical impulse to the frequency determining element (i.e., resonator), which element is then permitted to oscillate freely at its natural frequency.
SOLID STATE ACTIVE ELEMENT
A two-terminal or fourterminal active element of electrically conductive, semi-conductive, ferromagnetic or ferroelectric material in the solid state. Examples are: The Hall effect plate, semi-conductor (transistor), magnetic type and dielectric type amplifiers or negative resistance devices.
SPACE DISCHARGE DEVICE
A device comprising at least two spaced electrodes and wherein conduction by charged particles, e.g., electrons, or ions, takes place between the electrodes.
STABILIZATION
The maintenance of a desired condition or state of the oscillator which condition or state may be subject to change.
TRANSISTOR
A semi-conductive active element having at least three electrodes so arranged that the application of electrical energy to one electrode controls the flow of current between two other electrodes.
TRANSIT TIME OSCILLATOR
An oscillator system wherein the time of flight or transit angle of charged particles between electrodes of a space discharge device is an appreciable part of the cycle of the generated oscillations, the energy derived from the moving particles being continuously supplied to the frequency determining network of the oscillator in proper phase to sustain oscillations. Transit time effects are utilized in magnetron, beam tube and retarding field type oscillators. TUBE
An active element of the space discharge device type. See: active element; space discharge device.